Building a small business from the ground up is no simple task. From designing the perfect logo to creating a cohesive website, the hard work and dedication put into it is something we here at BG Digital Group can certainly appreciate. In the midst of running a small business, creating and planning content for your social media pages can seem daunting. With social media outlets such as Instagram and Facebook continuously rolling out new features and tools, keeping up with the trends could be the difference between a successful profile, and one that’s stagnant. Let’s explore some mistakes you may be making with your small business’s social media marketing in Morehead City.
1. Not Utilizing Geo-Tags
Morehead City is home to great waterfront views, historical sites, and highly renowned festivals and fishing tournaments, making it a vacation destination for hundreds of thousands of people. By adding a Morehead City location tag to your posts or stories, you’re adding your content to a catalog of other posts that highlight Morehead. This is your ticket to helping your small business gain exposure. In the mission of gaining exposure, encourage your customers, clients, patients, or visitors to use your business’s location tag whenever they visit or utilize your services. When posting, a location tag isn’t something that has to be used every time, but sprinkling it on every few stories or posts can give you a kickstart in the goal of getting your content seen.
2. Lack or Gaps in Posting Content
The saying “quality over quantity” is true in most situations, but when it comes to social media you want quality and quantity! Being consistent in your posts is important, especially when it comes to being a small business. Morehead City is known for it’s warm, welcoming coastal charm with a community that supports each other. Posting consistently allows you to share what you can add to the community and also gives the community an opportunity to follow along and support your small business. Posting quality content helps convey that you are an experienced professional in your field of services, this is also an opportunity to be creative and make your content signature to you and your business.
3. Avoiding Interactive Posts
Instagram has been in a firm lead when it comes to rolling out new tools and updates, and one great tool they’ve brought along is interactive stories! Interactive posts are useful to business pages for a multitude of reasons. You can ask your followers questions and gauge their interests on different topics, and these topics can range from new products or services you want to introduce, to fun light-hearted questions about their interests. When gearing your small business to your local audience, asking questions about things like their favorite local events is a great way to interact with your following. Asking questions about services or products that you are introducing or even what your followers would like to see be introduced can be incredibly beneficial.
4. Not Taking Advantage of Free Insights
Being able to see and understand who is engaging with your social media content is another key tool in having successful social media platforms. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all offer insights when you create a business profile on their platforms. On Twitter, you can receive metrics for your tweets and videos. Their VAD (video activity dashboard) feature allows you to see retention, view rate, and completion rate. When it comes to Facebook and Instagram, you’ll be able to see your follower demographics and actions along with analytics on your posts. The use of insight tools gives you the power to adjust your content in order to better reach your desired demographic or even bring in a new one.
5. Only Posting On One Platform
With new social media outlets being developed every day, it can seem like there are just too many to keep up with. According to a study done by a multinational computer software company, Adobe, the top 4 social media platforms are Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter. All four of these platforms are very well known and a great starting place for any business page. Based on the products or services your small business offers, one of these platforms may serve you better than the other. In the name of growing your business and generating exposure, having a page on two or more of these platforms will do the job. Social media outlets all attract a certain demographic. The average age for a Facebook user is between the ages of 25 and 35, while another study found that roughly 58% of Instagram users are female. When you post content on different platforms, you are able to reach a greater variety of social media users.
Social media has become less casual than it was when we were posting our random thoughts on Facebook and our unfiltered and blurry pictures on Instagram. Social media is now a crucial tool in the success of a business, and you can make it work for you. Utilizing social media planning platforms such as Sprout and Hootsuite can help get your small business pages in order and be consistent. Tools like these help relieve the pressure that can seem to mount when trying to curate content. If you find yourself as a small business owner needing some advice, direction, or someone who can handle it all, connect with us today and we’ll be happy to help.
