5 Top Frequently Asked Social Media Marketing Questions
Photo by Tim Bennett on Unsplash
When you are first launching your business, social media is one of those elements that you know you need to do, but without a marketing background, it’s difficult to know how to get started the right way and where to devote your time, resources and energy. We know that social media can make a huge impact on businesses to generate buzz, brand awareness, reach new customers and generally grow your business. Between Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn…there is a plethora of information and resources around social media. However, these channels are always evolving in the way that people use them and the platforms themselves constantly changing.
As an entrepreneur, how do you get started finding the right channels and using social media marketing effectively to grow your business? As a new business owner, it can be extremely overwhelming, especially on top of launching your business. Recently, I was speaking to a group of food entrepreneurs in Boston all about gearing up their business social media accounts. During my time, I reviewed the 5 most asked questions that I get about social media when a business is first starting up. I wanted to share this information for other entrepreneurs
Which channels should I start with on social media?
This answer can change, but in today’s world Facebook and Instagram are a given. Both of these channels are necessary to demonstrate legitimacy and validate your company. With over 2 billion users every month on both channels separately, Facebook and Instagram are powerful to reach any demographic out there. One note that I’ll mention is - only join Instagram if you have content to share and are comfortable sharing that content. Instagram is image-driven, so you’ll need to gear up for photography as you plan this out. Pro Tip: Don’t leave out Twitter (which many businesses sometimes will forgo) This Platform is great for connecting with press and media contacts. Sometimes they will follow you and grab info from your social media for articles.
Should I use ONLY professional images?
This question comes up a lot. The images should be consistent, so you don’t want high resolution, beautiful images next to one you snapped casually on your iPhone that is dark and blurry. So, what do you do? The cost for professional photography can be very high. Sometimes, I’ll see a business post a bunch of beautiful photos from their first photo shoot and then go blank for a few months while they don’t have any new ones. Depending on your budget, I would recommend getting professional shots done for your website and a few social media ones like headers/advertising and if you do have the budget, by all means continue for all needs. However, many startups find it more cost-effective to take an iPhone photography course or invest in photography lessons or equipment to take their own photos. There are a bunch of free iPhone editing apps that can make a huge difference in picture quality. I also think it can come across more authentic when business owners or staff take photos themselves. It may not be as high quality as a professional photographer, but iPhone photos that are at a higher-level, polished quality are perfectly fine to post on a day-to-day basis!
How often should I post?
This one comes up a lot for businesses first starting out. It can seem overwhelming to post on multiple channels once a day or several times a day. Don’t let that stress you. It doesn’t need to be every day. The most important thing is consistency. If you only can commit to doing 2 posts a week, then just do what you can. Especially at the beginning, the number of posts isn’t as important as gradual consistency to build up a base of content and your following. If you do have time, my recommendation is 4-5 times per week per channel at least on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, aim for 3 posts and as many stories as you can handle.
How do I build up more followers?
This so important for new businesses who are starting from scratch at zero followers and want to build up to several hundred or several thousand, so that you have a decent engaged following. Don’t let this overwhelm you and start by focusing on gaining your target customers or audience who are going to be engaged with your brand and the goal is for them to help grow your brand organically. However, in the meantime, here’s a few ideas to get started:
Share: The number one thing you need to do right away: Invite your friends and family to like your page personally. This should at least help by creating a base of 100 or so followers so that your page seems “legitimate” and will help others follow as well.
Giveaways/Contests: Host giveaways or contest to encourage more followers and engagement with your posts. Ex: Tag a friend in the comments below for the chance to win a Gift Card…
Partnerships: Seek out like minded business partnerships to work with and mutually support and highlight each other’s businesses on social media. Their following will help support your own following.
Public Relations/Media: When you are featured in the media, they typically will share on their social media accounts and tag you, so be ready. The biggest jump I’ve seen to grow social media accounts (without paying) is by being featured in media outlets. More info on PR benefits here.
Influencers/Bloggers: Seek out relevant Influencers or Bloggers to connect with your business. Sometimes they will charge money and others will post on your behalf in exchange for product or if they test out your product/service and feel confident in your brand. Pro Tip": Plan ahead for a full Influencer Strategy to ensure positive ROI.
Paid Ads: Yep, social media channels are definitely moving in this direction that paid advertising is a part of business. Read on below for more info.
Do I need to pay for advertising on Social Media channels to be effective?
We hate to say it, but pretty much Yes. Organically, maybe only 15-30% of your audience and followers will actually see your posts. Posts with a lot of engagement might go up to 50%, but if you have a small audience and want people to see your posts and also want to grow your following, Facebook and Instagram are unfortunately trending in the direction of being a paid platform. However, we generally don’t recommend that you need to spend a huge budget on paid ads. Depending on your goals, we work with clients to determine their budget and what they want to get out of it and put together a strategy accordingly. If you are planning to do paid advertising, we’d recommend ensuring that you understand the specifics or work with a professional.
So, there you have it! The top frequently asked questions we get from new businesses about social media! And here’s a few more tips to help you along the way:
Consistency is key
Be authentic in your brand: allow your brand personality come across
Approach each channel differently
Do your research: Utilize the search functions on a few social media channels.
Snoop: See what your competitors are doing. Where are they most active on social
Engage: Setup a personal account on some new networks. See how you like it. Does it make sense to you personally? Do you feel comfortable on them to use for business?
Feel free to reach out to us with more questions: holly@littlebirdboston.com
