12 Social Media Marketing Strategies for Your Small Business

We’re in the social media era! Who don’t use Facebook? Who haven’t watched funny videos on Youtube? Who haven’t read interesting articles from blogs? Social media networking sites have already become significant places on the Internet where we spend most of our time connecting to people, learning new things and even promoting our businesses. If you haven’t utilized yet the power of social media to boost your business, then you should not become the last to use it. The following are 12 social media marketing strategies for your small business.

1. Create a blog for your business. If you already have your company’s website, you can create a blog and integrate it to that website. If you don’t have a website, a WordPress blog can be transformed into a full website. A business blog should regularly publish useful contents that will help not only your customers, but also the public. It should not be a diary of your press releases. In other words, it should talk not only about yourself, but about useful things that can help its readers. Publishing informational and educational articles can attract more readers than publishing about how you’ve enjoyed your latest business travel.

2. Communicate with your blog’s visitors. Blog has a comment system where your visitors can ask questions or say anything about each of your blog post. Don’t leave any comment without your reply as possible. This kind of communication promotes trust and lasting relationship between you and your blog readers, who can become your potential customers.

3. Join the blogosphere discussion. Don’t just wait for visitors to come to your blog and make a comment. Learn how to wander in the world of blogging. Visit blogs that are related to yours. Make relevant and engaging comments on them. This will expand your blogging network and even improve your link building and SEO.

4. Promote your business on your personal Facebook profile or timeline. You can tell your friends where you work at, that is, on your own business or company. But though you’re a business person, you should still maintain yourself as a more personal being rather than a promotional person who always updates his/her status with bunch of business promotions. Socialize with your friends as a friend to them and not just a seller. Share more personal status updates and make more friendly comments on your friends’ statuses. The more real friends you will have in Facebook, the more loyal customers you will gain.

5. Create your Facebook business page. By creating your page, you can also create a space in Facebook that is dedicated to your business.  There, you can attract people to “like” your page to follow your updates, photos, videos and links. To get more likes, you should keep your page updated and engaging. You can share your new blog posts, your company’s new offerings and other updates that you may find interesting to your fans or subscribers. But just like what I told in #4, don’t forget to talk like a human and a friend who always ready to help.

6. Create a group on Facebook. Create a group that has an interest related to your business. For example if you own a restaurant business, you can create a group of Facebook users who are keen to food and cookery. There, you can initiate interesting discussions on anything about cuisine, fine dining and the likes. As an administrator you will have the power to control the group. But remember to administer your group responsibly to make it useful to all members.

7. Join other groups. Try also to become a member of other Facebook groups that are related to your group. In this way, you can be connected with more people who have the same interest as yours. Don’t forget to always follow the group’s rules and guidelines.

8. Create Twitter account. Twitter has over 175 million registered users. This micro-blogging networking service is also accessed by millions of users in their mobile phones. Thus, if you want to extend your brand awareness, you should also use the power of this social media. The key to promoting your business on Twitter is to have more targeted followers. Check out our “Tips to Increase Your Twitter Followers Manually”.

9. Create viral videos in your Youtube Account. Youtube is the no. 3 most visited websites in the world, behind Google and Facebook, according to Alexa.com. Hence, creating your business Youtube profile and uploading interesting videos related to your business is one social media marketing strategy you should be starting now.  You may read these “12 Tips for Using YouTube to Promote Your Business” by Startupnation.

10. Promote your business on Linkedin. Linkedin is the world’s largest professional networking site online. Thus, you should not miss creating a profile if you want to promote your business. Check out how LinkedIn apps can promote your business here.

11. Integrate all your social media profiles under your brand. The secret to promoting your business on the social media is to connect all your social media profiles to work as one. For example, you can integrate your social media profile buttons on your blog. You can also share your interesting and useful blog posts to your social profiles. They should all carry and uphold your business identity online.

12. Don’t forget your social responsibility. You can use the influence of social media to promote your cause. Social media isn’t different from the public outside the Internet. Thus, if you want to promote your business, you should also promote your community by helping them improve their lives. You can build your reputation by initiating socially responsible campaigns, such as helping the environment, promoting education, joining the government in fighting national poverty, and other movements to show that you care for people.

There can be other social media marketing tactics you can use to improve your business profitability. Furthermore, there are still several social networking sites out there that can also help your business. For example, Foursquare.com users check in and share where they are, whether checking out a hotel, restaurant or a boutique. They are sharing and chronicling their adventures. If you become part as a business or brand on foursquare, more people will discover your business and more customers will need your products and services. To ensure that you can optimally use the power of social media for your business, you should always keep an eye on the innovation that online and offline world may offer. Be always ready to adapt and maximize the power of technology. Be innovative and have great results!