As a small business owner, you wear many hats, from hiring a sales team to a visual merchandiser. However, one of the most essential roles these days is a social media manager. If you’re hoping to improve your small business marketing skills and put your company on the map, use these three simple tips to get started.

3 Social Media Hacks for Small Business Marketing

1. Start a Calendar

Part of the challenge of keeping up a social media account is coming up with the content itself. Instead of returning to the drawing board each day, plan your posts ahead of time, by the week or month. You can create a social media calendar in a spreadsheet application, planning posts for every day, or every other day, depending on your preference. You can also color-code content based on the platform, for easy copy and pasting. Or, submit your social media calendar to a scheduling program, which can publish the posts for you.

 2. Entertain as Well as Inform

Think of how you use social media. You probably don’t only browse Facebook for hard-hitting news articles, or use Twitter for updates on store hours. You also go on these platforms for a bit of an escape from your daily routine. When planning your own content, don’t forget to give your followers the same breath of fresh air. Use gifs, memes, riddles, fun pictures of your items, and other forms of light-hearted entertainment to keep them engaged and break up the monotony of your informative posts.

3. Monitor Your Audience Across Different Platforms

The main social media platforms all cater to different audiences, and your objectives might vary between these demographics. For example, while your Generation Z clients might be on Instagram, your millennial customers may be on Twitter, and your Generation X and Boomer followers will primarily use Facebook. If you have the most engagement on Facebook, your goals there will be to retain your current following and keep them updated of logistical changes, since they are already committed to your business. On Instagram, your goal may be to bring in new followers, catching the eye of younger users with funny memes, creative captions, or eye-catching images. You can use analytics data across these platforms to come up with the ideal content creation plan.

If you’re looking for more information on effective small business marketing, turn to Mebane Business Association. For over 25 years, they’ve been helping business owners throughout the Mebane, NC, area, providing a membership program with countless resources. Whether you’re interested in collaborating with other business owners or enhancing your brand awareness, you can find the guidance you need at their monthly meetings. Visit the website to learn more information, or call (919) 304-3737 to speak with a representative.