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When I ask people about how they use Social Media for their business its not uncommon for me to hear these kinds of responses:
“I don’t know where to start”
“Is it really worth the effort?”
“I have a million and one other things to think about – spending valuable time on Facebook and LinkedIn is not top of the to-do list”
Did you find yourself nodding along in agreement?
Most people have at least one personal social media account but, when it comes to using social media for business, most are either not sure where to start or scared about what’s involved.
However, even when resources and time are limited, you simply cannot afford to ignore the power of social media for your business. Small businesses have just as much to gain from a social presence as the big brands – and with the benefit of a more personal approach, can build up a loyal and engaged community of customers.
It can be difficult to know where to start. There are countless guides and suggestions out there on this subject (just Google and you’ll see what I mean) but for me, it starts with getting the basics right in these 3 key areas to build a solid foundation
- Decide your objective for being on social media
- Figure out who you can help
- Be clear about the ‘tone’ in which you’re going to share your message
I’ll dive into these 3 areas in more detail below but you can also take a look at my blog ‘ Why you should have a Social Media strategy for your small business for next steps by clicking here
1. Decide Your Objective
What are you hoping to get from your social media? Is there a reason you’re here reading this? What would it look like for you to be winning with your business Social Media?
Are you a budding entrepreneur with an idea that just has to be shared? Are you having to pivot your business because of Coronavirus? Or maybe you’ve been running social media accounts for a while but everything is falling a bit flat right now?
Wherever you are in your journey; the first step is thinking about your WHY?
Broadly speaking the reason you should be on social media can generally be summarised by these 3 categories:
- Build brand awareness & community engagement
- Build relationships with key stakeholders
- Drive traffic to your website/driving online sales
2. Figure out who you are trying to reach
The next step is to think about WHO your ideal clients are. If you have an existing client base this is a little easier but, even if you’re just starting out really think about who you want to work with or who would like your product. Think about all of the following areas:
- Demographics: Age, Gender, ethnicity, Single, Married
- Personality: Are they competitive, Logical, emotional..
- Routines: What are their daily routines like? Is it different at the weekend?
- Social media habits: What platforms are they using?
- Workstyle: What kind of company do they work for?
- Lifestyle: What do they do for fun? Where do they shop?
The more detail you put into your user personas the more targeted you can be when developing your plan around which platforms to post on, what type of content to share and what time of day is best.
3.Nail your tone of voice
Now you have defined your audience its time to think about how to ‘speak’ to them. It’s about the audience after all, as they’re the ones who make or break a business. eg An older audience requires a different tone to a younger one, and vice versa
Your voice is dependent on the nature of your business. Another example is to think that an ice cream shop needs to sound different to a funeral director on social media, so it’s important to use the right voice and tone in your writing and posting on social.
Primarily, you voice style should focus on the interests of your audience. You need to use the right language and tone for your business, audience and scenario too.
Think about these keywords and decide on a scale of 1-5 what tone is best for your business:
- Formal/Serious
- Knowledgeable
- Educational
- Authorative
- Funny
- Approachable
- Curious
- Colloquial
Developing the right voice for your social media can make or break your business. Just remember, you need to appeal to your audience, you’re writing for them and not yourself.
With these 3 areas complete you’re now ready to think about which platforms to use and decide your content strategy.
I’ll be publishing more blogs on this subject so do check back but, in the meantime click the link here to access ALL of my FAVOURITE RESOURCES and, to be kept up to date on changes – sign up to my weekly newsletter below