Maximizing Your Small Business’s Reach: A Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Basics
Social Media for small business is essential because it is a cost-effective way to reach a large audience. Social media platforms allow you to target specific demographics, such as location and interests, and to engage with customers in a customised and personal manner; two-way communication between business and consumer. Additionally, using social media can help you to build brand awareness, drive website traffic, and increase sales. Furthermore, social media also allows you to track your performance and adjust your strategies accordingly. Overall, using social media can be a powerful tool for small businesses to promote products or services, increase visibility, and grow the customer base.
According to Datareportal, more than 4.2 billion active social media users are worldwide currently with that number growing year on year; this is the most important reason small businesses need social media because your target audiences use these platforms. As I like to say, “find out where your target audience hangs out, and go there”. In addition, 78% of consumers are willing to purchase from a business after a positive encounter with them on social media, and 55% of consumers first discover new businesses on social media.
What social media platforms should I use?
Below we will look at the primary demographics of major social media platforms. Please note that gender and age are not the only demographics to consider, but quite often they are the easiest to obtain.
81% of US adults say they use YouTube, followed by Facebook (69%) and Instagram (40%).
TikTok is the fastest growing social media site with an audience largely made up of 18–24-year-olds, however, 40–55 is a growing market. 57% female, 43% male.
51% of global Instagram users are male and 49% are female. Users between the ages of 25 and 34 make up 32% of Instagram’s worldwide audience, followed by 18–24 (30%), 35–44 (16%), 13–17 (9%), 45–54 (8%), and 55+ (6%). In my opinion, Instagram has really turned into scrolling through advertisements with little focus on engagement.
Worldwide, users between the ages of 25 and 34 account for 59% of LinkedIn users, followed by ages 18–24 (20%), 35–54 (18%), and 55+ (3%). Men make up more of the platform’s audience than women. Overall, 57% of users are male compared to 43% who are female. This is a professional social media networking platform. It’s great for professional services and Business to Business promotion.
YouTube:
Globally, men use YouTube more than women. Over half of the platform’s audience is men (54%) while 46% are women.
34% of users are between the ages of 18 and 24, followed by 25–34 (33%), 13–17 (15%), 35–54 (15%), and 55–64 (3%). Have you heard the term “YouTube University”? This is where people go to learn about ANYTHING!
Facebook:
Men account for 57% of all users. Women make up 43%. Users aged 25–34 make up 31% of Facebook’s global audience, followed by ages 18–24 (22%), 35–44 (18%), 45–54 (11%), 55–64 (7%), 65+ (6%), and 13–17 (5%). There is a growing movement away from Facebook, but it still has 1.98 billion active users per day, and if you don’t have representation there you are missing out a large chunk of promotion potential.
What is the social media algorithm?
A social media algorithm is a set of rules and signals that automatically ranks content on a social platform based on how likely each individual social media user is to like it and interact with it.
What are hashtags and how do they work?
A hashtag consists of words or phrases (with no spaces), preceded by a # sign (i.e. #brisbane) that is used to tie various social media posts together and relate them to a topic.
A good rule of thumb for hashtags is the 3 x 3 rule:
- 3 hashtags for what the video is about
- 3 hashtags that identify your customers pain points
- 3 hashtags that identify your audience
This is a great place to start, and then work out what’s best for you.
How do I know if my posts are being seen?
Social media tracking is important for small businesses because it allows them to monitor their online presence and track the engagement and reach of their social media content. This information can be used to improve their marketing strategies and target your audience more effectively. Additionally, tracking can help businesses identify key influencers and advocates in your industry and monitor the activity of your competitors. It can also be used to measure the return on investment of their social media marketing efforts.
This brings us to the crux of this article! I have developed a social media tracking spreadsheet for you to monitor your social media strategies. If you’d like a copy please email me at ninthkoi@gmail.com.
Social media can be challenging for small businesses because it requires a significant investment of time and resources to create and maintain a strong presence. Additionally, it can be difficult to stand out among the competition and reach the right audience. However, social media can also be very beneficial for small businesses because it allows you to reach many potential customers at a relatively low cost. Additionally, social media platforms can help you to build relationships with customers and increase brand awareness. Overall, it can be worth it for small businesses to invest in social media if you are able to effectively use it to reach you target audience and achieve your marketing goals.
