Social Media: Building a Useful Presence for Your Business
Introduction
Social media has become an established part of the digital landscape. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and others provide businesses with opportunities to communicate directly with customers, demonstrate expertise and increase awareness.
But simply creating accounts and posting occasionally is not a social media strategy.
For small and medium-sized businesses, the challenge is deciding which platforms are relevant, what to communicate and how social media can support wider business objectives without consuming an unreasonable amount of time.
What Is Social Media Strategy?
A social media strategy defines how a business will use social platforms to achieve specific objectives.
Those objectives might include increasing awareness, attracting website visitors, developing relationships with potential customers, supporting existing customers or generating enquiries.
The strategy should identify who the business wants to reach, which platforms those people use, what types of content will be useful to them and what the business wants them to do next.
This turns social media from an isolated activity into part of a wider digital strategy.
Choose the Right Social Media Platforms
Businesses do not need to be active everywhere.
Different platforms attract different audiences and encourage different types of interaction. A platform that works extremely well for one organisation may produce very little value for another.
A business selling visually appealing consumer products may have very different requirements from a consultancy selling professional services to other businesses.
The important question is therefore not, “Which social networks should we be using?” but:
Where are the people we want to reach?
Concentrating on one or two appropriate platforms and using them consistently can be far more effective than maintaining several neglected accounts.
Create Content That Has a Purpose
Social media content should give people a reason to pay attention.
That does not mean every post needs to sell something. In fact, constantly publishing promotional messages can make an account considerably less useful.
Businesses can share practical advice, answer common questions, highlight useful website content, demonstrate their work, provide industry insights or show some of the people and activity behind the organisation.
Existing content can also be reused. An article might provide several individual social posts, while a guide, video or infographic can be introduced to a new audience through social channels.
The objective is to create useful communication rather than simply fill a publishing schedule.
Social Media Should Lead Somewhere
Social media platforms can help businesses reach people, but they should not necessarily become the final destination.
A social post can introduce an idea and then direct someone towards a more detailed article. A product post can lead to an e-commerce page. A professional insight might encourage someone to visit a service page or learn more about the business.
This relationship between social media and the organisation’s own website is important.
Businesses control their websites and email lists. They do not control social platforms, their algorithms or how much of their audience will see a particular post.
Social media is therefore most useful when it supports digital assets that the business controls.
Engagement Matters
The word “social” is important.
Social media provides an opportunity for two-way communication. Responding to comments, answering questions and participating in relevant conversations can be as valuable as publishing new material.
For smaller businesses in particular, this can help demonstrate that there are real people behind the organisation.
It can also provide useful information about the questions, concerns and interests of customers, which may influence future website content and other marketing activity.
Measure What Is Working
Follower numbers and likes can be encouraging, but they do not necessarily demonstrate business value.
The measurements that matter depend on the original objective.
If the aim is to increase website traffic, referral visits may be important. If the objective is enquiries, conversions matter more. If social media is being used for customer communication, engagement and response may be more relevant.
Regularly reviewing these results helps determine which platforms and types of content deserve continued investment.
Social Media as Part of Your Digital Strategy
Social media works best when it is connected to other digital activity rather than treated as a separate marketing exercise.
It can distribute content, support customer relationships, increase visibility and bring people back to digital resources owned by the business.
For SMEs with limited time and resources, the objective should not be to be everywhere. It should be to choose the right places, publish useful content and make social media support the wider goals of the business.