I’ll start things off by saying that EVERY. SINGLE. BUSINESS. needs a presence on social media, no excuses. Social media gives us the opportunity to connect with our audience through screens and it can be used as a very powerful marketing tool for all types of businesses, big or small. As a biz owner yourself, it’s highly likely that you already understand this concept and that you’re just having trouble navigating the details on how to make social media work for your business.

It’s commonly suggested that to increase your brand presence, you need to be active on all forms of social media, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and the list goes on. Yes, that may be true, but unless you have a dedicated team or social media manager to run your socials, it’s so important not to spread yourself too thin. Finding the time to maintain more than 2 or 3 platforms by yourself can be extremely draining, and it’s highly likely that you won’t see the results you’re after unless you’re prepared to put in the man hours or pay to outsource it.

To help you to better understand social platforms for your business, I’m going to introduce the two channels that my business, Paragon Collective, specialises in: Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook Pages

One of the best things you can do for your business is to create a Facebook Page. Why? Facebook is considered the most widely used social media channel, and often one of the first places people go to get information about a business (other than via a Google search). By creating a Facebook Page, other Facebook users can simply “like” your page and start engaging right away. This differs from a Facebook profile, where users would need to add you as a “friend” before engagement can happen.

A Facebook Page also allows you to advertise specific business information such as events, opening hours, contact information, and reviews. Having a Facebook Page rather than an account makes your business official, professional, and in-tune with today’s social media marketing strategies. Facebook Pages are where it’s at people!

According to Hootsuite:

• 2.23 billion people use Facebook every month;
• 150 million people are actively using stories;
• 35% of users around the globe are under the age of 25; and
• Facebook has 80 million small and medium sized business pages

Business for Instagram

As you may already know, Instagram is a free photo and video sharing app where users can upload photos or videos and share them with their followers (or close friends), and vice versa. It’s pretty spectacular!

If you already have a personal account with suitable content and a reputable following, you may opt to simply convert it to a business account. On the other hand, if you don’t have an existing personal account, or if your personal account does not accurately represent your brand or business, your best option would be to create a business account from scratch. If you’re unsure of how to do this, a simple Google will provide you with the necessary steps.

Here’s a fun fact: Facebook owns Instagram! They actually have a lot of the same features, which makes it an excellent option for brand awareness and engagement.

According to Hootsuite:

• 1 billion people use Instagram every month;
• 500 million people use stories every day;
• 71% of users around the globe are under the age of 35; and
• 80% of users follow at least one business profile

Useful Social Media Tools/Apps

The following tools are what I use every single day in my business. They have simplified my systems, helped me maintain a brand, and have entirely changed the way I use Facebook and Instagram. For me, they are a staple in taking the stress and overwhelm out of it all. Maybe they will for you too?

• Unsplash is a website where you can search and download free stock imagery or photography for your business.
• Canva is an online graphic design tool that allows you to create your own designs or choose from hundreds of professionally designed templates for use in presentations, posters, infographics, social media, business cards, and much more.
• Plann is a powerful Instagram scheduling, strategy and analytics suite that is extremely straight forward to use and gives you a good idea of how your grid will look. This is my favourite app and allows me to plan my posts one or two weeks in advance. Winner!
• Phlanx Instagram Engagement Calculator is a great tool for measuring your engagement rate. You can do a sneaky and look at your competitor’s rates too!

 

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