How to master small business social media marketing
The power of social media is undeniable – especially when it comes to marketing for small businesses. It’s been estimated that 200 million consumers visit at least one business profile on social media every day.i Effective social media management for small business can help cost-effectively boost awareness, reach new customers and build trust with target audiences.
As a small business owner, you may feel you don’t have the time to regularly post on Facebook, Instagram and other sites, let alone create and manage a small business social media plan. That’s where Thryv can help. As a platform with end-to-end solutions, Thryv provides everything you need to excel at small business social media marketing.
The keys to social media success
While social media is constantly evolving, there are several best practices for social media for small business you can implement to increase your presence.
Customize content for each platform
Not all social media platforms are created equal – the photo you post on Instagram may not play as well on Twitter. Additionally, you don’t want your followers to feel like they’re seeing the same post over and over as they move between different platforms. Consider ways to change up content, captions and tone of voice as you post.
Keep it human
Social media is all about storytelling and giving your customers a reason to engage. Showing the human side of your business will help your clients relate to you, while posts that are only about buying products or booking services may leave customers cold. Behind-the-scenes posts or a-day-in-the-life posts are great ways to get started.
Deal with negative feedback
It’s impossible to please every customer – which means you are likely to get some negative feedback occasionally. The way you respond to these comments will help build trust with your customer base – or turn them away. Make every effort to resolve conflicts with patrons by acknowledging their opinion, issuing an apology and offering to make things right in an off-line conversation.
Focus on engagement rather than followers
While having lots of followers is great, having followers who engage with your content is way better. Don’t get hung up comparing your number of followers to your competitors. Instead, stay focused on ways to engage the followers you have, since people who frequently share, comment and like your posts are the ones that will help you grow your presence, increase your reach and gain more active followers.
Keep an eye on the metrics
The only way to get better at small business social media marketing is to understand what’s working and what’s not. That’s where metrics come in. All social media platforms provide information and analytics that let you track how your posts perform. A little research can reveal what kinds of posts engage your followers most effectively, so you can do more of what works.
Small business social media marketing with Thryv
Thryv is a do-it-all business management platform that offers the tools you need to find customers, manage work, get paid and build your business. From marketing automation and customer communication to invoicing, payment processing and document storage, Thryv simplifies the tasks involved in managing nearly every area of your small business.
Thryv’s small business social media marketing tools can help you enhance your social profile – in less time and with less effort.
Consolidate your social accounts
Manage all your social profiles – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn – from one place, on any device. Choose the best content, photos, links and videos for each platform and post to your social media pages with one click.
Post on your schedule
With Thryv, you can post and share instantly or schedule your content in advance so you can focus on other priorities during the day. Thryv can identify the best times for engaging customers on different platforms and can post content automatically, if you choose.
Get inspiration
Coming up with new content constantly can feel like a chore. That’s why Thryv offers a library jam-packed with social media marketing ideas for small business, including more than half a million posts that you can customize for your business. When you’re not sure what to say, simply personalize one of our pre-written posts. Thryv can also analyze posts from your competitors to help generate ideas for content that will advantageously position your business.
Track your success
Keep track of views, likes, shares, reach and other metrics on the Thryv dashboard. You’ll get a demographic breakdown of each social site’s audience, so you can be sure you’re posting for the people who are most likely to be interested in your business.
Build your social media team
When you want to add more expertise to your small business social media marketing, a full-service social upgrade from Thryv puts our content team to work for you. We’ll write unique content each month and use boosting algorithms to help grow your audience and influence.
Protect your reputation online
Customer reviews and comments online are key to building awareness of your business and reaching a larger audience. Responding to both positive and negative comments is a highly effective way to engage prospects and customers. With Thryv’s online reputation management software, you can get notified instantly when customers post new reviews on social media and other top sites. Our live review acknowledgment service will respond to reviews on Google, Facebook and Yelp within one business day – even when you’re too busy to handle it yourself.
Often, getting customers to review your business is simply a matter of asking at the right time. With Thryv’s pre-built email templates, you can automatically request reviews from customers as you invoice them, as they complete appointments or as you are accepting payment.
Additionally, to see how you stack up the competition, Thryv offers an in-depth analysis that compares your online rankings with four competitors of your choosing.
Why choose Thryv?
Thousands of small business owners trust Thryv to help manage the most important aspects of running their companies. Thryv’s do-it-all solution lets owners manage marketing, invoicing, payment processing, social media, communications and customer relationship management from a single platform, with a single login. All Thryv solutions – including social media tools for small business – can be accessed from anywhere, at any time and on any device, giving small business owners the flexibility they need. Additionally, Thryv solutions integrate easily with dozens of popular business tools like QuickBooks, PayPal, Square, Stripe, WordPress and Gmail. This allows owners and their employees to take advantage of Thryv’s solutions without having to abandon the tools they’re already familiar with.
Thryv is the only software of its kind that offers unlimited, 24/7 support from small business specialists who understand the goals and needs of small business owners. Hands-on onboarding and flexible training options help businesses get the most from the Thryv platform starting on day one, while in-app chat features along with tips, videos and guides allow users to learn more about Thryv at their own pace.
i https://www.thryv.com/blog/social-media-success
ii https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
iii https://www.thryv.com/blog/social-media-success
iv https://www.fundera.com/resources/small-business-marketing-statistics
