No matter where you are in your entrepreneurial journey, having a presence on social media is crucial to increase your brand awareness and to boost leads and sales. Whether you have an existing social media presence or are just getting started, these social media tips and tricks will help small businesses in coworking facilities, like CoLab, make social media an effective part of your marketing strategy.

First, it’s important to understand why your potential followers use social media in the first place.

Studies show that the top five reasons people look at social media are to:

  • Stay up to date with news and current events
  • Find funny or entertaining content 
  • Fill up spare time
  • Keep in touch with friends
  • Share photos or videos with others

Here are some tips and tricks to help you get started building your social media brand:

Start With a Plan

Sounds simple, right? But you’d be surprised how many businesses don’t, preferring instead to just take a scatter shot approach. In order to stay on brand, create a social media strategy that includes a content plan and your goals. Most importantly, include a statement on why people should follow you and what value you will add to your followers’ experience. Consider what “personality” your social media presence will have.

Show Your Personality 

Look at the brands and companies you follow on social media. What makes them special and why do you follow them? More than likely, there is either something about the content they post or the way in which they post it. Creating a social media presence isn’t just about promoting your company’s value or selling your services. It’s about the connections you make with followers and the experience you offer them. Leading influencers point to the social media success of Merriam Webster Dictionary and the way they have engaged their audience. You might think posting about a massive collection of words wouldn’t be engaging, but by creating content around the “Word of the Day”, they have attracted a massive audience who follow along to not only find out the latest offering, but to perhaps test their own word knowledge.

Keep Your Focus Narrow

There are a lot of social media platforms out there and it seems like a new one pops up every few months. But instead of chasing trends and trying out every new platform that comes along, choose two or three that are most relevant to your audience. According to a study by The Marketing Insider Group, the five most valuable social media platforms are:

  • Facebook (89%)
  • LinkedIn (83%)
  • YouTube (81%)
  • Twitter (80%)
  • Instagram (56%)

It’s Called Social Media For a Reason

If your social media strategy is primarily about sharing content and promotions, you’re missing a huge opportunity to create long term connections. Yes, part of the reason for being on social media is to advertise your products or services. But promotions should be only a small part of your content strategy. People don’t go to Facebook or Twitter to look at advertising. So post content that addresses their interests and needs and doesn’t just shamelessly promote your business. For example, thank a customer who posts on your page, post articles or infographics that interest your audience, or share humorous quotes or trivia that relate to your industry.

Post Regularly and Actively Promote Your Presence

How often you post can be tricky. Too little and your followers will stop coming around. Too often and they might become tired of hearing from you. Try to post high-value content consistently and regularly—and at the times that are best for engaging your audience. And make sure that part of your time is spent on boosting your follower base. That means actively working to increase the number of followers by promoting your social media presence and interesting content. Remember to ask your existing customers to follow you on social media through other communications vehicles like invoices, newsletters, and brochures. And encourage current followers to share or like your posts.

Stay Committed to Social Media

To be successful on social media, you have to stick with it. It can be a challenge to grow an audience, create content, and increase engagement. Too many companies give up after only a few months, either because they don’t have the staff to give it enough attention or because they aren’t seeing the results they want. Experts estimate it can take 8 to 12 months, not only to get a consistent stream of content going, but to figure out what works with your audience.

Run Your Business With CoLab

CoLab offers coworking memberships in a safe, convenient, and cost effective environment among a community of other professionals just like you. Working remotely in our coworking facility gives you access to a wealth of networking opportunities and the ability to share tips and tricks to help you work more effectively. Contact us at 203-208-8488 for a tour or schedule a tour here!