Too many business owners neglect the valuable marketing assets that social media has to offer. Gone are the days of standalone business cards and television commercials. Everyone is online now. Roughly half of the entire world’s population uses social media.

Do you know how to present your business on social media?

There are right and wrong ways to do it. Any digital native can spot a social media newbie from a mile away (if you can even be spotted at all; are you even showing up online?).

We’re here to help you out.

Keep reading for our brief guide on growing businesses through effective social media utilization and marketing.

Pick Your Platforms

There are too many social media platforms to possibly hit every single one as a small business owner. It’s not uncommon to try to use everything only to burn out and end up using nothing at all.

You have to choose wisely.

Most businesses should opt into Facebook. It’s incredibly widespread and covers a wide range of age groups. Everyone from Gen Z and up is using Facebook (though it’s beginning to lose popularity amongst Millennials and younger groups).

Instagram is the obvious next choice due to its ties with Facebook and easy cross-platform posting.

Twitter would be the third choice for every business. It’s popular amongst younger groups and posting is quick and easy.

Once these are settling, depending on your industry you may find success in other platforms like YouTube or Snapchat, but people don’t generally visit these networks for businesses.

Utilize Hashtags and Location Tools

On sites like Instagram and Twitter, you’ll be all but invisible if you’re not effectively using the tools that are provided to you to grow your reach.

Both of these sites use hashtags. Hashtags are like little calling cards for posts. For example, if you run an ice cream shop and tag a post with #icecream, people looking for ice cream posts will find you. If you want to make it more specific and you happen to be Chicago-based, you can try #Chicagoicecream to find local customers.

Geotagging also works like this. Let’s say your business is next to The Bean in Chicago. You could just tag Chicago, letting Chicago customers find your ice cream shop when they’re in the local tag. You can also tag The Bean as your location so that visitors at that popular destination know that you’re right next door for their frozen dessert needs.

Make Sharable Content

You want your social media posts to look clean and professional. That’s how you get shares and convince your audience that you’re reliable.

Photos should be clear, bright, and near-professional quality. You can also use customer photos to help increase brand trust and interaction.

You should blend with social media trends. If something is trending at the moment (be it celebrity news, world events, or more) consider (tastefully) joining in on the movement.

This platform is how you’re interacting with your customers on a personal level. What you post matters.

Set and Track Goals

Like all methods of small business digital marketing, social media marketing is useless without clear intentions.

Are you trying to get more direct customers? Are you trying to create sharable posts to expand your reach beyond your local market?

You should also be paying attention to how your goals are going. Are people following and interacting with your page? Are some of these people (how many?) also being converted into customers?

While running social media pages is a lot of fun, you need to be tracking your progress.

Do You Know How to Present Your Business on Social Media?

Knowing how to present your business effectively on social media platforms can be the difference between your business thriving or flopping. Don’t go in without a plan.

Whether you’re sharing stories on Instagram or keeping it professional on Facebook, appearances matter.

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