How to Take Advantage of the “Small” in Small Business
Social media allows you to be everyone’s local. That is the way you should approach marketing as a small business owner. There is no reason you should leave behind the charming things that make your business unique.
In part one of A Complete Guide to Marketing Your Small Business, we talked about the importance of translating your business to an online space. Small businesses are the heartbeat of towns & cities across the world, and the internet has given those businesses the power to set up shop on everyone’s metaphorical Main Street.
Small businesses have something that a lot of big businesses strive to recreate: personality.
A small business has the opportunity to form connections big businesses could only dream of. They have the chance to have real conversations with real people. They can follow-up on experiences and be the most “hometown” they can be to everyone they come in contact with.
Marketing your small business online doesn’t reduce your local impact. Instead, it enables you to make an impact on people everywhere. Your love is limitless!
The Small Business Social Media Presence
A small business needs to establish a presence on all social media channels. Keeping channels across the board updated helps small businesses get noticed, virtually and locally.
When a business has multiple social media channels with the same business information on each, the likeliness of being found in Google searches increases. This helps potential customers find your business online as well as when they’re in the area.
Social media is not just to show your business off but to give your business the online boost it needs to reach more people at the right time.
How to Navigate Social Media Marketing as a Small Business Owner
Instagram: Utilize your Stories. These don’t have to be picture-perfect, delicately curated posts (leave those for your feed.) Use your Stories to show people what’s going on behind the scenes. Give them a peek into the quirks of your business or tease them a little about what’s coming next. Make your Stories interesting.
Polls & Questions. Posting questions and polls to your stories or on your profile helps you understand what your customers expect out of your business. It also helps you better understand your customer base.
Interact regularly. Get to double-tapping. Comment on posts. This is your opportunity to build relationships. There’s enough love to go around. Don’t be stingy.
Offer valuable information. Give your audience something they can only see from you. Your small business is unique. Show that uniqueness off. Just because your business is small doesn’t mean it can’t stand out.
Facebook: Facebook can be one of the best places to build community. Your Facebook page should showcase your business and even offer easy access to your shop if you offer a product.
However, as a small business owner, consider starting a Facebook group. This is a great way to interact directly with people who support you and your business. You can have real conversations with real people, creating a valuable community.
When you have a Facebook group, you can really create buzz about what you offer in an informal setting. You don’t have to talk about your business 24/7. In fact, you shouldn’t. Instead, aim to talk about the topics that surround your business.
Twitter: Small business marketing on Twitter is all about being present and making connections with other small business owners. Twitter is one of the fastest moving social platforms.
With Twitter, don’t think too much. Just do, and do so cleverly.
TikTok: Get on the TikTok train before it leaves the station.
Recently, TikTok has been a fantastic way for small businesses to advertise. From law firms to dermatologists to jewelry makers (and everyone in between), there is so much useful content being posted to TikTok.
This is where fun is encouraged. TikTok is a video platform, so show people what you’re doing, give them information only you can give them. Be your authentic self.
How-tos are very popular on TikTok. Some people love seeing how things work. Home renovations, candle-making, carpet repair, it doesn’t matter: JUST SHOW THEM WHAT YOU DO. There’s some thin veil between perception and reality. TikTok removes that barrier and has people saying, “OH, THAT’S how that works?”
Take CarpetRepairGuys as a wonderful example of outstanding TikTok marketing. No one was swarming to TikTok to watch people repair carpets, but now they can’t get enough. It’s just so satisfying! What seems mundane to you can be interesting to others.
Google My Business:
Google My Business is every small business owner’s best friend. Seriously.
Google My Business is often underutilized by small businesses because they just don’t know where to start. However, it gives you a leg up on your competition if you use it wisely. Think of Google My Business as your Google pitch. People will come across your Google My Business when they’re looking for something, not necessarily someone. This is your chance to stand out in search results, invite people in, and make them feel like you’re talking to them before they even know who you are. It’s a little small business hospitality, y’all.
To understand all the ins & outs of Google My Business, start here. We have a full, comprehensive guide for making Google My Business work for you.
Let’s Get Technical
The technicalities of running a business online can be a little confusing at first. Let’s touch on some of the technical things you can do to boost your business online (and 
what some of those dang abbreviations mean).
SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization. Search engines give you a score based on your relevancy, your legitimacy, and your site safety, along with multiple other factors. Simply put, there are a lot of little SEO things you can do to bump your business to the top of search results. If you want to get down to the nitty-gritty, we have several blogs available on our website that teach you all about SEO.
Learn about SEO based on your business:
Website. We’re suckers for a good website (which is why we design damn good ones complete with SSL certification). Websites are one of the most important things a business owner can have when moving online. A website gives you a clear brand identity and a central point where customers know they can find you and find out everything you offer. Learning how to utilize your website pushes every digital marketing strategy a little further to success.
Analytics/Metrics. All of your business pages, from your website to your Instagram profile, will give you a glimpse into who is looking at your business, where they’re from, and when they’re engaging. All of these things will help you get a better picture of who your audience is in the future.
How Gravity Junction Can Help Your Social Media Marketing Efforts
Social media is a free marketing tool, but to make the most out of it, having a plan in place is necessary. Gravity Junction is a boutique marketing firm specializing in small business marketing. With the right plan in place, even the smallest business can stand out. Contact us today.
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