Today’s article from Crain’s New York Business offers insight on the dilemma that many small businesses face regarding dedicating time and money to social media. At times it may be hard to see the fruits of your labor. But it’s important to understand that the way small businesses approach social media compared to large corporations is very different.
First of all, small businesses should avoid thinking of social media as a tool for advertising but as a forum for interacting with and forming relationships with current and future customers through intriguing content. Avoid posting purely promotional content. Information is much more valuable than a promotion because it builds loyalty around your brand and will bring your customers back to your site again and again. Take this article’s advice:
“One of our clients was mystified because his firm had 90,000 “likes” on Facebook but, when he advertised a sale, no one bought. It was because he was bombarding people with ads. Offer information instead. If you’re a cosmetics company, give beauty tips. If you’re a kitchen-supply store, give recipes. And do it consistently—say, every Monday morning—so people will look for it and expect it.”
Information almost always trumps promotions.
Another rule of thumb is that quality is much more important than quantity when it comes to social media for small businesses. Living by that motto requires patience. Building an online presence doesn’t happen overnight. Thoughtful dedication to creative content is appreciated by your audience more than being bombarded by careless posts that reveal nothing about your brand’s personality.
You can read the full article here.