Starting social media for your business

Your business needs to be where your customers are – and in today’s digital world, that means being on social media. Whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn or Pinterest, an engaging social media presence can be an effective way to attract new business, interact with customers and build your brand.

How to use social media effectively

Creating a social media presence for your business can be fun (and daunting) at first – but by following these tips, you’ll be on track to build a strong presence that attracts customers.

Know your audience

Social media is most effective when your content is purposeful and tailored to your audience and their interests. Ask yourself:

• Who are my customers? (demographic: age, gender, location, etc.)
• What types of content are they interested in?
• Which platforms are they using?
• What are my competitors doing on social media?

Use this information to shape the content you create and publish. If you can’t answer these questions you’ll need to conduct some market research.

Align content with your brand

Social media should be used as part of a comprehensive business and marketing strategy. Content published on your profiles needs to align with your overall brand and messaging. It’s also important that the tone of your content is natural and authentic, to help build trust with your audience.

ANZ’s small business marketing strategy guide can help you create a holistic marketing strategy.

Build a social media plan

What you post, when you post, and how often you post needs to be planned and scheduled ahead of time. Unlike a personal social media profile, a business profile needs to be deliberate, considered and consistent in its activity.

Take the time to build a social media plan and map it to a calendar, then stick to it to ensure your presence is always up to date. Factor in your other marketing activities too, and consider how to best leverage your social media to support them.

Remember, your social media channels are one part of a comprehensive marketing plan.

Promote your social presence

Once you’ve set up your social accounts, let people know about them. Include links to your profiles on your website (most commonly found in the footer), in your emails and text messages. You can also add your handles to other correspondence (like letters or packaging) wherever appropriate so customers can find you.

To ensure you get seen, consider paid social advertising to extend your reach. The benefits of social advertising include:

• Increased brand awareness: Tap into vast audiences across platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn to significantly boost brand visibility.
• Cost-effective marketing: Social advertising can be more affordable than traditional advertising methods, making it more accessible to small businesses.
• Targeted advertising: You can direct your advertising to your specific audience.
• Drive traffic to your website: Social media ads can drive significant traffic to your website, increasing conversion rates.
• Measurable results: Track how your ads are performing to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns and make data-driven decisions to improve your approach.

If you’re not sure where to start, a digital marketing specialist can help guide you.

Leverage your data

In addition to helping you better communicate and engage with your customers, your social media analytics can give you a better idea of who your customers are and the types of content they respond to. Track the comprehensive data each platform collects from its users as they engage with your content. You can use these insights to produce better targeted content, optimise when you post, and ultimately convert prospects into customers.

You can access data and insights on each individual platform, or, for best results, use a data dashboard tool, like Google Looker Studio, Sprout Social and Hootsuite, to get an integrated view of all your channels in the one place. Search engine optimisation (SEO) performance and social advertising activity can be integrated here as well. A digital marketing specialist can help you set up your dashboard.

• Learn more about search engine optimisation tips for small business

Engaging with your customers

Social media should be about two-way communication with your customers. Engaging with posts and comments about your business can build trust, your reputation and potentially help you increase sales.

Unfortunately, dealing with bad reviews and complaints is part of being a business owner, and social media makes it easier for customers to quickly share their dissatisfaction with others. We provide tips on how to respond to these appropriately.

Understanding different social media platforms

We take a look at common social media platforms for marketing your small business.  

Consider using Linktree, a tool that allows you to create a single landing page containing multiple links, to ensure that customers have access to all your channels in the one place. Your Linktree URL can be saved in your bio on each channel. Learn more about Linktree.

Meta (Facebook and Instagram)

Facebook

Facebook is a versatile platform with a wide and diverse user base.

• Supports text, images, videos, live streams and events.
• Targeted advertising: Advanced targeting options for ads.
• Community building: Create groups and pages to engage with customers.
• Customer service: You can use Messenger for direct communication with customers.
• Set up a Facebook account

Instagram

Instagram is a photo- and video-sharing platform that’s a great option to showcase visually appealing products related to food, fashion/design and beauty.

• Brand visibility: Showcase products through high-quality images and videos.
• Engagement: Use stories, reels, and IGTV to engage followers.
• Shopping features: Include direct shopping links and product tags.
• Influencer marketing: Collaborate with influencers to reach new audiences.
• Set up an Instagram account

TikTok

TikTok is a short-form video platform that’s ideal for businesses that can create short, engaging videos. While it’s commonly associated with younger users, its fast-growing audience now includes a broad demographic, making it a must-have for businesses.

• Viral potential: Create engaging and shareable content.
• Creative marketing: Use trends and challenges to promote products.
• Brand awareness: Reach a younger, highly engaged audience.
• Influencer collaborations: Partner with TikTok influencers for wider reach.
• Set up a TikTok account

YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing platform that caters to a wide demographic. It’s suitable for all types of businesses, especially those wanting to demonstrate products or services.

• Content marketing: Create how-to videos, product demos and testimonials.
• SEO benefits: Improve search engine rankings with video content.
• Monetisation: Earn revenue through ads and sponsorships.
• Engagement: Build a subscriber base and interact through comments.
• Set up YouTube account

Pinterest

Another visual-focused platform, Pinterest allows its user base to share still images and videos, and arrange them into boards for other users to see. Pinterest’s user base in Australia is predominantly women^disclaimer, making it useful for businesses marketing to this demographic.

• Traffic generation: Drive traffic to your website through pins.
• Product discovery: Showcase products in visually appealing ways.
• Long-term visibility: Pins have a longer lifespan compared to other posts.
• Niche marketing: Target specific interests and hobbies.
• Set up a Pinterest account

Plug in to social media to reach out to your audience

The steps outlined above provide a solid starting point for you to develop your business’ social media presence.

Remember, if your social media is not as successful as you first hoped, start by reviewing your content performance data and think about ways to provide your customers with more engaging material.

There are also professionals who can work with you to create a digital marketing plan to help improve customer engagement and conversion.