By now we’ve all heard how important social media is to getting a businesses’ message out to its clients. We see the major CEOs sharing valuable information, we- as consumers- spend hours each day mindlessly scrolling our phones and absorbing the various tidbits from companies left and right. But for small businesses, it can be difficult to add one more thing to your plate. Whether you decide to go at it alone or bring in someone to help calm the chaos, here are some go-to tips and tricks to help any small business take on social media.

Make a Plan- And Stick to It

Take the time to nose around the social sites of companies you enjoy, businesses that always catch your eye and even those of your competitors. Take note of their posting frequencies and see if the client base they are trying to reach matches yours. Quickly you will get a solid perspective on when to post and how often. Use this information to construct a schedule that works with what you’re already doing and then follow through to see the results.

Schedule It

No one expects you to take on the daunting task of planning AND scheduling social media without some help. For this, we recommend using services such as, SmarterQueue or Hootsuite to help organize, schedule and publish your posts. These amazing automation tools will help you to keep your sanity- and give you a consistent news feed for your clients and customers to enjoy. When in doubt of which tool to use- or how often to post- a marketing company that specializes in social media is always ahead of the curve and accustomed to working with many different programs.

Know Where to Post

It’s important to be realistic with your social media ventures. Not all platforms make sense for every business, so why waste the time? Instead, take a peek at each of the different social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest to name a few- and consider if it will help your business grow. We highly recommend always having a Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account, though others, such as, Pinterest may not be the best choice.

Be Engaged

Unfortunately, there is a bit more to social media than the old “set it and forget it” methods. Your social followers want you to engage them, answer questions and be as real as humanely possible- via a screen. They are there to invest in YOU, your business and your services or products; don’t let them down by being an absent host throughout your social feed.

Furthermore, social media is a unique thing all on its own, using algorithms and data to drive- and constantly change- its approach. What is working now, may not work forever, however the current, long-term trend favors heavily upon an “engaged” account. The likes of Facebook and Instagram are looking to see if others are engaged in you- and in return, how you reciprocate the love.

Be Authentic

If content is king then quality is its mistress. You must- and we cannot stress this enough, you must- post content that is of a service to your readers. Quality content is the only way to truly engage your audience- without coming off as an obvious sales con. The general rule of thumb is 80/20- sharing 20% of your own content and 80% of others in a relatable niche.

For those that think social media is a passing fad, we’re here to say: not happening! Social media is- and will be for the foreseeable future- one of the biggest ways to reach your customers- current and potential. The large businesses are paying big bucks to outsource their entire marketing campaign, and in a lot of ways this makes sense. But for the smaller businesses there are a lot of options for making sure your social media is a success. Of course, you can make a valiant show and attack your social media on your own, but a lot of companies are deciding to hand this aspect of their company over to the pros. Now, even small businesses are seeing the substantial impact that social media has on their bottom line and are choosing to accept it openly- welcoming the many successes that follow.

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Let’s not act like we have it all together, ok? Life is crazy, new social platforms and tools are popping up every other day, and with every day that passes, we get closer to saying things like “kids these days” and “how do you work this damned thing?” The truth is: the world- and especially the elusive World Wide Web- is constantly changing, evolving and making us jump through new hoops. How do you keep up? You hire the experts. That’s right folks, it’s time to stop wasting your time squinting at the screen and actually get back to focusing on what you do best- running your business. Leave the “liking”, the “tweeting”, the sharing and the social media shenanigans to those of us crazy enough to keep up with the trends. Our “in-house hipsters” will keep your clients engaged, excited and most importantly- growing- to give you the following you need- without the gray hairs you don’t. Let 2Ten Marketing manage your social media content and marketing to have a successful social presence today.

Previously Published on July 20, 2017