So you’re a small business owner who’s ready to get their toes wet with social media…

First off, that’s great – if you do it right, you’ll reap a lot of rewards. Second, we know how overwhelming it can be when you’re just getting started. In the coming days and weeks you’ll have to make decisions about which platform(s) to utilize, how much money & time to spend doing it, etc. Fortunately, you’re in luck!

In this week’s post, we’re going to provide social media beginners like you with some tips to help you get up, running and growing on social media. Let’s dive right in!

Try to start small

Whatever you do – don’t get roped into using a million different social media platforms all at once. In fact, that’s probably the worst thing you could do. Instead, start small and use the platforms you’re most comfortable with, already. Be sure to take your time and learn the ins and outs of the business pages, ask knowledgeable friends questions and don’t feel free to lean on an expert here and there if you feel like you’re in over your head. Focus in on that platform and over time, you’ll master it. Once you’ve mastered it, then it will be time to add other platforms to the arsenal.

Then start to get picky

As you start to broaden your social media horizons, you’ll begin to learn which platforms work well for your business and which ones don’t. Once you do, move to the ones that work and focus on providing meaningful and useful content to the people in those networks.

Now, this point does come with a caveat. You do want to make sure your don’t entirely throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to the platforms that ARE NOT working for you. While there is a chance that your business won’t get anything out of that platform, there is also a chance you could be using it incorrectly. Just because it doesn’t work the first time, doesn’t mean it can’t work at some other point in the future with some adjustments.

The moral of the story is that when you’re starting out and working with limited resources – go with what works and don’t waste said resources on the things that don’t. But also don’t be afraid to go back to them some other time down the line. Don’t close doors. Always leave them open.

Stay organized and draft an editorial calendar

Sure, this might seem like a lot of work, but believe it or not – 1.) it’s not; and 2.) it will save you TONS of time heading forward. When you have free time, brainstorm ideas of the kinds of things you want to share with your clients and simply set the date you’ll be broadcasting it. Doing this in advance saves you from the hassle of having to carve time out of what might be a more valuable, work-laden day in the future. It’s also going to keep you more relevant by helping you avoid redundancy in your posting. You’ll be able to offer a better, more varied array of content and keep your readers more interested and engaged over a longer, more sustained period of time.

Refine your content over time

The thing about social media that you should always remember is that it’s a tool. It’s a tool for business owners to generate business and spread awareness, but it’s also a tool for users to find and engage with content that’s useful to them.

As such, always think about what the intended action is when you post content: is it to share it, learn from it, engage with it or do something with it? Social media thrives when action is taken. Whatever you decide to post – make sure it’s content that inspires action.

Participate!

They call it social media for a reason! Talk to your customers! Answer questions, ask questions and participate. Too many small business owners make the mistake of treating their social campaigns like a one-way-communication broadcast ad. In order to get social media to work, you’ll have to be social. Sounds mind blowing, we know (sarcasm) – but you’d be surprised at just how many Facebook pages and Twitter that exist without an iota of interaction. Don’t be one of them