Social media has become one of the most popular ways to connect with an audience and promote your business. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 74% of American adults use at least one social networking site. With all this in mind, it's no surprise that small businesses are quickly turning to these platforms to grow their audience, build awareness for their brand, and expand their visibility throughout the digital world. Read on for 5 effective ways you can use social media as part of your marketing strategy as a small business.

CREATE A UNIQUE VOICE AND PERSONALITY IN YOUR CONTENT

Social media is all about making connections, and the first step to establishing a relationship with your audience is to establish a unique voice and personality in your content. If you're constantly writing the same type of content as your competitors, then you're not going to stand out. Instead, try to inject a fresh perspective into your writing. Try to write from a voice that's a bit more personal, a bit more quirky, and even a bit more controversial. If you're a food truck selling gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, you might want to write about the controversy surrounding processed cheese. Or, if you're an insurance agency, you could write about how a new generation of car owners are pressing their cars for oil.

BUILD A COMMUNITY OF INFLUENCERS AND FANS

If you want to connect with your potential customers and build a community of influencers and fans that can help amplify your content, then you'll need to build relationships within the social media platform's community. Find people who are interested in similar topics as you and reach out to them. If there are people you think would enjoy your products or services, reach out and let them know. This can take many forms, from simply replying to comments on your posts to creating posts with the sole purpose of engaging with your community members. When you find people who have a genuine interest in your products and services, you'll find they're more than happy to engage with you.

CULTIVATE LEADS THROUGH EVENT MARKETING AND PAID ADVERTISING

Event marketing is one of the most powerful marketing tactics you can employ on social media. Here's how it works: You partner with local businesses or organizations that provide a lure for in-person social engagement. You then sponsor and sponsor an event that brings people together in a fun and social way, which creates a lot of online chatter. Once you've partnered with an event organizer, you'll want to promote the event through your social media channels. Depending on where the event is being held, you can share the original post on your own channels or re-post it on your followers' channels. For each event you manage, you'll want to create a unique content plan that addresses the organizer's specific needs. What kind of content will their attendees want? What are their concerns? What are the challenges they're facing?

UTILIZE VIDEO TO EMBRACE THE NEW REALITY OF AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT

Video is quickly becoming the most effective way to engage with your audience. As more businesses begin to see the benefits of adding video to their social media strategy, the demand for video production is only going to increase. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you'll want to prioritize the creation of high-quality video content. Video provides a much richer experience for your audience than images can and it allows you to communicate in a much more personal way. As you create your videos, you'll want to focus on providing a unique experience for your audience. Use your videos as an opportunity to address any concerns your audience might have and provide valuable information.

DON'T FORGET THE BOTTOM FEEDER- EMPLOY SMALL-SCALE SOCIAL MEDIA TACTICS

While some of the more advanced social media strategies are certainly beneficial for businesses with larger budgets, most of the strategies in this article can be implemented by any small business. Start by taking a step back and thinking about your social media strategy as a whole. What types of content do you want to create? What platforms do you want to concentrate on? What are the goals of your social media strategy? Once you've identified your social media goals, you can begin to think about your strategy as a whole. What small-scale social media tactics can help you achieve your goals? For example, you might want to focus on building a community of followers on a specific social media channel. You might want to promote your content on smaller channels that don't get a lot of attention.

ASK FOR REVIEWS AND PARTNERSHIPS

While event marketing and paid advertising are powerful methods for generating leads, there are times when you simply want to connect with your audience on a more human level. For example, you might want to create a social media campaign around asking your fans for reviews or partnerships. For example, if you sell handmade jewelry, you might want to initiate a social media campaign around asking customers to write reviews or post pictures of themselves wearing your products. You can then use the content you receive to help you create a curated channel.

CONCLUSION

Social media has become an essential part of growing any business's digital presence. If you're a small business and looking to partner with an organization that supports small and growing businesses, we at Broadway Suites, offer affordable, all-inclusive offices and amenities that will help take your business to the next level. Our team of business professionals is here to provide you with the resources you need to succeed. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help grow your business!