Social Media Explained: (Part 1)(a 7 min read)
What is it? Why is it necessary? How do I do it?
As a small business geared toward helping other small businesses succeed online, Flywheel Marketing is taking this opportunity to explain everything you need to know about social media. You may be a small business owner already well-versed in social media, or you may need some guidance. Whatever your experience level, we are here to help you grow your online brand organically. This will be a two-part series for April so that we can cover the social media platforms we find most beneficial to small businesses in more detail.
What is social media? How do I do it?
Social media has been part of the Internet landscape since America Online (AOL) came onto the scene in 1996 with dial-up Internet and chat rooms for people to connect. Social media is more than just the big platforms we think of today. Social media encompasses the various websites people use to connect with others.
While AOL is mostly a thing of the past, many great platforms now take its place. AOL paved the way, and now we move on to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tik Tok, BeReal, Google Business, and others. There are leading social media networking sites essential to small businesses and secondary social media sites that may need to be revised for your needs.
Social media is a broad term encompassing many websites or apps that people use for connection, networking, information sharing, education, and more. Some websites make more sense for small businesses, which is where Flywheel often focuses our efforts when we partner with you. We can incorporate it if your company already uses a specific platform with solid engagement. Our free consultation will cover what is currently being done, and then we will suggest what needs to be added.
The top platforms for social media that we encourage all small businesses to engage on include:
· Google Business
· YouTube
Facebook has approximately 2.96 billion users. [1] This is the most popular platform, and a business listing is free. Business owners can engage on the platform by posting regularly, asking friends to like their page, and then commenting on customer replies. The biggest headaches with Facebook include dealing with individuals who find your page and complain about your content or postings. Perhaps they don’t understand what you do, so they leave a message stating that. This is common, and how you handle it is up to you. Mostly it is better to assess the situation and then ignore rather than engage. Use your time on Facebook to post helpful content and reply to customers who use and love your products.
1. Claim your business-listing page by creating a Facebook business page. It’s a simple, straightforward process.
2. Provide as much detail and information as possible on your business profile.
3. Use your business logo or relevant branding items to establish your brand online.
4. Post regularly. On Facebook, it is recommended to post 1-2 times per day. Start with one post and see how it goes.
5. Engage with comments on your posts.
Instagram has approximately 2 billion users. [1] Don’t sleep on Instagram due to user count. Instagram is an influencer machine. If you have an Instagram, you have influence. It’s time to carefully craft your business page and brand and start using it.
1. Create your Instagram business profile. Since Meta owns both Facebook and Instagram, these pages can be easily connected, which is helpful for ease of posting. What you post to Instagram can then be shared via Facebook simultaneously.
2. Provide details on the Instagram bio page, including a link to your website.
3. Use your business logo or relevant branding items to establish your brand online and across platforms.
4. On Instagram, it’s important to post daily and to utilize stories to share your posts so that followers know to check your profile for new posts. Think of stories like a ticker tape on the TV screen. The ticker tape runs across the newsfeed to tell you important stories that will be covered at some point in the broadcast.
5. Reels are also going to be necessary. These short-form videos post to your feed and can be shared via stories.
6. As a business page, you can study and determine when your followers are most likely on Instagram. You can schedule your posts daily to go live during the most active windows.
Google Business is a profile business page you generate so that people searching for your services can find you more easily. Think of it as the Yellow Pages of 30 years ago. If you’re too young for that, think of it like Yelp. Customers can find a business listing online by searching for your specific service or your business by name.
1. Create your Google Business profile here.
2. Provide detailed and thorough information so customers can have everything they need without searching extensively. Customers want to find information quickly with little effort.
3. Use relevant branding information here to create a cohesive brand across all platforms.
4. Google Business is not a platform like Facebook or Instagram. There is no regular posting or engagement. Customers can review your business; managing those reviews as Google allows is essential. There are specific ways you can connect with customers through messaging, booking, and allowing custom quotes. You can read more about that here.
We’ve covered what social media is and how you do it for our top 3 preferred platforms. Now let’s look at why it’s necessary.
Why do I need it?
Businesses thrive in an online environment where they can engage with customers regardless of age, location, or any other limiting factor that might have deterred business interaction in the past. Consumers want quick access to information at their fingertips through their phones. Businesses need to interact with customers online, but that doesn’t replace face-to-face interaction if you also have a brick-and-mortar store. It does require time management because social media can be time-consuming. That’s why we are here. Our expert team provides social media management that is fun, engaging and provides a great return on investment. We want to partner with you to bring your social media plan to life.
Working with Flywheel is easy. Click the button below for a custom assessment of your online brand. We look at all the details of social media and your website. We then create a custom plan to fit your budget to boost engagement and establish your brand across relevant social media channels. It’s not a complicated process for you or us because this is what we love, and we are excellent at it. Click that button below, and let’s get started!
Source: [1] Data Reportal. “Digital 2023: Global Overview Report, https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-global-overview-report.”