Social media for your business - Taking your first steps

In today’s world where most people choose to do things online, can your business afford not to join in the online conversation?

It may seem a little daunting to get started so here are 5 tips to help you take your first steps: 

1. Carry out some research 

You might love social media and be very active on it personally or equally hate it and never use it. Either way, you need to spend some time researching the different social media platforms that are out there to understand the demographic that they appeal to and what type of content is shared on them. Create an account and simply watch how others use the platform before jumping in yourself.   

2. Choose just one or two platforms to start with 

Once you’ve done your research you can then make a more informed decision and get started with just one or two platforms, to begin with. By starting small you can work to build on your engagement with those that do connect with you or follow you. You can also devote your time to learning these platforms and mastering them before trying any others.  

3. Don’t sell  

Approach social media from the point of view of your target market and think about what they will find interesting and how you can help them. Try to be informative and engaging by providing tips and letting your personality shine through, rather than just hitting your audience with a hard sell.   

4. Use tools to help you manage your time  

The day to day running of your business means you’re not going to have time to spend hours and hours on social media, yet you need to post information regularly and consistently to see results. Fortunately, there are tools to help you with this such as social media management tools which allow you to schedule your posts. This means you can have activity and posts on your site even when you are not online or better still when you’re on holiday!  

5. Stay active to see results  

You won’t see the results from your social media activity overnight. It will take months of effort and persistence on your part to post regularly and engage with your audience. You should take time to review which types of posts you have made which have received the most attention and use this to understand what type of content you should share going forward. Remember what you set out to achieve overall or with each post so you can gauge the success... Are you looking for interactions with your posts such as likes, comments and shares? Perhaps you're hoping to acquire new followers? Or are you looking to see if people clicking through to your website?