When it comes to social media marketing for small businesses, there are a lot of moving parts. As a business owner you will want to know what exactly we are doing, and what the point is. But getting bogged down in the details will distract you from your actual work. I want to encourage you to focus on the big picture, in particular two large objectives: being found and standing out.
Being found is now easier than ever before. Even if you have the most basic web presence, a well-executed search should turn up the pertinent details about your business. The more advanced your web presence becomes, the more likely it you will be found, and the more frequently you will appear on your prospects’ radar.
I would argue that the more difficult and urgent task is standing out once you are found. Given the fact that being found is easier than ever before, the last thing you want is to give off a half-done, amateurish look when you are found. If you do not know what I mean, Google search a few of your main competitors right now. I would bet that it is immediately clear who stands out and who is forgettable.
If you want to stand out, you need to keep the user experience at the top of mind. Part of that is your website. Do you have a simple website that communicates your brand identity and contains all the basic information that someone might want to learn about you? Or do you have something that looks straight out of the 90’s and could be sending an outdated message? These days, it is not too difficult to get a clean, contemporary and professional looking website for a low price.
You really need a social media presence that is active and engaging in order to stand out. More people are using platforms like Facebook and Twitter to do their initial research in getting to know a company they are considering doing business with. Those companies that either ignore the social networks entirely or set up profiles only to neglect them are unknowingly doing themselves a massive disservice.
By maintaining active social profiles, you are giving visitors to your pages a glimpse into who you are as a brand. And if you have a good-looking profile with up-to-date, clear photos, and good information, you are already standing out from the crowd. To go beyond that, if you can share blogs that show your unique perspective as well as articles from the Internet, that can add value to your audience’s lives.
So, instead of focusing your energy on being found online, I encourage you to focus on standing out. Because even if you get found first, what good is that going to do if you do not make a great impression? Social media and content marketing are great ways to show who you are as a brand and stand out on social media. Curious about how we have made brands stand out in the past? View some of our results here.
Image credit: CC by Allan_Dcosta
