Social Media: Small Business Promotion

12/5/2019

Most people in the business world know that social media can be a powerful tool to help get the word out. Unfortunately, while many people understand the value in the abstract, often they don’t really know why it makes sense, or how to go about doing it at all, much less doing it well. As someone who has worked with a variety of independent businesspeople (including artists, musicians, self-defense trainers, real estate agents, and more), I have learned a few key strategies for leveraging social media well.

Two Common Mistakes

While many small businesspeople are on board for using social media in the abstract, I have noticed that many people make two common mistakes. For one, people have no plan at all. Maybe they go so far as to create bare bones accounts on some combination of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and then stop. They may not even have a picture to use, or be sure how to describe who they are. In short, they start and quickly fizzle out because they aren’t sure what to do next. For those that manage to complete their account profiles, they typically err in a different direction. After they have their accounts, and even follow a few people, they might make posting after posting that say nothing more than “buy my stuff.” I’m not even sure which one is worse. Both result in a social media profile done poorly that won’t have the desired result.

Yes. Of course you want people to buy from you--but that can't be all you have to say.

The Why

According to the Internet (and, yes, the article link is included below), 79% of US adults have at least one social media profile, meaning there are approximately 243.6 million social media users. That’s a whole lot of people who businesses can access in between pictures of friends’ kids and live tweeting their favorite television show. Not only are those people available, but social media accounts are free to open and use with the opportunity to pay to further boost messages and connect with more people. Social media use can help humanize your brand and build brand awareness, which can result in a larger customer base—which can lead to more revenue from views, sales closed, and return business.

Doing Social Media Well

So how does one go about doing social media well? For one, you have to have something to say—and that something can not just be “buy my stuff.” We’re building a brand here. So who are you and what do you want to say to who? How do you want to be perceived? What do you stand for? How do you help people? What kind of content might interest the people that you’re trying to reach? Who are those people? Thinking through those core questions can help you figure out what it is you want to say. Figuring out your core message is mission critical to making social media work for you.

The answers to these questions will help you figure out what to say.

What To Say

While “buy my stuff” can be one of the types of messages shared, ideally, that’s only 10% of what you’re saying. So what else should you be talking about? Here are a few ideas that I’ve used while promoting the Mellow Fury Etsy shop. These tie into the knit hats I make and sell, and my best sellers are sci-fi or comic book themed.

Education: share information in your area(s) of expertise.

Sharing a free knitting pattern for a simple hat.
Sharing a video on how to cast on stitches more quickly.
Sharing “work in progress” pictures of a hat showing the different parts of the process.

Here is a work in progress post from Instagram.

Entertainment: Include something fun or funny.

Posting news about the tv series Firefly, the subject of one of the hats I make.
Sharing an article that includes over-the-top ugly Christmas sweaters.
A snapshot of a fun yarn bomb I saw.

A yarn bomb I posted on Twitter.

Humanize: showcase the person behind the brand.

Showing the hats that I donated for a charity auction to support stopping child trafficking.
Retweeting information on a toy donation program run by Twin Cities Geek.
My daughter wearing a knit hat that I made her in a Can’t Stop the Serenity Costume contest.

The girl is the second one from the left in her all-purpose Browncoat costume.

Customers: showing satisfied, happy customers.

A cute picture of a young boy wearing his new hat pulled down over his nose.
An awesome photo of a cosplayer wearing her Captain Marvel Lucky Hat.
A photo of a newborn baby wearing the hat that they bought from my shop.

A happy (sleeping) customer picture posted on Facebook.

Supporting Others: share the love.

Promoting the ideas of shopping small, shopping local, and shopping handmade.
Highlighting charities that involve knitting/crocheting or geekery.
Retweet a knit item that is clever and fun--like Rolling Stones mittens.

A retweet of awesome Rolling Stones mittens on Twitter.

Buy My Stuff: showcase what you sell in a non-obnoxious way.

Getting the word out about an in-person art or craft show and other artists who will be there.
Promoting an upcoming holiday or special event (Christmas, Comicon, Can’t Stop the Serenity) and suggesting an item customers might want to buy for that event.
Showing photos of newly listed items.

A tweet on new items in the Mellow Fury Etsy Shop.

What Do You Think?

What are your thoughts on using social media well to promote your small business? Include your thoughts in the comments.

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