If you dabble in e-commerce or run an entirely online business, you’re already aware of the massive potential of social media. Indeed, four in five (80%) small to medium businesses in Australia say social media is an effective way to market their brand.
But for burgeoning startups or those who’ve not yet mastered the art of social, it could be considered a nice-to-have. The reality, however, is that if you aren’t using social media to engage with your target audience, you’re missing out on a huge chunk of potential capital.
One of the biggest reasons to devote a few hours of your week to social media is the cost savings you can achieve — while at the same time expanding your audience and connecting with them. Especially when compared to traditional marketing strategies or even other digital marketing channels, it’s easily one of the most cost-effective marketing tools around.
“For small business owners, using social media can help you reach the most amount of people on a limited budget,” says Sam Sidney, founder and director at Melbourne-based social media and digital agency, Milkbar Digital. “It’s also a platform that you can be the most DIY with. So while there are obviously agencies like us out there who can do everything for you, if you’re hands-on and have the time to do it, you can teach yourself how to pick the right channels and make use of all the amazing tools out there.”
Sidney says that business owners —- no matter their level of technical savvy — shouldn’t underestimate the power of many native platforms’ built-in tools.
“If you get stuck into Meta Business Manager, for example, you can do a lot of your scheduling and forward planning with it. Instagram also now allows you to schedule content in advance, which is super handy for time-poor business owners.”
There are also lots of free and cheap tools that business owners should be aware of. From Canva for all things design, which has a smorgasbord of free templates and pre-designed items, to CapCut for editing mobile phone videos for TikTok. In terms of paid options, Sidney suggests inexpensive tools like Sked Social, which is a Melbourne-founded social media management platform with an AI assistant.
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While the right social media platform will depend on your business type and industry, as well as where your audience likes to congregate, Sidney says the most important thing to be aware of is who your audience is.
“If you’re a trendy retailer selling clothing and accessories aimed at Gen Z, then you should be on TikTok because that’s where your crowd is,” she says. “But if you’re a more traditional service-based business like an electrician or plumber, then you’ll want to be on Facebook, where lead-gen ad campaigns are going to do well for you.”
You might think that more equals better, but that can actually be a counterproductive strategy on social media. As Sidney knows well, there’s the very real risk of saturating your audience with content and ultimately driving them to your competitors.
“There’s nothing worse than when you see a brand that’s just using the same piece of content across five different platforms, because they’re not really designed for any of them,” she says. “That’s not going to land well on any of the platforms because it’s mediocre. Instead, it’s better to spend the time and effort making the right content for the right platform for exactly where your audience is.”
In addition to knowing which platforms to focus on, Sidney adds that you need to find the right balance of how much content you produce on a week-to-week basis.
“Quality over quantity is so important on social these days,” she says. “There’s so much digital noise and so much rubbish out there that you really are better to spend the time crafting something that’s going to have cut-through — content that will appeal to your audience and your desired target market.”
So, how exactly can you — whether you are confident about your social media skills or not — do just that? As a busy business owner, the good news is you don’t need to spend months upskilling your social prowess, nor do you need to invest tens of thousands of dollars into hiring a social media agency. Instead, Sidney says you should pour all your initial efforts into creating a solid social media strategy.
“Having a social media strategy is the foundation to your success on social,” she says. “It sets out your goals and your direction. It helps you understand who your target market is and how you’re going to reach them. And it also stops you from getting distracted.
“One of the most common problems with social and businesses is that it’s never-ending. The number of trends and memes and reactive pieces of content that you could jump on as a business can be very overwhelming. But if you have spent the time investing in a social media strategy, it becomes your foundation, your guidebook and your roadmap for how you should approach social media.”
By being accountable to yourself and sticking to your goals, Sidney says you can turn your social strategy into a winning one – with a handy guidebook always by your side that outlines what you want to achieve and why, as well as how you’ll make things happen within specific timeframes.
From highlighting the most appropriate social channels, to leveraging free and cheap tools, to prioritising quality content over quantity, you already have a number of avenues to get started on social. Just remember to regularly review your strategy and tweak it based on performance and feedback. The success of your business on social media is entirely in your hands – so grasp the opportunity.
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