Leveraging Social Media for a Small Business
In this day and age, online competition is fierce. Small businesses can struggle to stand out in the crowd. To distinguish their organization from the others, owners must develop a marketing strategy that leverages the power of social networking platforms.
In this article, we will discuss two central characteristics of a successful social media campaign. We will then present a case study that demonstrates how a small, two-person business leverages social media to reach a larger audience and gain visibility online.
Good Campaigns Keep it Real
Make sure all of the content posted is relevant and relatable. Building trust, personality, and authenticity is crucial to online branding.
Authenticity in Branding
The content should represent the honest, transparent, and approachable behavior of a company. The more honest engagements are with customers, the better. Sharing educating and honest content that embraces the community of small businesses is the best way to register an authentic brand.
Be Witty
There is nothing more human than laughing. Adding witty, light-hearted, and humorous content is one useful tool for showing off a brand. Being personable is a crucial aspect of building trust and reputation.
Visual Storytelling
The best way to tell the story on social media is through short video clips and powerful images. For finding a professional video production company, New York and LA are the ideal cities as they are full of reputable options and are full of professional creatives that can produce a beautiful series of edited footage or albums of photographs.
They Add Some Value
The best way to market a business is to provide added value for the followers without asking anything in return. A great way to add value to any social presence is to generate and share content that is entertaining and educational. Content should inform and engage followers and demonstrate the unique and specific knowledge that the business has.
Case Study: Itaway Ecotours
Alexis and Felipe are the co-founders and operators of a small tourism agency in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They offer tours with an environmental education focus that involves a range of activities from rock-climbing to hang-gliding.
While they are a local agency, they aim to gain the attention of a global audience. Many potential clients for them are not currently in Rio but may want to engage with their products when they visit.
To kick-start their social media strategy, they hired a professional videographer and photographer to build a base of audiovisual content to use across platforms.
The videos show the genuine beauty of the region and the potential to explore and learn about the local ecosystem. The co-founders tell their stories, and previous clients provide testimonials.
To keep followers engaged and to be more personal, they post Instagram and Facebook stories daily, sharing educational content and clips from adventures.
Today, they appear first when people search. Since they have been responding honestly to customers in the comment section of their page, they have received more positive reviews for their service.
Since they have incorporated these characteristics into their social media strategy, their following base has quadrupled.
A Final Note
Any small business can use social media to grow. These characteristics of a social media strategy will help distinguish the company from the crowd. Quality visual storytelling, honest engagement, and professional branding will highlight all that a small business has to offer.
