As any business owner knows, social media is now an essential part of your marketing strategy. However, it’s so easy to get social media wrong – and this can impact negatively on your brand. So we’re going to give you a quick rundown of the top ten ways to make your social media strategy for small business work:

1. Be Consistent

Most businesses these days understand the importance of social media. However, what many don't realize is just how essential social media is to their marketing strategy. Social media platforms provide a unique and powerful way to connect with customers, fostering relationships that can lead to loyal brand ambassadors. In addition, social media keeps things fresh, ensuring that your business stays top of mind. That's why regular posting is so important. By setting aside time each week or day to focus on social media, you can make sure that your marketing diet is well-rounded and effective. And that's something we can all strive for.

2. Always add value when you post

As we all know, content is king. In order to maintain a successful blog or website, it’s essential to post high-quality content on a regular basis. However, it’s also important to keep your audience in mind and make sure that you’re posting content that they’re actually interested in. irrelevancy is one of the quickest ways to lose followers. Rather than posting about the weather or your personal life, focus on creating content that’s relevant to your niche and that will resonate with your audience. For example, if you have a business blog, you could write about social media marketing tips or common business problems. Or, if you have a travel blog, you could write about social activities in different cities around the world. If you can focus on creating relevant and engaging content, you’ll be well on your way to maintaining a successful blog or website.

3. Engage with your followers

Social media has completely changed the way businesses interact with their customers. In the past, businesses would broadcast their message to a wide audience and hope that some customers would be interested. However, social media has changed all that. Now businesses need to engage with their customers and find out what they want. Only then can they provide the products and services that customers are looking for. Asking questions, getting involved in discussions, and finding out what customers want is essential to success on social media. Businesses that don’t engage with their customers will quickly be left behind. A posting schedule is a great way to ensure that you are regularly posting content that your customers will be interested in. Take the time to create a posting schedule and stick to it. Your customers will thank you for it!

4. Paint a picture for your followers

Social media has completely changed the way businesses interact with their customers. In the past, businesses would broadcast their message to a wide audience and hope that some customers would be interested. However, social media has changed all that. Now businesses need to engage with their customers and find out what they want. Only then can they provide the products and services that customers are looking for.

Asking questions, getting involved in discussions, and finding out what customers want is essential to success on social media. Businesses that don’t engage with their customers will quickly be left behind. A posting schedule is a great way to ensure that you are regularly posting content that your customers will be interested in. Take the time to create a posting schedule and stick to it. Your customers will thank you for it!

Of course, simply posting pretty pictures is not enough. To be successful on visual-based social media, you need to post content that is both relevant and interesting to your target audience. infographics about your industry, for example, are a great way to provide valuable information in a visually-appealing way. Likewise, photos of your team taking part in charity events can help humanize your business and make you more relatable to potential customers.

So if you’re looking to step up your social media game, remember: it’s all about the visuals. Post content that is both informative and visually appealing, and you’ll be sure to attract attention – and new customers – in no time.

5. Video is King

As video increasingly becomes the preferred method of communication and content consumption online, it's important to make the most of this powerful social resource. YouTube is currently the most-visited social website in the world, and Facebook comes in a close second when you include Facebook-embedded YouTube videos. This trend is only going to continue to grow, so it's important to target your market and tailor your marketing efforts accordingly. Your content strategy should take advantage of the fact that people are more likely to watch a video than read an article or post. By creating engaging, informative videos targeted at your target market, you can significantly boost your marketing efforts and reach a wider audience.

There are a number of ways you can use YouTube to promote your products in an engaging and easily-consumable way. You can create product demonstrations or "how-to" videos that show viewers how to use your products. You can also create "unboxing" videos that show viewers what they can expect when they receive your products. You can even use YouTube as a platform for customer testimonials, which can be incredibly powerful in promoting your products.

No matter what type of videos you create, make sure they are high quality and engaging. If you can do this, you'll be able to take advantage of this powerful social resource and reach a large audience with your product promotions.

6. Keep it simple silly (KISS)

Any business owner or marketing professional worth their salt will tell you that social media is essential for building brand awareness and driving traffic to your website. But with so many different social platforms out there, it can be tough to know which ones to use. Instead of trying to be active on all of them, it's better to focus on a few that are most popular with your target audience. For example, if you're targeting millennials, you'll want to be active on Snapchat and Instagram.

If you're targeting Baby Boomers, Facebook and Twitter are probably your best bet. And if you're trying to reach a global audience, consider using platforms like WeChat and WhatsApp. By focusing your efforts on a few key platforms, you'll be able to better build your community and achieve your marketing goals.

7. Understand your community

As a business owner, it's important to find out what your followers want from you and use that as your unique selling point. email marketing and social media goals can help you do this. By understanding why people follow businesses on social media, you can tailor your content and campaigns to better meet their needs. For example, if you have a large following of local people, you could use that to your advantage by promoting local events or offering discounts at your brick-and-mortar store. By providing value to your followers, you'll not only keep them engaged with your brand, but you'll also encourage them to spread the word about your business to their friends and family.

Alternatively, if you have a unique product or service that solves a specific problem, make sure that your marketing materials reflect that. The bottom line is that social media is all about give and take - so make sure that you're regularly asking your community what they want from you, and then delivering on those expectations.

8. Educate your followers

There's no better way to show off your successful business than by sharing your knowledge with your customers and clients. A Twitter Q&A hour or a Google Hangout is the perfect platform to do just that. You can answer questions, give advice, and share your expertise with everyone who wants to listen. And the best part is, you can give away some of what you know for free. People will be begging for more of your valuable insights once they see how helpful you can be. So go ahead and show off your successful business - your clients and customers will thank you for it.

9. Use online tools to streamline your work

As your business or online community grows, it becomes increasingly important to have access to detailed analytics in order to see where you are succeeding and where you need to improve. While there are many free offerings available, it is often worth spending a few pounds each month for upgraded analytics from a reputable provider. This will give you the ability to track your progress over time and make informed decisions about how to allocate your resources. Some of the most popular providers of social media analytics include Buffer, Sprout Social, and Hootsuite. Each of these platforms offers different levels of service at different price points, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs. By investing in social media analytics, you will be able to take your business or online community to the next level by setting email marketing goals and understanding your audience's interests better. In the long run, this investment will pay off by helping you build a loyal following and achieve lasting success.