Social media is constantly evolving with new ways to post videos and interact with your followers. These online connections especially changed during the COVID-19 pandemic so companies could continue to reach out to their customers and keep them interested in their brand. Retailers should continually be updating their social media tactics to keep viewers interested and coming back for more.
Clay McDaniel, CEO of Ripl Inc., a software company empowering hundreds of thousands of businesses to succeed on social media without the need for specialized staff or high costs, offers ten key pieces of advice for small business owners:
1. Consider focusing on a “hero” social platform
If you feel like you are spread too thin while trying to manage all of your social channels, see if one is performing much better than the others and focus your energies there. Some channels do not make as much sense for certain types of businesses. Visual platforms like Instagram often benefit retailers, while Twitter can be beneficial for sharing news and managing customer service.
2. Know your customers
Small businesses often cannot afford to do mass marketing, so you need to make sure your social media activity is pinpointed to your customers’ needs. Spend the time to really personify your customer and what will speak to them, which will help as you develop new content throughout the month and year.
3. Add a call to action button
This button sits just under your cover photo on your Facebook business page and can be added to Instagram, as well. Make sure it fits your business so potential customers can engage immediately to “Shop now,” “Book now,” “Sign up” and more. When customers click this button, it will take them directly to your website.
4. Update passwords and permissions
Consider changing your passwords and permissions on each of your business pages for the new year (and if you have had team member changes). This is an important step to keep your accounts secure.
5. Set goals for your social pages
Having a page just to have a page is not the best strategy, so set some measurable goals so you know what is working and what is not. Perhaps that means brainstorming new types of content, posting more often or at more regular intervals, or doing more community management on your social media channels.
6. Refresh your business profile images and main images
Your profile picture and cover/banner image are your most notable visuals on each platform and should feature your logo, or something representative of your company for this upcoming year like a shot of your location, team or key products.
7. Use a vanity URL on Facebook
When you first set-up your Facebook business page, a random URL was assigned. Creating a vanity URL specific to your business (e.g., https://www.facebook.com/ripl/) is a lot more memorable for your customers.
8. Do a feed and follower clean-up
Whether on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, if there are personal or business profiles you no longer want updates from, unfollow or unlike them. Leave any groups that are no longer relevant. Consider removing or, if necessary, banning followers (especially inactive or fake ones) from your page or profile as well.
9. Optimize your Instagram bio
To make sure your Instagram account is up to date, edit your profile. Upload a new image, tweak your bio, and add a website link. Do not forget to enable a call to action button, adding your business category and contact information.
10. Delete or archive old content
Comb through your past Instagram posts and Twitter tweets and decide if any are outdated or no longer applicable to your business. Go through each of your story highlights at the top of your Instagram feed and remove outdated content. If you are not yet using Instagram stories for your business, you should start. This is a great way to keep important content indefinitely since highlights last forever while stories only last 24 hours on the platform. Be sure to also go through your past tweets to determine if there are any that might spark controversy or seem tone deaf and delete those, as well.
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