One of the problems I hear most often, is that creative business owners want to use social media as a tool to market and share their business, but they don't know what to share. It's almost like stage fright!
I am going to give you a quick tip for using social media for your business. Before you post to Facebook or Twitter, ask yourself - what is the purpose of this post or message and do my words or visuals adequately share that purpose. Not every single piece of information you share will have a direct purpose, but make sure that a fair amount of your content is aimed at sharing something of value. Don't be shy to share and communicate about your business. You need not be pushy, but be informative.
Today, I want to share a few topics that you can share online on Facebook and Twitter that are directly related to your business or providing your followers with useful content. These topics are really simple and in some cases you are already sharing some of them. The aim is to really think about them from a content point of view and see how you can branch out and development them even further.
Five Topics to Share:
1. Projects & Behind the Scenes:
Quite a simple thought, but you need to adjust your mindset to taking photos as you go. What might seem mundane to you is new and interesting to outsiders looking in. By showing you are working on projects, updating products or working with a client, shows that someone is hiring you or buying from you, which is always positive for small businesses.
2. Good News:
Don't be shy, you earn your good news through your hard work. You need not boast, but sharing it is once again a positive affirmation about your brand. Have you signed a new client, been featured in a magazine or found a great new supplier - share it. Followers obviously like your business and want to know when you are doing well. The key is of course to always say thank you when necessary and to stay humble.
3. Important Facts about what you can offer:
It has been proved that humans need to be reminded about certain aspects, so it's good to reiterate your services or product offering. You can combine this with the project aspect mentioned in the first point. You are using social media to communicate - so do just that and tell the world what you can do for them via your work.
4. Positive, insightful details or resources:
Share the work of others or interesting facts you might have enjoyed. It shows you are in the know with regards to certain subjects and it also shows support for your fellow creatives. Find items or information that will be of value to your readers and followers.
5. Online Content:
Use Facebook and Twitter to send traffic to your main online platform. Tweet when you have done a new blog post, but not only the link, add a small description. Share it on Facebook too. On Twitter don't be afraid to mention it more than once, but reword it. Twitter timelines move very fast so stagger your updates for maximum effect.
I hope these help you to keep working at building a great online community. Social media can either be a complete waste of time or one of the most useful communication tools within your business. The level of success begins with you, how and what you communicate.
*Want even more tips - read Will from Bright Bazaar's Five Tips to Rock at Social Media. I regularly think about the points he shared as they are really handy!
Image Source: The Everygirl