Social media is a powerful marketing tool that many local businesses don’t take full advantage of. Often they think that because they are a small business or because they only have local customers that social media isn’t important.
This is far from the truth.
In fact, with such little competition on social media from other local businesses, it might be one of the best marketing tools that you have available.
Not only can you personally connect with your customers in a non-competitive environment, but it’s also completely free and only requires a little of your time.
What is Social Media Exclusive Content?
Social media exclusive content is content that you are creating specifically for a social media platform and isn’t share anywhere else, not even on other social medias.
Why is it Powerful?
This type of content is so compelling because it takes full advantage of the platform and speaks to the users in the way that they want to communicate.
In the past, you could have argued that social media was for younger people, but these days absolutely everybody is using social media, even more, immature platforms like Snapchat.
It’s very rare that you have the opportunity to put content directly in front of your target audience when they have their guard down. It’s like having instant access to their email inbox.
Not only can you use this to promote your business, but you can also use it to entertain them, humanize your company and to give them information about the industry.
Platform Specific
Among businesses that do use social media one of the most common and almost the most detrimental mistakes they make is to use the same content on different platforms.
The first problem with this is that you’re likely to have a significant crossover in followers between platforms. This means that you’re showing them the same content multiple times and they’re liable to become frustrated at this and start to scroll past your content.
However, just as importantly people expect a different form of communication on various platforms. You wouldn’t speak to your colleagues in the office the same way you talk to them after hours in a bar.
You need to adjust your message to the platform and blend in among the other people they follow on these platforms.
As with all the different social media platforms, Facebook has its sub-culture and expectations. When you’re posting on Facebook, it’s okay to use large amounts of text, but make sure to include a video or image with it.
Instagram is all about the image. The image has to be incredible, and the text shouldn’t be the same length as on Facebook. More and more companies are creating small Snapchat style videos too that work great on Instagram.
Twitter isn’t the place for you to publish a long comment, not only because there’s a strict character limit, but because it’s too fast paced. Post a video or an image, but more than anything this is your opportunity to Tweet directly to customers who are talking about your local area or your business.
Snapchat
Snapchat essentially created the iconic selfie and short video. When you’re posting on this platform ensure that you’re making full use of filters and reply to customers to send snaps to your account. Like Instagram, personal content works best on Snapchat, so show a few the people behind the company!
Documenting Over Creating
One of the best pieces of advice that we ever read was from Gary Vaynerchuk, and he said that you should be documenting rather than creating. What he meant by this was that you don’t need to create a huge piece of content, instead, document what your business is already doing but what the public can’t see.
This is fantastic because it means that you don’t need to change anything that you’re doing, simply point a camera at what’s already going on and put it online.
Let’s say that you own a restaurant. All your customers see is the 90-minutes when they’re in the building, and they only receive the food and enjoy it.
But if you could film behind the scenes and show them how it’s cooked, show the chef pouring the sauce on, document the ingredients being delivered, people would be fascinated.
Not only would they be fascinated, but they’ll also get hungry, they’ll show it to their friends, and they’ll decide that they deserve a treat tonight!
Conclusion
Social media is a tremendous opportunity for businesses and if you don’t take advantage of it, then one of your competitors will. Social media isn’t going to disappear if anything it’s only going to become a more prevalent part of our society.
Why don’t you send us a message today and find out how we can work together to grow your business.