No. 12 – Embrace the 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 rule states that 80% of your content should be useful — educate, inform, or entertain; and the other 20% to promote your business.
By providing helpful content to your audience, you’re able to give them something rather than just ask them to buy things. This allows you to keep their attention long-term and build a sustainable relationship so that they’ll continue to be loyal to your brand as their consumer needs evolve.
No. 13 – Use CTAs
Ask your followers to take an action like visiting your website, reading a blog post, or picking up a phone to call. It could be a few words or a couple of sentences. But don’t just tell people what to do, tell them why they are doing it — Offer some value. Readers care what’s in it for them so make sure your post passes the ‘what’s the point?’ test.
No. 14 – Use Canva
Don’t have access to Photoshop? No problem! Canva is a graphic design platform for social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents, and other visual content.
Canva does include templates, though it is recommended to use them as inspiration, rather than a fill-in-the-blanks.
No. 15 – Upload Directly To Facebook
Video is more popular than ever, so it’s key that you offer the best user experience possible when posting this type of content.
You’re more likely to lose viewers if they have to click the post and redirect to another site. When a video is posted directly on Facebook you also get the benefit of auto-play. Many people tend to stop and watch a few seconds before they keep scrolling. If you can, ALWAYS upload videos directly to Facebook, rather than linking to YouTube.
No. 16 – Track and Monitor
Always be adjusting. OR Reevaluate, reevaluate, reevaluate. Whatever works for you!
Basically, what works today may not work tomorrow. Not all of your social media efforts will garner mass engagement, which is why you should monitor post-performance. This will show you where to cut the cord or increase efforts.
You can view social media analytics using one of the tools mentioned earlier, or you can use the insights tools within each platform. Also, take a second to reassess your goals for each page ie. website traffic, profile traffic, leads, etc.
No. 17 – Show Appreciation
Running out of content ideas? Then it’s time to show appreciation for neighboring small businesses.
Local loves local. When small businesses support one another it builds a stronger and more meaningful community both online and offline.
Social media is not a monologue where you tell the world about yourself and your awards. It’s an opportunity for you to connect.
No. 18 – Ask For Help
Don’t try to do it all yourself. As a small business owner your time is limited, so delegate the responsibility to someone on your team that has an aptitude for social media — or outsource to a local freelancer that is in tune with the area and your target audience.
No. 19 – Use Hashtags
Hashtags add discoverability to your posts. Make a list of all the relevant hashtags for your industry and use them consistently. Hashtags can change based on the post, but for the most part, you will use the same tags on a regular posting basis.
On Facebook, use a less is more approach to hashtags. Stick to one or two, and only use them if it is relevant to the post.
On Instagram, you can use up to 30 hashtags per post, but try not to flood your post with tags that make no sense. Keep them short and sweet and easy to read. Try capitalizing each word (without spaces), as this provides a cleaner look to the overall post.
No. 20 – Mix Paid and Organic
If you’re not getting the impressions you want, consider paid advertising. A small amount can garner hundreds of new impressions, which can turn into new followers.
The Options:
– Boost a post, simplest way to advertise
– Create an ad in Ads Manager, more advanced customization choices
No. 21 – Tag Us To Be Featured
If you want to be featured on the Port Perry BIA social media pages the first step is to be active (see Part. 1), next tag us in your posts, and use the hashtag #DiscoverPortPerry.
Member Features are another way to make it on the BIA social profiles. Between Facebook and Instagram, the Port Perry BIA has a reach of nearly 7000 followers. So let’s take advantage of that.
Every business has a good story, let’s tell yours! Please use the contact form to request a member feature form.
BONUS:
Keep your Google My Business information current. People RELY on this for your hours, address, phone number, website, etc.
People tend to look at one of two places when they want to get ahold of your business or learn more about your products — social media or Google. So make sure both are up-to-date!
