Social media has become a fairly normal aspect of our personal lives. As we have seen throughout this series, social media has been a place of connection, discovery, and creativity. But in order to finish this series on the Social media guide for small businesses and entrepreneurs, I wanted to dive into 7 popular platforms you can use to grow your business. 

Why each platform?

As we have seen, platforms used strategically, correctly, and consistently have the potential to build a business brand, but there are other ways that the different platforms can help grow your business. While dependent on your business, it is important to note that not all businesses need to use each social media platform. Nevertheless, here are how some of the popular platforms can be used. 

1. Facebook

While Facebook has transformed throughout the years their message has remained the same, connect you with others. When it comes to business, there are a few ways to leverage Facebook. You can create a business page, run advertisements, gather consumer sentiment, and build your community. 

Facebook has one of the largest user bases with 1.19 billion females and 1.51 billion males (Aslam, 2021). This is one of the main reasons advertisers and companies alike flock to the platform. 

As a small business, using Facebook can be beneficial in creating your name or telling your company story. With the about section, you can go into more detail about the company especially in comparison to the other leading platform bio sections. Facebook ads have begun to help companies budget their ad spending and target their desired audience. When done strategically, these ads can be well worth the time, effort, and resources. 

2. Instagram

Instagram has become one of the most used social media platforms on this list, aside from Facebook and Youtube (Statista, 2021). Through Instagram, users share photos and videos making it heavily focused on imagery rather than copy. 

When using Instagram for business, you have the ability to use the insights generated from the app itself. This will help small businesses begin to understand which content is working and what can be worked on. Instagram is consistently updating and adding to its features making it a great way to stay in touch with your audience.

Small businesses can take advantage of all the features available on Instagram including stories, story highlights, reels, shopping, and guides. It’s just dependent on what goals the company has and who they want to talk to.

3. Twitter

Twitter is the platform users go to when they want to discover what is going on and what conversations are happening around the world and locally. There are some clear strengths to that. Videos, copy, and speed all are able to help a business connect with and grow an engaged audience. 

Twitter is often overlooked by small businesses that tend to focus on Facebook. However, Twitter can be effective just the same. Twitter is used by a majority of companies as a way to gauge customer sentiment, communicate with consumers (customer service), and gain feedback from their following. 

Customers love to be involved. Twitter is a platform that can do just that. Similar to Instagram Stories, Twitter can use polls to ask questions and garner a participating audience. Twitter is a great tool for real-time engagement. If you have a big event your company hosts, it would be prudent to use Twitter before, during, and after to create buzz and share the event and your business. As previously mentioned, Twitter is also a great tool for customer service because customers often take to the platform for complaints and concerns. This can help smaller businesses cut costs by using a free platform to communicate with their customer base. 

4. Youtube

Youtube is used by billions of users (Youtube, 2021). This platform consists of both businesses and personal content creators making videos ranging from anything from fitness to fashion, automotive to beauty. 

Youtube, when used by businesses, can share the brand message, help customers find and purchase products, and drive traffic to the website or desired landing page. Because Youtube is owned by Google, having video reviews of your product or videos of your service can help you land high on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Landing higher on the SERP will give you a greater chance of increasing traffic to your page. Furthermore, the traffic coming after having seen a video usually consists of individuals who are further down the customer journey making them more likely to convert. 

5. LinkedIn

When you want to network with other professionals in your industry or expand your company, LinkedIn is where you can go to make those connections. Not only are there connections to be made, but professional groups can be joined to stay up to date on what is happening in the industry. 

If your company is focused on Business to Business (B2B) work, using LinkedIn could be the best platform for you from the start. If it is more of a consumer-focused business, then LinkedIn can still be beneficial but in a different way by acting as a way to establish credibility. This platform, along with the next, will be a good place to share your company blog if you have one. Once again, driving traffic to your website. Along with sharing your blog, you can also expand your company, when you’re ready, with qualified individuals.

6. Pinterest

Pinterest is a social network, but it oftentimes acts as a search engine. Customers turn to Pinterest when wanting to find new things to try, blogs to read, pretty much anything they find interest in. 

So, how can a business use it to grow? Well, if you are a business that can have a blog, which most are, it is wise to write valuable content and share it on Pinterest. This helps drive traffic to your website and gain insights into what your current and potential customers are interested in. Traffic from Pinterest is similar to organic traffic as the potential customer is actively searching for your product or service. 

7. TikTok

TikTok is one of the newer social media platforms. It entered the arena in 2016 and gained popularity in 2018 through 2019 (Iqbal, 2021). The platform had also faced privacy concerns as it expanded, which ended with adding additional chair members into the company including Walmart CEO Doug McMillon (Novet et. al., 2020). Due to this, businesses have not yet taken full advantage of the platform. However, the app is continuously growing and providing an opportunity to reach a younger generation.

As a business, you could study trends and learn how to communicate with future consumers. Furthermore, this fast-paced platform is a good way to showcase a more humanized version of your business. Most of the other mentioned platforms are used in a more serious manner, but with TikTok, you can relate to your consumers through the use of a brand ambassador or company representative creating content that adds value and is shareable. This platform wouldn’t need tons of money in advertising but rather a heavy focus on content creation and general creativity. By creating engaging content that is aligned with the trends and beliefs of future consumers, your company can build brand recognition and loyalty.  

 

Always remember your audience 

While a company can use every single platform, it can be overwhelming and counteractive. When using social media to help grow your business, you must truly understand who you are trying to reach and in what way. That way, you can use the right platform for your company and audience, which ultimately, will give you the most out of your efforts. Keep in mind, being a company on social media isn’t about sharing a bunch of posts, but rather, it’s about building a connection and a community around your company that can eventually result in profitable actions. 

 

References

Aslam, S. (2021). Facebook by the Numbers: Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts. Omnicore. Retrieved from, 

https://www.omnicoreagency.com/facebook-statistics/#:~:text=Male%20users%20(19.3%25)%20and,18%2D24%20years%20of%20age.

Iqball, M. (2021). TikTok Revenue and Usage Statistics (2021). Business of Apps. Retrieved from, 

https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/#:~:text=TikTok%2C%20known%20as%20Douyin%20in,it’s%20a%20wildly%20popular%20concept.

Novet, J., Kimball, S., & Shrman, A. (2020). Trump agrees to TikTok deal with Oracle and Walmart, allowing app’s U.S. operations to continue. CNBC. Retrieved from,

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/19/trump-says-he-has-approved-tiktok-oracle-deal-in-concept.html

Statista (2021). Most popular social networks worldwide as of January 2021, ranked by number of active users. Retrieved from, https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/

Youtube. (2021). Youtube for Press. Retrieved from, https://www.youtube.com/intl/en-GB/about/press/#:~:text=Over%202%20billion%20logged%2Din,time%20comes%20from%20mobile%20devices. 

Connections are vital for humans. In fact, according to the article, Why We Are Wired to Connect,  

Across many studies of mammals, from the smallest rodents all the way to us humans, the data suggests that we are profoundly shaped by our social environment and that we suffer greatly when our social bonds are threatened or severed (Cook, 2013).  

But, what does that have to do with this blog series on social media and business growth? Well, everything. When you really think about it, when you’re online, you are connecting with others. Whether the connection is between friends, family, coworkers, or new individuals with similar interests as you, there is a connection being formed or further developed. One of the biggest ways of building those connections is through storytelling. 

Social media and storytelling

Building connections is usually done by relating to, spending time with, or experiencing moments. One way we have all learned to connect is by sharing stories. The study, Speaker–listener neural coupling underlies successful communication states, “that during successful communication, speakers’ and listeners’ brains exhibit joint, temporally coupled, response patterns” (Stephens, et. al., 2010). This is essentially explaining that there is a connection between the brains or minds of the storyteller and the listener.

Stories, Connections, and Business

Back to the first question, what does any of this have to do with social media and business growth? Simply put, the use of social media can help you share stories of your own and of those affected by your products or services in order to boost the connection between you and your consumer base.

How can this happen?

Have you ever seen companies using customer reviews or testimonials to back their product or service? Not only does this build social proof, but for the most part, the customer is expressing their previous problem or experience and how the company helped them. Similar to short stories, the struggles that others can relate to act as the antagonist of the story while the product or service from the company act as the protagonist aiding in them reaching their goals.

Are customer stories required for this to work?

In no way are customer stories required for a business to connect through stories. While it is a great option, you can use your own experiences as the story to connect with consumers. For instance, if you are reading this and are starting your own business, you might have an idea that you’re passionate about. Somewhere in life, there was a moment that made you want to create what you are selling. That can potentially become your story, and as you share your story, there will be others who can relate.

 

Connections and conversions

You might be thinking, just because people relate, it doesn’t mean they will convert. That is a very real possibility, but let’s go back to our discussion on connections and storytelling. Stories have the power to evoke emotions furthermore, 

Studies show that emotionally charged events create powerful memories in people’s minds. In turn, these memories motivate us into taking action. Strong emotions in advertising may drive us to make an expensive purchase or donate money to a cause (Frenay, 2016).

With that being said, when you utilize stories, you have the power to build connections with your consumers. If the story is delivered strategically, not only will it connect the storyteller and the listener, but it will also have an impact on the perception of the company and potentially on the final decision made. 

5 Storytelling tactics for social media

1. Use your truth, experiences, and beliefs to connect with your audience. Connections are made when authenticity is present.
2. Use the technology. Stories, feed posts, videos, and blogs all have the power to share a story online. Keep a consistent tone in the copy and a branded feel for the imagery to build your recognizability. 
3. Share others’ stories. If others have an experience they want to share with your company, then be sure to share that with others. Do this even if the connection is with the community you are building and not you directly because there is always potential for someone to relate.
4. Be the hero. You want to position your product or service as a way to solve a problem or to enhance what others may not even know could be enhanced. Either way, you are in the story to help. 
5. Use emotions. It might seem logical that emotions help enhance a story, but occasionally, there are companies that stick to the facts. This is great, but emotions have more of an impact on building deeper relationships between the company and its customers. 

References

Cook, G. (2013). Why We Are Wired to Connect. Scientific American. Retrieved from, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-are-wired-to-connect/

Frenay, D. (2016). The Importance of Emotions in Advertising. Emolytics. Retrieved from, https://blog.emolytics.com/trends/importance-of-emotions-in-advertising/#:~:text=Studies%20show%20that%20emotionally%20charged,donate%20money%20to%20a%20cause.

Stephens, G. J., Silbert, L. J. & Hasson, U. (2010). Speaker–listener neural coupling underlies successful communication stated. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Retrieved from, https://www.pnas.org/content/107/32/14425#abstract-1

Nike or Adidas? Android or Apple? Kleenex or Puffs? Coca-Cola or Pepsi?
What made you answer the questions the way you did? Was it that one has an objectively better product? Could it have been the slight price difference? Or, could the decision be coming from a sense of loyalty to the company or the brand?

As your company is coming together, it may be easy to focus on what service you are selling or your physical product. Despite the urge to focus on that, and that alone, it is prudent to also spend time to realize what you’re selling on a deeper level. This could be an experience, a status symbol, or a way to deepen a relationship, the possibilities are endless, but once you know what you are truly selling, you can genuinely begin to build your brand.

The importance of brands

When a company starts to develop its brand, they are essentially finding the best way to connect and remain relevant to their consumers. A brand can be the difference between a consumer purchasing your product over your competitors. When making a purchase decision for themselves or others, consumers are placed in situations where they are forced to ask themselves questions similar to what was seen at the beginning of this post. Branding and brand loyalty, at that point, become one of the main deciding factors. In fact, “86 percent of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support” (Mohsin, 2020).

Knowing this, a company that invests its resources into its brand development and management has the potential to see an increase in conversions and sentiment when compared to its competitors. The question is, how can a company that is just starting do this? 

How social media ties into brand building

Building your brand goes beyond the logo and colors. Yes, those are important, but your brand also consists of your values and how you are perceived. You can use social media to shape and manage your brand by creating content that is aligned with the desired brand and by engaging with others who reinforce your brand, as well as, your current and potential consumers.

Examples of branding on social media 

Branding on social media can be done in a few ways, which were briefly touched on earlier. Starting from the basics, a company can start building its brand by incorporating the logo and color scheme throughout the shared content and on its profiles. In doing so, the company will build a clear physical image that can aid in creating an omnichannel experience as the company progresses. In the Taco Bell example, each of the platforms uses their logo as the profile photo, has their slogan in their bio, and has similar colors on the images.  

Moving forward, the content the company posts contributes tremendously to the brand and perception of the company. The overall tone should be consistent throughout the different platforms for both the imagery and the copy. This helps reinforce the desired brand identity and remain consistent with the consumers who have already started to engage with the company. This means, if your company’s brand is relaxed, fun, and playful, the copy should use words and phrases that reinforce those characteristics throughout every platform. 

Using social media to showcase your values is another way to build your brand. Everyday people and companies are creating, sharing, and engaging with the content they see online. This allows new businesses an opportunity to join in and add to conversations that align with the brand they are building and the values they stand behind. For instance, Nickelodeon (@Nickelodeon) shared their support for a well-known talent, Jojo Siwa, and her LGBTQ+ announcement on Instagram. This demonstrates their values of being an inclusive and welcoming brand, which a business of any size could essentially do.

Through social media, users get to know the brand and can share their thoughts and feelings towards it with their friends and family. Having user engagement is important to building brands because it is another aspect in and of itself. Think about it, your brand is not strictly made up of what you say about yourself, it also consists of how well you treat your customers. 

Is the company the type to engage with consumers when possible or to only engage with consumers who are in the process of converting? Users will begin to understand how the company interacts with them and they will gauge how trustworthy or credible they are. You wouldn’t want to work hard on making yourself look good just to be branded as a company that doesn’t care about its customers or their experience. This is where social media’s constant stream of communication can be useful. Thinking back at the Taco Bell example, their Twitter account bio opens up the option to communicate with them directly should they need to. This builds on the idea that they are there for the consumers.

 

So as you can see, social media is an effective way to build and maintain your company’s brand. Here are the key points to remember:

• Use your logo and your brand colors throughout the platforms to help create a consistent look for the company.
  
• Post content that is relevant to you, your industry, and your company’s why. People connect to authenticity. 
• Know your values and stick to them. Showcase your beliefs and connect with consumers on a deeper level. You can and should move past selling in every piece of content posted.
• Engage with your supporters when you can. This humanizes your company and helps your consumers create a bond with you.

 References
Mohsin, M. (2020). 10 Branding Statistics You Need to Know in 2021 [Inforgrafic]. Oberlo. Retrieved from, https://www.oberlo.com/blog/branding-statistics

Imagine, you’re feeling adventurous today. You decide today is the day you change your hair. You search online for hair salons near you and a few results are shown. What do you check for? Hours, location, reviews. You decide maybe you’re not that adventurous and you need more information to see if they would be a good choice for you. Where to next? You decide to check their social media accounts. 

On Instagram, one has almost no posts or engagement, it almost looks like a personal account rather than a business while another has frequent posts and testimonials on a highlighted story. Trying to decide which one to go to and whether or not they will be a good choice just got a little easier. That’s the power of social proof. 

What is social proof?

“Social proof is the influence that the actions and attitudes of the people around us (either in real life or online) have on our own behavior” (Rouse & Wigmore, 2017). According to a study by Robert Schnuerch and Henning Gibbons, “it is assumed that we generally seek social proof; that is, we check our own actions and beliefs against those of others” (2015). 

Simply put, social proof acts as social validation for the individuals who are making a decision, whether it is what outfit they should wear or how they react to hearing news when told in a group setting.

How social proof ties to social media

As seen in the example earlier, social media has amplified the effects of social proof. Individuals everywhere have begun to post and contribute to the different conversations online. These conversations can range from the places they visit to the music they have streamed throughout the year. 

As social media platforms and technology advance, there are constant streams of communication connecting, not only, friends and family but also influencers and businesses to users everywhere. 

Tactics to build social proof around your business

Businesses and entrepreneurs can use social proof on social media to boost the positive sentiment surrounding the company, increase engagement, and generate leads. 

1. Share consumer-generated content
   If a consumer shares an image with your product or at a physical location and tags the company, it can be reshared by the company. This will demonstrate who is using your product or service or how it can be used. This gives other consumers a chance to relate to the community surrounding the company, as seen in the Tone and Sculpt Instagram (@toneandsculpt) example below.
   
2. Encourage and share testimonials
   Honest reviews build trust. Reviews and testimonials have the capability to showcase your strengths and how you respond to negative feedback. Furthermore, the feedback from other consumers is seen as more trustworthy than an advertisement in the eyes of the potential buyers because they do not think the consumer is after a sale.
3. Engage with consumers
   Creating engaging content, such as asking questions in captions or using polls, gives the company the opportunity to gain insight into the consumers while also giving the consumers the opportunity to form additional opinions or deepen their current connection. Consumers are curious as to what others are doing, so when engaging content is offered, it will be taken advantage of. This is demonstrated with the poll by Thanya W. (@thanyaw) on Instagram stories.
   
4. Celebrity and influencer endorsements
   When an individual with a large and engaged follower base stands behind a person, product, or service, it acts as validation for others. Content distributed by influencers or celebrities tends to have more engagement and can help shape wavering opinions in either a positive or negative manner depending on the situation, in most cases, positively. 
5. Share awards, recognition, and earned media
   Awards and outside recognition can have a huge impact on social proof. When a consumer is attempting to finalize a decision, they will look at what others are saying on a personal level and how well the product or service is professionally rated. If the company gains earned media or recognition, it would be prudent to share it with the community on social platforms similar to Westphall PR (@westphall_pr) did on Instagram, as seen below. This essentially confirms the positive attributes and attitudes the consumers have assigned to the company.
   

When genuine and done seamlessly, social proof on social media can become a crucial part of the strategy in the social media marketing plan to drive and nurture leads while working to reach the business goals. 

References 

Rouse, M., & Wigmore, I. (2017). Social Proof. TechTarget. Retrieved from, https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/social-proof

Schnuerch, R., & Gibbons, H. (2015). Social proof in the human brain: Electrophysiological signatures of agreement and disagreement with the majority. Psychophysiology, 52(10), 1328–1342. https://doi-org.ezproxy.stedwards.edu/10.1111/psyp.12461

To think, there is a silver lining that can be found from the effects of Covid-19 for businesses. Small businesses are not giving up. In fact, “20 percent of companies added new services to help their communities during this time” (Pilon, 2020). From offering new delivery services to creating online communities, businesses, big and small, are adjusting to the world around them.

Being an aspiring entrepreneur myself, it was interesting to see the field I have been studying, Digital Marketing, become one of the popular solutions for small businesses as they face their current adversities.

Throughout this blog series, I am diving into a specific aspect of digital marketing, social media, and the various ways it is able to be optimized in order to optimize business results even after things return to “normal”. These upcoming entries are not about how to deal with Covid-19, but rather, how to use social media as a tool for now and the future. 

Before anything was ever mentioned about the pandemic, I was working at a nonprofit organization where I was given the opportunity to see others present their companies and ideas in hopes of winning a grant. There was a strong sense of focus and energy these entrepreneurs were giving to their companies. Despite the focus, they were still working to learn how to spread their message and build a community around their ideas.

That’s when it dawned on me. Social media is not something everyone recognizes as a tool or has time to work on. That’s what this blog is for, to help readers like you, understand how social media can help transform your business.

In the end, despite the hardships Covid-19 has brought to businesses everywhere, it has also encouraged us to leave our comfort zones, be resilient, and find growth through new avenues.

References
Pilon, A. (2020). SCORE Looks at Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business in the US. Small Business Trends. Retrieved from, https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/12/score-survey-covid-impact-small-business.html