How to use social media to boost your business

SOCIAL media used to be an afterthought for many businesses, but getting it right on Twitter and Facebook can transform a business. Large companies now throw huge amounts of money at social media campaigns, but with the right strategy, SMEs with small marketing budgets can use social media tools to get their names out there too.

Nor does it have to be a complicated, time-consuming process. A little effort with these free tools can generate exposure at home and abroad, and help to supercharge your brand.

Here are five ways to can exploit social media to grow your business:

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1. Understand your customers. Being interesting is important on social networks, and to catch the attention of potential clients you need to know who you are speaking to. Spend some time researching what your customers do on social media, and which platforms they use. This will help you understand how to connect with them in a way that is relevant to their interests. Concentrate on engaging with them and joining in conversations, rather than trying to reach the most number of people. If the content is good enough, it will grow organically and reach a wider audience on its own; try too hard and it becomes obvious what your goal really is.

2. Give people a reason to spend time with you, says Nadya Powell, managing director at social agency MRY. After all, if people are already busy enough visiting Amazon, eBay, Facebook and YouTube, and talking to their friends, why should they visit you? “Unless you have products to die for, just appearing in search will not be enough – you need to stand for something within your space. So if you’re a butcher, provide content on choosing the best cuts, or recipes and online tutorials. If you're a clothes shop, put some outfits together and feature articles on the latest trends.”

3. Build relationships with your customers in a way that big corporations can’t. Apple cannot reply to every tweet, for example, but you can. Treat every interaction on an individual basis and as a relationship with a customer because if you love them, they will love you back. At the same time, don’t be afraid to see what the big names are doing. Your business may be different, in size and in the service you offer, but chances are the big names are doing something right with a similar group of people so don’t be afraid to cherrypick the strategies that work. This also means spending some time online during weekends – social media doesn’t only work during business hours so neither should you. That doesn’t mean being glued to the screen every waking minute, but check your feeds regularly and listen to the people who are talking to you.

4. Together you’re stronger. Partner up with other SMEs around you and work as a team for mutual benefit. Ms Powell says: “High streets work because the shoe shop brings traffic to the clothes shop, and this is also true online. Build content partnerships with non-competitive but complementary businesses, to deliver more content, driving better search results and more reasons to visit. It’s a win-win.”

5. Make use of free advice and tools. Google organises regular seminars for SMEs where they provide one-on-one advice and tips on improving your business’ online reach. They are called Juice Bars and are free to attend. You should also make the most of Google Analytics, a free service that allows you to see how many people have visited your website, what they searched for when they found your page, which pages they visited and so on. This knowledge will be invaluable when trying to tailor your social profile to your customers.