5 social media tips for a small business owner in Canada

By: Updated: September 16, 2020


Thinking about how to get the most from social media?

Here's 5 tips for your social media endeavor.

1. Have a plan

Making your business social is important.  Determining how and why you go social is crucial.  What are your objectives for social media? What channels are you going to use and why?  How active are you going to be?  Think about your target audience and how a small business in Canada can help build the online community surrounding your product or service. Take your time in the planning phase.  Measure twice and cut once.

2. Don't just talk about yourself

We have all been to a dinner party and met a guest that won't stopping talking about themselves.  The conversation is more of a monologue about their greatest conquests and their significant importance to the world.  What is your reaction in this type of situation? Your social audience wants to hear about your company but they are more concerned about things they are interested in. Show your audience you understand and care about them by sharing content that appeals to their interests.  If you sell athletic shoes, chances are your audience will enjoy content related to fitness. Give them a reason to follow your brand beyond your product or service.

3. Build relationships through engagement

Social media users demand interaction.  The whole purpose of social media is to socialize your brand by giving it a personal feel.  What would you do in a meeting if the the person you were in front of ignored your comments and suggestions? Think of social media as an ongoing conversation with your followers. You're asking them to listen to your output. It therefore goes without saying that you need to listen and respond to their input.  Relationships are two way. Remember this notion as you develop your social presence.

4. Measure your activity

As a small business owner in Canada, you decide to raise awareness for your special event with a campaign on Facebook.  You create and advertise a series of engaging posts encouraging your audience to register for the event.  What were the results of your campaign? How many site visits and registrations are attributed to the campaign? Did certain posts receive more attention? How come?  Make sure you have a goal for your campaigns and a couple of metrics that you can identify to determine the results of your effort.

5. Be Patient

Building a community and developing a meaningful social presence requires consistency, authenticity, and patience. Don't be alarmed if it takes several months before you gain traction. One of the biggest challenges at the outset is creating and posting content with no audience. Over time, as you slowly build your base of engaged followers, they will help build your community by sharing the valuable content you provide. You're going social for the long haul and people will find you. Patience is a virtue.

Learn more about social media for small business on our podcast episode:New call-to-action

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