Social media
How do I use social media to inform, engage and reach more customers to grow my business and profits?
Website visitors are ten times more likely to make a purchase if they are directed to you from social media – an incredible promise for any business owner. However, there are pros and cons. The upside is that social media can be a cheap and effective way to engage with your audience, build meaningful relationships with the customer base and generate sales.
The downside is its drain on time, need for proactive management of any negative sentiment and constant awareness of certain security risks. With all of that to contend with, you also need to decide which social platforms are best suited to your needs, and which are of little or no value. These resources will help you cut through the noise and create effective social media campaigns that will grow and support your objectives.
Social media toolkit
Fast-track your socials know-how with the Social Media Toolkit
from British Business Bank
WHAT? A downloadable guide containing an overview of social media platforms, creating a social media strategy, plus techniques to save time and money
WHEN? You are new to social media
WHY? Figure out which social media platform is most suited for your audience and how to engage with them
OTHER RESOURCES?
>> Q&A on social media from Virgin Start Up
>> Understand the potential of Instagram with this case study from Virgin Start Up
Content analysing
Make sure your social content is grabbing attention with this headline analyser
from CoSchedule
WHAT? A tool for checking how your chosen headline will stand out online – including hints such as using “emotional” words and sentence structure
WHEN? You are putting content out into the social media world
WHY? It’s free and provides some interesting insights into how people might react to your chosen headline
OTHER RESOURCES?
>> Get organised with a marketing calendar that has social media sharing functionality from CoSchedule [£]
Social media management platform
Schedule your social posts using Hootsuite, a free web-based platform
from Hootsuite
WHAT? One of the most widely used social media management platforms that lets you schedule and manage a huge quantity of content
WHEN? You have multiple social media platforms up and running and want to manage these more efficiently
WHY? Create, schedule and boost posts across your social media platforms. Also includes analytics.
OTHER RESOURCES?
>> Buffer.com is a similar alternative to Hootsuite
Employee guidance on social media
Read up on the best practices for using social media in the workplace
from Croner
WHAT? An article detailing issues, rules and guidelines for employers and employees, including cyber bullying, disciplinary procedures and implementing a social media policy
WHEN? You have employees
WHY? Know your rights as an employer related to staff social media use and find guidelines to support your team
OTHER RESOURCES?
>> See our Build a Team section for more information on staff management
