Navigating the Social Media Jungle as a Business Owner

Navigating the social Media jungle as a business owner can be scary. There is so much information out there and so many questions, how do you know where to start. How many posts should be done in a day? Which platforms are the best?  How much should you spend on an ad? What kind of Ad do you run? How do you grow your audience?

These are all valid questions. As a business owner you have to ask yourself, do you have the time? Running your social media can be daunting and take up valuable time, time that can be spent actually running your business. However, if you want to have a successful business that will continue to grow, social media is a necessity. So which platforms are the must haves? How often should you post to them and the ultimate question, what do you post? 

The best and most needed platform to be on is Facebook. Facebook has around 2.+ billion people on it. Between Facebook and Google, about 80% of online traffic run through these two platforms alone. Here is an example of how Facebook and Google work together, let’s say you are out with friends and you are unsure as to where you want to eat. You log onto your phone and type into Google “restaurants near me.”  You get a list of places, and you pop over to their website. On the site, it states they have live music, which would be great to watch while you continue to hang out with your friends. You then click on the live music link, and it takes you directly to Facebook with a list of band names, dates and times.  It is easier for a business owner to update their Facebook feed with up to date information than it is their website.  

This one example shows you how people use Google and Facebook. By having these two platforms working together, the business owner is able to keep their customer’s up to date and potential customers informed as well. The next big question is how often and when do you post? To keep your customer’s engaged and stay relevant. You need to post at least 2-3 times a day, between 8am and 7pm. These are prime times. These post can’t be all about sales either. They need to be entertaining and educational. People want to be, and they don’t want to be sold to every time they see your post. Give them information and make then laugh.

Social Media Marketing is a very time-consuming part of your business. Your clients want to be engaged with you. They feel more connected to you when they can interact with you via social platforms. Facebook Messanger plays a significant role in customer service. If a customer has concerns, they can text you with their fears via Facebook Messanger instead of sending you an email.  Not all platforms are alike. What works for one business may not work for yours. It is vital to realize who your target audience is and where they are hanging out. Hopefully, these tips will help you get a better understanding of why Facebook is so important and the role it plays in the social jungle.