social media marketing ideas Archives

What is social media marketing? I get asked this a lot. It really is a marketing tactic that only started less than 20 years ago, when Facebook started. Now we have Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, YouTube and TikTok.

These social media platforms are free to use and to post to. They all have audiences in the millions, so that makes them very attractive for small businesses.

What is Social Media Used For?

But business was never social media’s original purpose. The original intent was for people to be able to communicate and share information with friends and family. However, business has taken over. Every business has set up a profile on at least one if not all of these social media platforms. They post content daily promoting their business, and they advertise on these platforms as well.

Each of these social media sites has a different format, and a different audience, but the goal for small business is to use social media to get infront of their customers.

Social Media Marketing Tips

To be successful on social media, especially if you are a small business, is to just focus on the platforms where your customers lie. Otherwise it will become too time consuming for you.

For example, Facebook tends to have a audience of people ages 35 to 60. Instagram is more for 18 to 35, and Tiktok is quite young at 12 to 25.

Social Media Marketing Ideas for Small Business

The key to making social media attract attention for your small business, is to not just post your products. What you want to do is post content that interests them, as well as answer questions.

For example, if you sell jewelry, post a graphic that features various ways to organize your jewelry, as this is a top Google search.

Alternatively, post pieces of your jewelry as part of an entire outfit, using the popular hashtag #ootd (stands for outfit of the day).

Social Media Examples

If you need some good examples of how businesses use social media, here are some of my favorites:

Social Media Marketing PDFs

Social Media Marketing Articles

Today I have three Pinterest marketing ideas to try.

Pinterest is a great social media site for driving traffic to your online store.

Traffic on the site has never been higher, especially this time of year with people searching for holiday recipes, gift ideas and decorating ideas.

So take advantage and brush up on your Canvas skills to create engaging and SEO-optimized pins that can essentially act as free ads for your business.

Here are three ideas:

1. Create a Pin Describing Who Needs Your Product

One Kings Lane is great at creating “pinnable” images. This one is promoting why you should consider buying a bow tie for the men on your list (you will have to make this pin horizontal and put the text on the bottom in order to work on Pinterest). You can use other text with the image, like a quote or a customer review.

2. Create a Pin Announcing a Sales at Your Shop

What better way to announce a sale then to pin it for all your followers to see, like this one from West Elm? What is key here is to ask all of your followers to “Re-Pin”.

3. Create a Pin of a Gift Guide Showcasing Your Products

Take photos of a variety of your products and arrange them into a collage for an overall image (like this one from Bauble Bar). Then pin. In the comments, be sure to include hash tags #gifts #gift ideas #gifts for women, etc.

Pinterest is a great medium for driving traffic to your shop, you just have to make sure to stand out among the all the images, and these ideas will help.

About Me

Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!

My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.