Social Media and You: Getting Started

We all know social media has been a growing asset for businesses for many years now. The ability to easily access people from around the world to share a story is the hot spot of digital marketing. And the coolest part is that it can do that from your fingertips to your audience’s fingertips in seconds.

If you don’t have one already, it can seem a little intimidating to get started with a social media presence. Honestly, this is the moment to look past the doubt and past the worry. The best way to get started, is to just start.

• Social media is a perfect platform to tell your story… and who better to tell YOUR story than YOU! Don’t worry about all of the little details quite yet – get out there and speak from the heart.
• Share about your mission, your employees, your family’s involvement, or maybe just an everyday activity that takes place. People want to get to know their neighbors and local businesses. Social media is a great way to tie physical human presence to a business entity.
• Figure out what works for you and your time. Don’t feel like you have to post every day right off the bat – heck, that might not ever be your reality. Once a week is a great start!
• Get creative! Add emojis, hashtags, filters, polls, coordinate with special holidays or follow trends. Not sure what any of that means?! No problem… check out what businesses similar to yours are doing for inspiration.
• Be interactive. Take a couple of extra moments to like and respond to comments. Comment on other accounts’ posts. Interact with your community and they will likely interact with your page more, too.
• Share other content. There’s no reason to constantly be re-inventing the wheel. Incorporate sharing other page’s posts that fit your vibe.

If you do have some social presence already, keep on keepin’ on! The fact that you are building a digital presence is already huge, but if you are looking to grow even more, here are few suggestions for next steps to keep building your platforms:

• Amp up your posting – post more frequently or even change the style of posts your creating (ex: dabble in some video!). Try to follow the type of “hot” content for the platform you are using (for example, Reels on Instagram are the main content being showed to followers right now.)
• Look at your numbers – if you’ve got your level of posting down, actually take a couple of minutes to look at the analytics. Are you getting the reach you want? Is there a better time you should think about sharing content? What type of content is getting the most traction? Use this information to amp up your strategy.
• Try a new platform – got Facebook down? Check out Instagram or LinkedIn. Feeling creative? Give Tik Tok a try. These are just the top apps, but there are still many more to use if you are looking.
• Have fun with it – yes, social media marketing is work to build your business, but remember to have some fun too. Share goofy posts. Get creative and personal. Build genuine connections… that is what we all are looking for.

Social media is ever changing, and no one will ever be on top of it all. Don’t worry about getting it perfect; worry about defining your goals and creating a positive presence for you and your business’s goals. If you want to see some socials in action, check out the GPS Facebook or LinkedIn page.