Maximising Social Media for SMEs

Social media holds great value for businesses, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and we cannot overlook it.

Since the digital landscape offers countless opportunities for growth, business owners are actively building a strong social media presence to stay competitive. Because of this, maximising social media for SMEs becomes a crucial part of running a business.

With a strategic plan and consistent effort, businesses can use social media to reach more people and build relationships with their target audience. Ultimately, this can increase brand awareness and potentially lead to more sales.

The big question now is: how can SMEs use social media effectively?

Social Media and Corporate Communication

Social networking sites (SNS) initially emerged as a space for personal connections. Users primarily created profiles on platforms like Facebook and Twitter to establish new friendships, reconnect with existing ones, as well as share personal updates and photos with their networks.

However, as these platforms grew their user base, businesses started recognising the potential of social media for marketing purposes. This observation basically prompted a transformation, turning social media from just a place for sharing information and connecting with virtual communities into a retail platform and marketing tool. In fact, a recent report highlighted the undeniable benefits of social media marketing for businesses. The same report stated that 86% reported increased exposure, 76% saw higher traffic, 64% generated leads, 56% built loyal fans, while 55% experienced sales growth.

Aside from that, social media’s ability to reach a larger audience has profoundly impacted how companies interact with consumers. Corporate SNS accounts have been given the ability to have a more direct connection, engage in deeper engagement, as well as cultivate stronger brand awareness. This shift evidently transforms the dynamics of customer interaction in the digital era.

This principle extends beyond large corporations, as SNS also provides SMEs with an equal chance to compete in the market through algorithms. By creating compelling content, using narrative-driven storytelling, and launching engaging campaigns, businesses can create authentic connections with their followers.

On Building an Online Presence

It must be remembered that having a social media presence and having a corporate account are not the same. Posting sometimes, then calling it a day, is not enough. To surely succeed, here are some key actions you need to take:

Having a social media presence and having a corporate account are not the same.
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Define Your Audience

Building a successful social media presence starts with understanding your target. This generally means getting a clear picture of your ideal customer and what can get their attention. Furthermore, you have to identify their demographics, interests, online behavior, and communication preferences.

Through this, you can tailor your content and message to resonate with your intended viewers on a deeper level. You can also create content that speaks directly to their interests, ensuring it truly connects with them.

Moreover, knowing your audience guides you in strategically allocating your resources on social media. By identifying the platforms your target audience uses most, you can certainly build a strong presence where they are most active.

Know the Right Platform

Choosing the right social media platform is critical for SMEs aiming to boost their online presence as well as connect with their target audience. Keep in mind that not all platforms are the same. Different SNS offer unique features suitable for various content types and interactions. Each platform has strengths and weaknesses. Matching your goals with the platform’s capabilities is key to driving engagement and achieving results.

For instance, TikTok is indeed perfect for viral marketing campaigns. It resonates with a younger demographic due to its dynamic contents. But if you are aiming to establish trust and authority within their industries, your go-to social media is YouTube. This platform suits longer, more in-depth video content such as tutorials, product reviews, and behind-the-scenes insights.

Understand the Language

Each social media platform specifically comes with its unique user behavior, culture, and language. What Instagram and X call “likes” are equivalent to Facebook’s “reactions.” Thus, understanding these nuances is key to engaging with your audience on each platform.

Besides, accurate use of social media terminology demonstrates your knowledge and active participation in the digital space. It also fosters credibility and confidence among potential customers who appreciate genuine engagement on different platforms. Correspondingly, staying informed about relevant terminology per SNS enables SMEs to adapt their strategies and remain competitive in terms of content.

Maximising Social Media for SMEs

As mentioned, social media marketing is all about mastering audience engagement. However, maximising social media for SMEs relies on quality content, which is the foundation of your connection with the audience. Here are the things you can do to increase the quality of your content:

Maintain a Consistent Posting Schedule

Consistency is the backbone of audience engagement. SMEs that post regularly keep their followers interested. Because of this, followers keep on coming back for more. Consequently, doing this enhances the customer experience, since it demonstrates dedication to interacting with potential and existing brand followers.

Furthermore, consistent content builds brand reliability and trust, making your business a go-to source for valuable information. This encourages higher engagement and interaction, ultimately creating stronger customer relationships and potentially leading to increased loyalty and sales.

Develop a Content Calendar

To maintain consistency and relevancy, you must implement a content calendar. Having this enables you to synchronise content with important dates, holidays, and promotional events. Additionally, it ensures that your messaging remains timely and captivating for your audience.

Strategising in advance also helps to unify your brand voice and visual identity across all channels. It even enables you to allocate resources efficiently. In a way, a content calendar furnishes your view of your overall strategy, which will help you identify areas of improvement.

Leverage Trends

Given the algorithm-driven nature of social media, leveraging trends give SMEs an excellent opportunity to boost online visibility and broaden audience reach. Engaging in popular challenges or incorporating trending hashtags enable businesses to amplify their presence and spark greater engagement on social platforms.

This proactive approach can convert previously unaware users into potential customers. It also shows the brand’s relevance and active involvement within its community. Moreover, embracing trends showcases the business as adaptable, forward-thinking, and committed to audience engagement, ultimately nurturing brand loyalty among existing customers.

Boost Your Posts

Organic social media is great, but sometimes it needs a boost. Paid social media advertising is actually a great way of maximising social media for SMEs. Through different SNS platforms, businesses can create targeted ads that can reach certain viewers.

This approach also facilitates precise audience targeting and offers better ROI tracking compared to traditional advertising methods. Likewise, it helps you conduct tests that can optimise your ad performance in a cost-effective way.

Do Collabs

Incorporating creators and influencers into your social media strategy can, without doubt, deliver substantial growth for your brand. In particular, capitalising the reach and trust these known social media personalities have cultivated with their audiences can help your business gain visibility and credibility.

Besides, doing collaborations can help introduce your business to other viewers. Since most influences offer product reviews and insights, you can use their expertise to highlight the benefits of your products or services in a more authentic and relatable way. This can eventually lead to increased engagement and conversions.

By knowing how to manage your SNS properly, you can establish yourself as a key player in your respective market.
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Social Media and Business Growth

Using corporate social media effectively can result in significant growth for businesses, especially SMEs. By knowing how to manage your SNS properly, you can establish yourself as a key player in your respective market. This, combined with other strategies discussed, will indeed help you to thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

But remember, successful social media marketing requires dedication and expertise. You must consider teaming up with experienced professionals who possess great social media knowledge. Obviously, you need those who have skills who can help you maximise your online presence and engagement.

At DBA, we offer expert social media marketing services to help you stay ahead of the competition and reach your target audience successfully. Our team is dedicated to creating engaging content, monitoring analytics, and implementing successful campaigns to ensure your business achieves its goals in the digital world.

Here are the functions SMBs often outsource.

Curious about how we do it? Give us a call and let us start creating an impact together!

Here are the functions SMBs often outsource.

Aureen Kyle Mandap, DMP

Aureen is a Content Writer for DBA, and a technical and creative writing expert. She is a Certified Digital Marketing Professional with a strong background in SEO copywriting, content marketing, and social media management. Also, Aureen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and has experience in Human Resources and clinical setting duties.