By now, almost everyone on the planet has experienced some form of social media. Social media, of course, is a somewhat newer mode of communication than the invention of hieroglyphics, Morse code, or the telephone but won’t be going away anytime soon. Social media, whether you personally like it or not, has become necessary for every business communicating with their audience.
The evidence speaks for itself: When you figure out how to share the human aspect of your business and the lives you have touched through it, people buy into not only what you are selling, but also into your story as a business. It turns out that having an audience that buys into your story is always good for business.
Today, more than 83 percent of small business owners say they believe social media is essential for their business. We have put this book together to ensure you have the best plan and approach to win at social media.
We can all agree social media is polarizing. Fake news, changing platforms, and password management can all be frustrating. Social media harnesses the excitement of extroverts, who like to have continuous conversations. It highlights the reluctance of introverts, who might feel like it’s an invasion during private moments. Social media also gives a platform to the jerks of the world, who use it to troll others and show us the fun we aren’t having and the vacations we are missing.
On the other hand, social media is a tremendous way to connect. During the COVID-19 outbreak, businesses found that social media was a crucial way to stay in touch with their customers. Social media allows for old high school friends to connect updated about one another’s lives. You can view pictures of your nieces’ and nephews’ birthday parties, even if you can’t be there for those moments. Social media can open the doors to make meaningful connections with others during a pandemic or in normal circumstances.
If you don’t care for social media, don’t worry. This book is not going to talk you into liking social media for yourself. Our book will not address whether social media should or should not exist. We have put this introduction together to explain that we understand the feelings around social media, both good and bad, but you will have to save those comments for watercooler conversations at work, the Thanksgiving dinner table, and online comment sections.
You may wonder: “Why another book on using social media for business?” If you check the bookshelves of your local bookstore, you will see a sleek selection of books offering quick tips or a single strategy for marketing your business through social media. Our book offers a different approach. Our tips aren’t just theoretical; they are tested and true.
We want to take you behind the scenes and share with you our success stories working with many different businesses, along with the stories of others. We have connected with numerous small business owners just like you, who have grown steadily over the years by having an intentional social media presence.
Who should be interested in this book? In short, everyone. But especially those who run a business or online brand. We fight for the little guy. We understand what it’s like to start out or feel stuck—for instance, no matter what you do, your business is surviving at best. We also know the road to getting unstuck, as we have traveled it with many clients.
For example, let’s say you are a plumber in your community. You’ve distinguished yourself from your competition by steadily building a reputation for high-quality work at fair prices. You don’t quite grasp how to use social media to build your business, but you know you need a steady, growing stream of customers. Many of your potential clients spend a considerable amount of time on social media, but you don’t know how to connect to them and continue the conversation to build awareness around your brand.
Or perhaps you install pavers and hardscapes to upgrade home patios and lay asphalt and cement to help brick-and-mortar businesses get more customers. You have a ton of before-and-after pictures of job sites you’d love to showcase on social media, but you have no idea where to start.
What if you run a doctor’s office? You have interesting content to share and ways to position yourself as a leading expert in your field. However, you don’t have the time, and your office doesn’t have the experience, to strategically maintain your social platforms.
Maybe you own a moving company. Most people don’t get passionate about moving in the same way they enjoy cooking, decorating, or working out. Often, people find the topic of moving stressful and would prefer not to think about it. But you run a business that relies on a steady customer base, and the traditional ways of finding those customers aren’t working.
What if you are a spirited college-aged woman with an amazing YouTube following because you do makeup application tutorials? People love to follow you because you are funny and self-deprecating and they learn how to make themselves look better. However, you want a better strategy to monetize this following.
Our book pulls together stories from companies that have had a lot of success, along with our take on how to harness the best of what social media has to offer. We have put together easy-to-digest concepts to help you visualize where you and your company belong on the social media landscape.
Look at the following chart for a visual representation of the different platforms. We will explore this further in the book, but think of your business and where it might fit on this chart. Are you a design business that is more visual and focused on entertainment? Or perhaps you are a consulting company that could benefit from more text and news. We will help break down the concepts of social media to make them easy and actionable for you (Figure 0.1).
Figure 0.1 The landscape of social media
At the end of our book, in Chapter 10, we will talk about emerging platforms and trends. Some of those emerging platforms, especially as they pertain to businesses, include TikTok and NextDoor (both pictured in the landscape) in addition to Snapchat, Quora, and Reddit. While these platforms aren’t brand-new, they are emerging in terms of how we perceive businesses are approaching them to build their brands. We work primarily with businesses that target people 25 years old and older. Businesses that hope to attract a younger demographic must pay even closer attention to the emerging platforms. The platforms we focus on in this book include Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Many of the lessons and ideas we teach for these platforms are also applicable to the newer, smaller, or emerging ones as well.
We want to share our story with you and help you discover yours. Remember the enthusiasm and drive that helped you start your business? We want you to channel that and share it with the world through social media. The evidence speaks for itself: When you figure out how to share the human aspect of your business and the lives you have touched through it, people buy into not only what you are selling, but also your company’s story.
Our process is more organic than most, starting with your core values and working outward. We don’t want you to market yourself in an artificial way, buying into trends just to get a rise out of people. We want you to dare to be genuine. Dare to be a classic. We are going to go on an exciting trip of sharing who your business truly is on social media, and your customers are going to love it. Hang on for the ride.
Introduction: Key Takeaways
After reading this chapter, what should you understand?
- Those who run small businesses should spend time on social media to grow their brands, reach, and customer base.
- Remember the landscape of social media, and don’t try to take on too much too soon.
- You can start with just one or two platforms, but be strategic about which one(s) you choose.
- Social media is valuable for businesses because it humanizes their brand and allows their personality to shine.
- This book will provide real-world examples of businesses that have done a good job of establishing a presence on one or more platforms.