The number of small businesses that seem to use social media poorly or not at all is staggeringly high, especially considering where digital marketing is at right now. We equate these companies to those who refused to acknowledge the power of the internet in the ’90s. They got stuck in their ways and unfortunately, many of them paid for being stubborn. It doesn’t matter if you sell ice cream (which we’re not going to discuss because we will get distracted by the sweet, creamy goodness paired with a perfect, crisp waffle cone…wait.) or if you provide a simple service like painting or auto repair. Everyone should be using social media.

A study published in February by the CEB’s Marketing Leadership Council reported that 57 percent of B-to-B buyers research your company by themselves before they ever send out an email to you or give you a call. They’ll look at your website and scroll through your social media pages. It’s just another way for you to display your wonderful wealth of wisdom in your industry. Don’t skip it.

Not sure how to get started? We can help, it’s what we do. But you can get started on your own by following these tips:

Just Start Already

Will your first few posts be awkward? It’s almost guaranteed. Will you feel lost? We’d be surprised if you didn’t. That’s ok. Just do it. Look around at some competitor’s and industry leaders’ pages to see what’s working for them and generate some awesome ideas. You can do it. We believe in you.

Don’t Give Up

The first few weeks/months using social media consistently are by far the most frustrating. That goes for almost anything though. If you’ve ever tried skateboarding you know how annoying it was trying to land your first ollie. It may have taken a week, it may have taken months. But when you did it, you felt like you were Tony Hawk. It also motivated you to keep skateboarding and try a new trick. Too many people get too frustrated too quickly. Building an honest, engaged audience doesn’t happen overnight. Stick with it, Mr. Hawk.

You Don’t Have To Do Everything

This is especially true when first getting started. Find the channels that feel the most natural or that seem to be working the best and focus on those. Different social media channels cater to different audiences and some work for certain types of businesses but fail epically for others. There is no one-size-fits-all. You can also visit other social channels that you don’t use just to gather information to share on your favorite social channel or to generate some fresh content ideas.

Sharing Is Caring

Especially when it comes to social media. When you find a post or blog article helpful or moving, share it! Like it! Comment on it about why you enjoyed it! Share something personal about yourself (scary, we know) or your business so that people remember there is a human being behind the screen. People are drawn to businesses with whom they feel they have a personal connection. They should feel like they can call you to help them move. Not really, (and thank goodness for that.) but you get the point. Also, avoid sharing things like blog articles that you haven’t fully read yourself. You risk sharing content that isn’t actually relevant to you or your business. Lastly, encourage people to share! It sounds kind of dumb, but simply adding the words “Share this” to a post has proven to result in an increase in sharing.

What Do You Say When Someone Helps You Out?

Thank you, Thanks, I appreciate it. That was kind of you. Whatever it is, when someone engages with your content, make them feel noticed and appreciated. A simple “Thanks for sharing!” goes a long way. If they ask a question on your post, answer them! Engage with them. This goes back to what we said earlier about people wanting to feel like they know you. You’re a nice person, right? We knew it.

Boom! Now you’ve got your White Belt in Social Media Karate. The only way to get up to the Black Belt is through a rigorous process of trial and error. If you’d prefer to skip a few belts as quickly as possible, we can fight the social media fight for you. We’re pretty good at it. No big deal. Drop us a lime (see what we did there?) and we’ll hop into our karategi. It’s that awesome white uniform karate kid wore.