why does your business need social media?
Ever wonder if it’s really worth your time to have your business on social media? Which platform is the best? Facebook? Instagram? Or even, gasp* TikTok?
Because you as a small business owner obviously has all the time in the world to work on your social media, right? First, let’s chat about why it really is so very important.
THey are checking you out online first
In September 2024, GoDaddy conducted a survey of 1000 Millennial and Gen Z shoppers. Why those two generations? They’re the spenders right now. They’re the ones shopping. They are your customers and clients. They’re the ones born from 1981 to 2012.
80% of those US consumers say that they research small businesses online before shopping with them for the first time.
Now what exactly are they looking for?
They’re looking for reviews, at your website, and at your social media presence.
56% say that if there are no reviews for a business, they won’t shop with them.
3 in 10 say that if a website does not have contact information on their website, they won’t shop with them.
1 in 3 say if a website is incomplete or “under construction,” they won’t shop with them.
26% say if there is no About page on the website, they won’t shop with them.
3 out of 4 say if the blog or social media posts have not been updated in the past 30 days, they say it impacts the integrity of the business.
4 out of 5 say a dedicated website and online store make a small business more credible.
So how can you make sure your small business is up to snuff?
Ask your customers for reviews. Ask specifically for 5 star reviews. Most people would be happy to leave a review, but they forget. But thankfully we have two powerhouse examples- Amazon and AirBNB. These two have the whole asking for reviews DOWN PAT.
So don’t be afraid to ask for those reviews. Send your customer an email within a day or two of them shopping with you asking for the review with a direct link to where you want them to leave that review (I suggest Google or Facebook). There are also text message services that allow you to text your clients asking for reviews as well.
If you are a service-based provider, don’t be afraid to ask for the review when they’re paying for the service (after a haircut, manicure, etc, etc.)Finish or update your website TODAY. Obviously a bad website is literally losing you customers. You can’t afford to keep putting it off. Make sure your contact information is available and up to date and you have an About Page. While you’re there, make sure all the information is up to date and maybe think about updating pictures while you’re at it.
Have a blog but just don’t have time to keep it up? Don’t delete it, but maybe make it hidden from the public for a while until you can start updating it on a regular basis or decide to remove it all together.
The Social Media Dilemma
95% of this group expect your small business to have some sort of social media presence, no matter what platform it is.
If you haven’t been posting to your social media platforms in the last 30 days, it is a negative strike on your business.
So let’s take that info and, as the saying goes, kill two birds with one stone. We all know we need to be marketing our businesses on a regular basis anyways, so it also makes sense to market your business where your customers are spending their time. Otherwise they’ll never see your efforts.
So where are these shoppers spending their time?
Facebook
Instagram
Snapchat
TikTok
Threads
X
But good news, they do NOT expect small businesses to be on all those platforms. Whew!!!
Do people look at your social media or website and then go to your competitor instead?
Stop losing potential customers with this free Social Media Profile Audit! Download it here today.
So where do these shoppers expect us to be?
Depending on the platform, 48-67% expect you to be active on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok (48% of Gen Z for TikTok.)
Now don’t get overwhelmed and think you have to jump on all three and master them right now. We can take this one step at a time.
Facebook and Instagram are both owned by Meta, which is good news for you. When you link your Facebook and Instagram pages together, you can utilize Meta Business Suite to schedule out posts for both platforms from one spot.
Ready to add TikTok? Reuse reel ideas to create a similar video on TikTok. I don’t recommend just downloading and reposting the video to the other platform. If you have the raw video footage on your phone, its only a matter of a couple minutes to post it to both platforms. They both are fresh posts, but without reinventing the wheel.
But how do I know what to post on social media?
Put together lists of frequently asked questions, before and after videos and photos, helpful tips and tricks, info about your business, sales, holiday updates, show how your product solves their problem or helps them achieve the lifestyle they really want…
Once you have a “content bank” of post ideas, whether is a written out list or a spreadsheet, you can pick and choose which posts you want to utilize and put them in a “content calendar.” When you take the time to create a content bank and calendar, you effectively erase the stress of trying to come up with a post every day. Instead you can now batch create, schedule posts out, and then get back to the rest of your business.
You’ll hear many of the marketing experts tell you the secret to success is being consistent. A content bank and calendar will ensure you stay consistent and these modern shoppers will see that your business is legit, because you are ticking all their boxes online.
Make it a goal today to do a self audit of your business’s website and social media accounts. How are they looking?
Learn more about this GoDaddy survey here.
Need help creating your content bank and calendar? Arctic Business Vibes is my framework I use for each and every one of my social media management clients to ensure they’re marketing is reaching their ideal clients on a consistent basis. I want to share this framework with you so you too can have a marketing strategy that is reaching your ideal clients without you having to spend hours online or stressing over social media. Check it out here.
