Social media is one of the primary channels through which modern businesses can grow their brand. However, small businesses face some unique challenges on social media platforms.
For example, small businesses may not have much of a budget to explore paid social posts (unlike large corporations that regularly invest some of their marketing resources in social media). They may not be able to afford a dedicated social media marketer, much less a dedicated team.
Moreover, the average organic reach of social media posts has been significantly reduced over the years — down to about 5.20% for organic posts on Facebook pages.
Nevertheless, there is a silver lining: it's still possible for small businesses to thrive on social media, provided they plan ahead. An increased focus on engaging followers can result in increased organic reach.
With that in mind, here are some exceptional social media content ideas for small businesses, divided into three basic types:
- Ideas to grow your following
- Ideas to engage your followers
- Ideas to convert followers into customers
Platform Choice and the 80/20 Rule
Before jumping into these three categories, it's essential to cover two significant factors contributing to your success: platform choice and the 80/20 rule.
In terms of platform choice, the primary options for marketers are typically Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. While other social media platforms may attract Gen Z-ers or niche demographics, the "Big Four" still represent the platforms with the greatest growth potential for small businesses.
However, unless you have the help of an agency, you should focus on one channel at a time.
Once you've mastered that first social media channel, you can add a second one to your marketing mix.
Obviously, each platform requires a different treatment and approach. For instance, a Facebook post may give you the freedom to provide interesting details to your audience, while a typical Tweet needs to be short and sweet.
The 80/20 rule is a good rule of thumb to follow as you invest in social media content marketing. The principle is that 80% of your posts should be informative and educational. In comparison, only 20% should try turning a follower into a customer (you can adjust this ratio to fit your business's specific needs and circumstances).
The basic idea is that you want to attract prospects to your brand by nurturing your relationship with them rather than trying to constantly shove a sales pitch down their throats.
Ideas to Grow Your Following
There is little point in posting organically on social media without a following. Luckily, there are ways to increase your follower count:
- Hold contests. Everyone loves a good contest, and if there's a prize involved, that's an extra incentive for your followers to engage with the post.
- Use hashtags (sparingly). Hashtags can help your posts appear in platform search results for specific queries. Just don't use too many of them — the optimal amount is usually between 1-3 hashtags per post.
- Tag a friend. If you publish a humorous or inspirational post, encourage your followers to share it with family and friends.
- Engage in industry conversations. This revolves around responding to social media conversations that are about relevant topics. This injects you into an existing discussion which increases your visibility.
Ideas to Engage Your Followers
A large following doesn't matter if they never see your posts. The solution for this is to increase your "reach." One way to increase reach is by increasing engagement (likes, responses, etc) with your posts.
- Repurpose educational blog posts. You may not have to create new posts from scratch, especially if you have a company blog rich with meaningful insights for your consumers.
- Promote user-generated content. Whether it's a contest or simply an invitation, encourage your followers to create their own content — and then highlight it on your social media profile.
- Curate interesting articles or videos. Here again, you may be able to save resources on content creation by curating already existing articles or videos that your followers will love.
- Ask a question. This is perhaps the most straightforward way to engage your followers — and it usually works!
Ideas to Convert Followers into Customers
At the end of the day, the goal is to convert a fraction of your followers into customers. Just be sure to follow the 80/20 rule when using these social media content ideas:
- Customer reviews or testimonials. This type of "social proof" can build trust in your brand and convince consumers who are "on the fence" to do business with your company.
- Product or company announcements. You can use such announcements to generate buzz around a new product, service, or feature your company is rolling out.
- Behind-the-scenes posts. These posts can "humanize" your company, making it more relatable to the average user.
- Videos talking about the business. When you describe how your company came into being, as well as its core mission and values, you'll be able to connect emotionally with some followers and convince them to take the next step along their buyer's journey.
Multi-Channel Social Media Posting
The above ideas can take your social media content strategy to the next level. As mentioned above, small businesses should only take on one channel at a time.
However, there are cases where a company would benefit from covering two or more social media channels at once.
If you want to get started on multiple channels or already have accounts on multiple channels, you should seek help from a reputable, local marketing agency. Learn more by talking to our team of experts at Midwest Family Springfield.
