How to Get Started Using Social Media for your Small Business in Cleveland

Getting Started
Regardless of the size of your business, it is important to realize how much of an impact social media has when it comes to marketing. Not only are people spending more and more time on their phones, but many people are turning to their phones for entertainment, news, and just about anything else you can think of. This means that they’re doing so rather than watching TV and sometimes rather than even getting out of their house. If you want to advertise anything, you are going to need to have a social media presence. The days of magazine ads and billboards are dwindling and social media is taking over. We’re going to break down how to get started using social media for your small business in Cleveland, but you can apply these steps and tips regardless of where you live. Follow these steps and you’re sure to spark some interest and find some new customers.

Step by step…

Decide what you want to accomplish with your social media
Goal setting is important in just about every aspect of life, but it is especially important when developing a marketing strategy. You will want to sit down and write out what you would like to accomplish through your social media marketing. Are you looking to spread the word about your company to get new customers? Do you want to brand your company in a specific way? Do you want to better connect with the customers you already have? The good news is that social media can help you do all of these things. You can definitely try to accomplish all of these goals, but narrowing it down can really help you to develop a plan and execute it well.

Have a plan for what voice/brand you want to portray
Having a voice for your company and deciding what that voice sounds like is huge in trying to brand your business. This is very important to think about when looking into how to get started using social media for your small business in Cleveland. Your social media presence gives off a certain voice, whether it is for your personal social media or for your company social media accounts. Some accounts are more lighthearted and fun while others are more serious and to-the-point. This will all depend on what industry your business is in and what your company’s goals are, but it is important to choose a tone/voice and to keep it consistent.

Prepare content ahead of time
One thing that can be really helpful to do, especially when you are first learning how to get started using social media for your small business in Cleveland, is to get some things ready before launching your social media profiles. This could include doing a photoshoot and having some photos saved up, creating a few graphics, or even creating a document with photos/graphics and captions that you plan on using and having those ready to go. You want to be consistent, so preparing ahead of time is very helpful.

Use scheduling apps

One of the most helpful things, when it comes to social media marketing, is using scheduling resources. Websites like Hootsuite and TweetDeck allow you to schedule out your content. This is extremely helpful, especially for companies that want to pre-plan and be prepared ahead of time rather than trying to use their phones to post every day. This will also help you to be more consistent in posting, as well as being able to consistently post the same message across multiple platforms.

Designate someone with experience to run the accounts
When figuring out how to get started using social media for your small business in Cleveland, it is extremely important to make sure that you have the right person running your social media accounts. This means that you want someone who is mature and responsible enough to keep all of the content appropriate, on-brand and consistent. With that being said, you also want to make sure that they are in-the-know. The last thing that you want to encounter when figuring out how to get started using social media for your small business in Cleveland is having someone running your account, not knowing how to use the different functions of each individual social media platform. One thing to consider would be to use a marketing or social media management company, as this allows you to pay someone else a fee (typically a small fee) and you won’t have to worry about running your social media or having to pay someone a full salary to do it.

Generate exposure to your account
There are a few ways to get exposure for your account, and we’re going to focus on two of these ways today. The first way is by using hashtags. Hashtags allows users to find your post simply by searching the hashtag. This means that if you have an insurance company and use the hashtags, “#insurance” and “#CarInsurance,” people who do a general search of the hashtags will see your post. They will not even have to be looking for your account, they will simply stumble upon it from that search. One thing that you can do is to keep a note or document of the hashtags you want to use on each post and copy and paste that list to save time. Another way to get exposure to your social media account(s) is to use ads. This is something that you will want to do deeper research into when figuring out how to get started using social media for your small business in Cleveland. You have to weigh the pros and cons, as posting advertisements via social media can add up in cost, but can be extremely helpful.

Don’t forget…
Although this article was about social media marketing, it is important to remember that there is more to business than just that! Making sure your business is protected is huge and here at Cobos Insurance, we want to help you do just that. Click the link right here to learn more about how we can help you today! (https://www.cobosins.com/business-insurance.html)


Now go post!
Now that you know how to get started on social media, go out there and post away! In this day and age, social media marketing is huge and something that anyone, anywhere has access to. Take advantage of being alive in a day and age where you really can reach just about anyone. Contact us with any questions regarding your small business insurance needs or just chat about marketing opportunities we might be able to help you with!