Social media marketing is a cost-efficient channel to reach both a specific and wide audience. For small startup companies, the intricacies and spending options can be intimidating, but it’s a place that marketers should certainly not overlook.
Here are 5 tips to get startup companies off to a strong start.
- Know Your Voice and Let it Shine. Showcase exactly who you are and what you’re selling in a uniform manner across all social media platforms. The content shouldn’t be copy/paste, but it should be cohesive. All posts should clearly express your voice and brand, then tailor the content and engagement tactics based on each platform’s best practices and trends.
- Properly Format Content Per Platform. Although you can auto-post across channels, avoid using the same exact content on each social network. No two platforms format content the same way. Take the time to customize the copy and media asset size for each, properly use hashtags when applicable and understand the engagement best practices for each channel.
- A little Cash Can Go a Long Way. All of the social media platforms offer various paid advertising options based on your objective. It can be intimidating to pick which ones are right for your new company and how much of your tight budget should be spent on digital ads. The answer to these questions really depends on your audience. Wherever your primary audience spends their time is where you should start. Begin with a small dollar amount and a short period of time and grow from there. For example, if most of your audience is on Instagram, promote a video and a static image. Test different media and see which is delivering the best results. Once you have a good sense of your audience’s social media habits, then lean into that strategy and increase the spend. Try to avoid spending too much money too fast without testing your target audience, content assets and placement options. This can lead you down a discouraging path, and it can turn you off from social media ads all together. Do it right so you don’t miss out!
- What About Facebook Ads? Since Facebook owns Instagram, the delivery of their ads expands across both platforms. It’s highly recommended to create a Facebook ad that has the button to deliver on Instagram turned on to not only reach an audience on both channels, but it also allows you to understand where your audience spends their time (and money). The targeting indicates the delivery process and shows the ad automatically to your targeted audience on both platforms. These ads generate insight into how you can tailor your ad to the platform that’s preferred by your audience through objective results.
- In Addition to Ads, Don’t Forget About Your Facebook Page. It’s nice to have a fancy website, but for some startup companies, an active Facebook is the perfect place to house information about a company, communicate with the current audience and pursue prospective consumers. The key for building a strong Facebook page and community is quality over quantity. Although a startup’s page might not have as many followers as a larger organization, the attention to detail, active engagement and resourcefulness optimizes a Facebook page for a successful newer business.
From day one, social media is an efficient and necessary component of a startup company’s marketing strategy. The best way to streamline the process from strategy, content creation and formatting to monitoring and engagement (and let’s not forget about Facebook ads) is to have a dedicated team who specializes in digital marketing.
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