What do your social media followers want?

So, you’re a small business owner that has accepted or maybe even fallen in love with the world that is social media. Whatever your stance on social media may be, at this moment it is an important and an essential part of your marketing plan. Your best bet is to get somewhat comfortable with it because it is here to stay awhile!

No matter where you currently land on the scale of social media interaction, you have to have it. So the question becomes, what do your social media followers want from your small business?

Your small business social media plan needs to be a little different from your personal page. In fact, you should have two distinct accounts. Personal opinions or beliefs may be unattractive to potential customers. It is best to separate the two.

Let’s take a look at what your social media followers want from your small business.

1. Your followers want to know who you are
   When a potential customer searches for your business in the social media world, they are looking to see who you are. Make sure that all of your social media bios and profiles are filled out. Followers will not be impressed with a page that is only partially filled out.
   
   Next, you need your business branded and your audience to know what you stand for. Here’s a quick checklist to see if your business is branded:

   >>>Do you have a logo? It should be clean and easily recognizable.

   >>>Do you have a branding message? Going beyond the product, the message should say what your company is all about and what it stands for.

   >>>Does your brand have a voice? This should be made very apparent in the way you communicate as your business on social media. You can be straightforward, fun, sarcastic or even snarky. The important thing is to be true to your brand.

   >>>Do you have a tagline? A motto? A short statement that is catchy and captures the essence of your company is great to promote in your social media communities.

   
   

2. Your followers want to be engaged
   Your social media efforts should not be just about your product. You want your followers to be engaged with your content and genuinely enjoy following your profile. Some people follow the 5:3:2 rule. This rules states that for every 10 posts, 5 of them should be from sources that are relevant to your audience, 3 should be your own creation and 2 should be what I like to call “fluff and stuff” or fun stuff that humanizes your company (like hey, there’s really a person sitting behind a computer posting this stuff).
   
   Here are some quick ways to increase engagement with your followers:

   >>>Pose a question: nothing gets the ball rolling like asking a question. Keep your followers going by continuing the conversation throughout the comments.

   >>>Share a visual: research shows that visual content gets shared 40 times more than any other type of content.

   >>>Consider doing a contest or a giveaway. Nothing grabs attention like a freebie!

   >>>Link yourself to other websites or industry leaders.

   >>>Ask! Ask for a review, ask for an opinion. Just ask your audience to participate.

3. Your followers want to see authenticity
   Being honest is the best attribute you can put forth with your business. Followers want to think that it is you behind the screen and not some inflated marketing firm, giving canned responses with robots. Even if you are outsourcing your marketing efforts, you can still make the time to be authentic.
   
   Need tips for being more authentic? Try these:

   >>>Post more pictures of the inner-workings of your company

   >>>Attributes posts to your employees

   >>>Try holding a conversation by replying to a comment as it comes in real-time.

   >>>Share things that are current to stay current

4. Your followers want to see your authority
   Once you mastered the branding and communicating aspect of social media, you want to focus on being the authority in your industry.
   
   While this may seem abstract to some, there are ways to address authority in your social posts, and here’s how:

   >>>Explain what makes your company unique and top ranked

   >>>Share positive customer feedback or expand it into a shareable story

   >>>Don’t hesitate to share awards your company has won or has been celebrated for

   >>>Stay current on industry trends

Some small businesses struggle to gain an audience, but keeping them can prove to be just as tough. You must find out what your social media followers want from your small business. Luckily, these tips and tricks should keep your current followers interested and coming back for more.