Unfortunately, a lot of business owners in the UK still think that their online presence is not important and that the business’s online presence should be front and center. While this may seem like a good approach at first, these business owners are missing out on a wealth of opportunities.
Social media users of today see things differently. They relate better to people and faces than to brands and products. For the same reason, many startup owners and CEOs of large companies are starting to engage their audience (read: potential customers) through social media. You too can get started with growing your social media presence as a business owner with these simple tips.
Keep It Consistent
One of the first things you need to do as a business owner on social media is establish a consistent social media presence. Try to keep your social media handles – the user ID you use on different platforms – as consistent as possible. You can easily set up twitter.com/yourname and Instagram.com/yourname and then use ‘yourname’ as the handle for other social media platforms you use.
There is a good reason why using a similar handle or handles with minimum variations is the best way to go. For starters, it is easy for the audience to find you on all social media platforms when you use the same or similar handles across all of them. You’ll be able to grow your audience faster this way.
Another great alternative to consider is getting verified. All social media platforms offer some sort of verification for their users. Verified accounts gain followers at a much faster rate than unverified accounts due to the higher credibility they carry. This is an approach used by avid entrepreneur Tai Lopez. It works.
Be Social
Social media is called social media for a reason. The platforms we have today are great places for interacting with other users. You will gain many more loyal customers when you interact with your followers regularly from the start. In fact, you can speed up the rate at which you grow your social media presence this way too.
You can host competitions to attract new followers and interact with existing users. Offer small prizes for the winners and do it on a regular basis to quickly grow your reach. You can also answer questions through social media. Don’t just focus on questions related to your company and your products either. Personal or business-related questions are just as important to answer.
Lastly, engage your followers and the audience in general by asking for responses. Ask questions, run polls, and post interactive content that the audience love to boost your engagement even further. The more you interact with other users, the wider your reach will be in return.
Tell Stories
Keep in mind that this is your social media presence, not your brand’s or your company’s. Sharing promotional materials all the time will only scare your audience away. They can get those promotional materials by following your company’s social media accounts.
What the audience wants from you are stories. Tell stories about how you transformed a simple business idea into the products that customers can buy today. Post behind-the-scenes photos from your life as a business owner. Get the audience involved in the whole experience of being part of the brand and build relationships on a more personal level.
These are simple strategies that can be implemented from the moment you create your social media pages. They are, however, effective strategies that will also help you grow your social media presence as a business owner.
