Social media has become very popular and these days everyone is using it.

As a business it is very important to have a social media presence and while it may seem like a good idea for your small business to be active on all social media platforms, it’s really best to focus your attention on just one. If you are new to social media then navigating the social media space might be overwhelming and you might not know how to use it, if this is the case for you, here are a few tips on how to use social media for your business:

Use the right social media platforms

Every social media platform is different and as a business part of your research should be which social media platform your audience uses and where they might be, as well as the services available on those platforms. There are many options available and each have their own demographics. Here are a few to consider:

• Tiktok: Tiktok is most popular amongst generation Z which are people born between 1996- mid 2000’s. They make up 60% of tiktok users, which means the audience on this app are generally younger. This platform has many services available, which can be used for organic growth.
• Twitter: Twitter is mostly popular amongst millennials who are born between 1981-1994.
• Instagram: 25–34-year-olds represent the largest demographic on Instagram. Instagram also offers tools such as TaskAnt, a hashtag generator which has helped many accounts to gain more followers.

All of the above-mentioned social media platforms are dominated by the younger generation.

Make sure you have a good profile

The first step that you have to execute is a good profile. Your business needs to have a good profile on social media. You will need to create a business profile on your chosen social media platform and you need to make sure your profile includes the following:

• Use your business name as the name of the page and make the username memorable.
• Use a profile picture: If you are a brand use you an image of your face and if you are a business you should use your business logo.
• Use a cover photo when available: Again, you can use the company logo or your company name.
• Add your link to your profile: This makes it easier for followers to click on the link and be directed to your website.
• Write a bio: state your accomplishments and make it interesting and funny to captivate user’s attention.

You should also make your discounts known. You can do this by adding the information to your bio.

Engage with you audience

One of the most important things you can do as a business is to engage with your audience, and is a great way to get more followers. You cannot exist in the social media realm and expect to be successful if you do not engage. By engaging you build a community and a relationship with your audience, you attract more people to your profile, inviting potential customers and expanding your brand reach. Engaging is not difficult to do, simple do the following:

• Start conversations
• Ask and answer questions
• Like, comment and retweet
• Start polls and questionnaires
• Use hashtags
• Share posts
• Use visuals and videos

There are a few things that you should also avoid doing when you engage on social media and few of those things include:

• Posting too much or too little
• Only sharing your own content and not that of others
• Adding too many hashtags or not adding any at all
• Posting at the wrong time and day
• Repeating content

Follow these engagement tips and you will notice an improvement in your social media experience.

Use hashtags wisely

Hashtags are a feature on every social media platform and they serve a purpose. Hashtags will boost your brands engagement and it will help users find your posts which invites potential new followers. When you add a hashtag or 2 to your post, you increase the amount of people who are exposed to your post.

Using hashtags is easy. Simply include 1 or 2 hashtags that contextualize your post and then post! Always stay away from using too many hashtags and never use a long hashtag. Also, unless you are on twitter, never use a hashtag that is too saturated, the reason why you want to avoid this is because by using a hashtag that millions of people use, your post has a high chance of getting lost amongst other posts making it difficult for users to find you.