How To Create A Social Media Marketing Strategy For Your Small Business In 2023

If you’re a small business yet to devise a social media marketing strategy then read on.

The ad space on the side of a bus stop costs around £300 on average for two week’s worth of exposure. The average billboard cost for the UK is roughly £200 per week for a standard 48-sheet hoarding. During primetime TV, adverts can go anywhere from £10,000 to £30,000. 

The point here is that traditional advertising can mean taking significantly large portions of your budget just to market your business. For small business owners, this isn’t always an option. 

Luckily the year is 2023 and social media advertising is an option. And a very viable one at that. 

Social media is home to 4.72 billion active users who spend an average of 2 hours and 25 minutes on social media everyday. That’s a lot of potential customers. 

Creating a social media marketing strategy is an effective – and a lot cheaper – way for small businesses to compete among the masses and get their names out there. From increasing your online presence to running social media advertising campaigns, online marketing is quite literally for businesses of all sizes – no matter how small. 

If social media is a daunting concept to you (this is a judgement-free zone!), we’re here to eradicate that fear. Our blog will walk you through creating your very own social media marketing strategy so that your small business can be propelled to the heights it deserves. 

Why social media?

We think a better question would be ‘why not social media?’. 

Social media is no longer reserved for big businesses. Today, 77% of small businesses utilise social media for promotional activities. Here is what these businesses are achieving through running a social media marketing strategy:

Reaching more potential customers

Social media offers a level playing field, where small businesses are able to fairly compete for the attention of social media users through the content created, interactions conducted, brand messaging conveyed etc. 

Increasing brand awareness

The more interesting and engaging your content is, the more likely people are to share it with their followers. This puts your business in front of eyes you may not have reached, alone. 

Better understanding customers

Certain demographics frequent certain platforms. Knowing this information can trickle down into learning more granular information as you discover their interests, needs, behaviours etc. This valuable information is crucial for improving your social media marketing strategy.

Better understanding competitors 

By keeping loose tabs on your competitor’s activity, not only can it inspire your own social media marketing strategy, but it can also make you aware of what’s working well for them and what isn’t – and, hopefully, ensure that you don’t repeat the same mistakes. 

Driving traffic to websites 

Intriguing social posts are good for giving users a glimpse of what’s on offer. Including a CTA or direct link to your website through your content is a great way to drive site traffic. 

Which platform should you use?

The answer to this question is dependent on where your audience spends most of their time (and it’s not wise to make assumptions about this either). 

Just because you’re marketing to Gen Z doesn’t mean you should be ruling Facebook – for example – out entirely. In fact, data shows that nearly a quarter of Facebook users are aged 18-24. 

Choosing which platforms to run your social media marketing strategy on doesn’t have to have an all-or-nothing approach. You can use different platforms to reach different audiences and achieve different goals. 

Having said that, let’s talk about what each of the platforms can offer. 

Facebook

Though it garners mixed opinions, Facebook is the most used social media platform with 2.9 billion monthly active users. For more Facebook demographic insights, click here.

Facebook can offer the following to small businesses:

A wide demographic range

Being multi-use: you can create a page, run an ad campaign, run an ecommerce store – all on the same platform.

It can be a one-stop shop: Facebook provides a seamless shopping experience in-app.

If choosing Facebook, here is what you need to consider:

Who your target audience is: Facebook’s most engaged audience is between 18-44.

What your business goals are: Facebook Pages are great for increasing brand awareness, while Shops is good for selling your products. 

How much time you have: the best way to get results on Facebook is to post 1-2 times per day.

Instagram

Instagram is known for its influencer marketing successes and is where you can afford to get specific about your niche. The fashion, travel, beauty/skincare, luxury and food industries are those which tend to do well here. 

Instagram can offer the following to small businesses: 

In-app shopping: Instagram runs Shoppable Ads, making it easier for users to shop what they see on Reels, Posts, Stories etc.

A visual platform: makes it ideal for small businesses within the fashion, travel, beauty/skincare, food sectors

Highly engaged users: users spend roughly 12 hours on the platform per month

Things to consider if running your social media marketing strategy through Instagram:

Does your brand present well, visually?

Can you commit to regular posting? Instagram requires consistent presence, posting 3-7 times per week.

Do you have time to create engaging content? Instagram is all about high-quality content.

TikTok

If you look at TikTok in fear because of Gen Z’s intimidatingly creative minds, then we’re here to tell you that a lot of brands outside of this target market are experimenting with the platform also. 

TikTok can offer: 

A level playing field: you can create high-quality content on TikTok for free.

High levels of creativity: thinking creatively and outside of the box means you’ll thrive on TikTok.

Lots of opportunity for virality: good content stands a chance of being seen by millions of people thanks to the algorithm. 

If considering TikTok for your social media marketing strategy, consider the following:

Do you have time to create TikTok videos? Video creation and editing takes time.

Does your target audience use TikTok? TikTok’s audience tends to skew towards the 18-24 range, perfect for Gen Z and Millennials. 

Do you have creative video ideas? There is quite a lot to compete with on TikTok so ensure your ideas are fresh. 

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What does a social media marketing strategy look like?

Every strategy looks different, but what we can give you are the key ingredients for making one for your small business.

Narrow down your demographic: once you know which demographic you are targeting, you will be able to figure out whether you’re going to adopt a niche marketing strategy or take a broader approach.

Define your brand voice: this is essentially your brand’s personality. How do you want to come across? What first impression do you want to give? Think innovative, powerful, inspiring etc.

Unique brand voices can help customers form an emotional attachment and association with your brand. 

Choose your platform(s): as mentioned previously, this is crucial. Many small businesses don’t realise that setting up an account on a specific platform means setting the hub for customer interaction. Make sure you know how to use it!

Create a content calendar: after deciding who will handle your socials, creating a content calendar is your next step. Not only should this determine when content is created/uploaded, but also schedule in time to interact with your audience. Ensure a posting schedule is set in stone and opt for publishing a mixture of content. 

If you’re unsure of what to put out, use the social media content strategy rule of thirds:

Figure out the algorithm: for a social media marketing strategy to work, you need to understand how the algorithm ranks content on your chosen platform. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram favour short-form content, whereas YouTube and Spotify prioritise longer formats. 

Remember, platforms are constantly evolving and changing their algorithms accordingly – make sure you’re always staying up to date on the latest changes.

Create a focused campaign: now you know who you’re targeting and where you’ll find them, you can begin achieving the goals for your social media marketing strategy. This is the stage where you define the content you are going to present to your audience. For example, you might want to increase site traffic in the days leading up to Christmas by posting a series of shoppable Carousel posts on Instagram. No matter how small the campaign, set key performance indicators (KPIs) to help you stay on track.

Evaluate and review strategy: after carrying out your campaign, you’ll want to assess your performance by comparing the key metrics with the goals you initially set. From here, you can identify what went well and what can be improved upon for your next campaign.

There you have it. A concise overview of how to create a social media marketing strategy for your small business. It is important to note that nothing is ever final. Social media moves quickly. Your business will also go through many changes and your social media marketing strategy will need to change to reflect that. View your social media marketing strategy as a document you can review and adjust as and when. 

FAQs

What is a social media marketing strategy?

This is a summary of everything you plan to do and achieve on social media, business-wise.

How do you create an effective social media marketing strategy?

To create an effective social media marketing strategy, you must first narrow down your target audience and choose the best possible platform for the goals you’re looking to achieve. From here you can begin planning a detailed content strategy.

Why do you need a social media marketing strategy?

A social media marketing strategy will allow you to compete against competitors in your niche and help put your brand in front of relevant audiences.

Our influencer marketing agency and social agency are located worldwide, with our agency network based in the USA, UK, UAE and China.

If you want to find industry insights, visit our influencer marketing and social media blogs.

@ Socially Powerful