3 Social Media Tips For The Savvy Startup
From finding investors, to getting the right team in place to actually selling your product, founders of startups have A LOT to think about as they build their companies.
And for those founders who have yet to establish a marketing team, social media marketing is one of the quickest and smartest tactics you can implement to make your life easier.
However for the majority of society, social media remains an enigma in how it can be effectively used for business. A quick Google search pulls countless articles that boast the ideal formula for social media success, yet almost none are entirely consistent.
And while this accurately demonstrates that there isn’t some magical “one size fits all strategy,” there are some tactics that are infallible.
1. No Marketing Department? No problem!
Without a formal marketing team, it is up to you to get in there and take control. While this can seem a little overwhelming, consider how you utilize your personal social accounts and start there. Begin building your business’s social presence by making use of your personal network and initializing your follower count that way.
And if you’re not personally up for the task, employ the talents of someone on your team to define the social “voice” of your brand and proliferate that through various channels.
Ensure whoever takes the lead on this has unwavering passion for the company and can offer a genuine enthusiasm that will transmit digitally.
Remember, to get people excited, you first have to be excited! It’s contagious!
Photo by SCREEN POST on Unsplash
2. Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? SnapChat? YouTube?... Oh, My!
There are so many social channels that it can be difficult to decide which to set up first.
Whatever you do, do not, I repeat, DO NOT launch with all channels all at once! Particularly for a growing startup, you’ll definitely miss the mark if you this as each channel needs its own individual strategy. Patience and focus are key here!
Start with Instagram and Twitter. Focusing on these two platforms allows you to share details about your company visually while using the power of those awesome #hashtags. With Facebook, you really have to play to pay to get noticed. This is not so for Instagram which is owned by Facebook. Sharing stories visually is the best way to storytelling, and Instagram provides the power of #hashtags which essentially acts as a search tool and allows the right audience to discover your brand.
As long as you provide captivating content that is.
Twitter also lets you share short stories using text, images, and videos without penalizing you for not spending $$$. You can also target media personalities and have public conversations with your audience which helps expands your reach. As your company starts to grow (and depending on the marketing strategy in place) you can move forward with more channels like YouTube, SnapChat and Facebook.
3. Sharing is caring...always :)
When asking yourself, “what type of content should I share?” the answer is always to be as personal as possible. It’s that simple. Share stories that show the world your big wins and yes, even your struggles. It shows the hustle and even lets investors feel included in your company culture. Highlighting your startup culture is incredibly important as your fans want to be in on your story. It could be the gateway to more brand awareness and increased investments.
Do you have a company mascot, maybe one of you owns a dog? Share your dog's antics. Who doesn’t love to look at adorable dogs?
So don’t be afraid to get personal. That’s the best part about social media!
This post was originally post written for TechDay