BUSINESS GROWTH:
CONNECTING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA By RENÉ BEYL
BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST
Zack Terakedis;
Terakedis Fine Art
Angela Stiller;
Angela L. Stiller Insurance
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very small business owner wears multiple hats with countless obligations. Establishing a marketing plan can be uncomfortable and easy to skip in favor of other pressing tasks. The reality is people are spending more time on their phones making it essential to have a presence for your business or organization on social media. Our members share some creative ways they approach social media to keep their posts gaining traction. Erin Bratsky, MSW, LCPC;
Brighter Sky Counseling
Social media is about building relationships and a connection with an audience that is beyond just the people I serve at my business. When I post I try to come from a place of service and community, offering posts, inspiration, articles and information about mental health, self-care, and life balance as you see in my example above. Not everyone is at a place where therapy is needed, but we all can use inspiration and positive reminders. Because my goal is to build relationships, I work hard to not make all my posts about sales or services, I use those posts sparingly because, for me, if I can make a connection and build the social media relationship, if and when they would need my services, they can make that decision based on that history of trust.
A collective effort by downtown businesses increased our awareness on social media. For two weeks everyone posted at specific times of day, made sure that they liked and/ or commented on other businesses posts, and tracked the effect on both their followers and bumps on their websites. The residual effect of this effort was that it helped them become more aware of what was happening with neighboring businesses, it inspired them to be more creative with their posts, and they discovered how disconnected they were on social media with other businesses. Co-marketing our neighborhood and our community has larger impact to drawing attention to Billings, MT – especially important when people are making choices about where to visit in our great state. Some of our more successful social media posts have been with local organizations and other creatives. We host the Billings Symphony post parties at the galleries and people are always appreciative of knowing that businesses and cultural amenities are partnered up to provide people with the best possible experiences. It provides both parties with great stories to share for different audiences.
32 |SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2019 | LiNK BUSINESS QUARTERLY
My philosophy with social media is to always create a marketing plan that stays true to your brand and to yourself. In order to attract long term customers and create fans out of your audience, you must share your real life persona. The struggles, the beautiful and the ugly of life and your career. My tips include being consistent with a plan so when you’re not feeling like recording yourself or you don’t have anything to say, amazing content is in the pipeline to pull from. Add depth to your brand. In today’s market consumers will buy from real people who share similar social beliefs; not big box stores. Share your personal stories and make it a part of your brand. Don’t get caught up in what to spend or how to buy ads until you understand your message. Don’t worry about what you look like. Honestly, we know what you look like as you walk around being human. Try not to agonize about having the perfect photo - use a photo that speaks your message and move on. Always share ideas, content and connections that could benefit your audience. Give info first to help create a helpful and socially responsible resource for your followers.