With social media being around for over 25 years, businesses are moving beyond posting basic content. They’re focusing more on proven strategies to promote their businesses to a larger audience. While you may not want to become a social media influencer, there are some proven ways to grow your audience and get your business content in front of more people. Using social media effectively is more than posting photos with clever captions to promote your business and advertise job openings. While using social media is still the best way to allow a wide network audience to see who you are and what you do, there are effective tools to use that can help your company be viewed by more people.
Creating Videos and Reels
One tool is creating videos or reels (shorter form videos) that can cycle through a larger audience. According to Social Pilot (https://www.socialpilot.co/), an online social media management tool, “The unparalleled success reels has seen on Instagram in the short time since its inception in 2020 is nothing short of phenomenal.” You don’t have to have an Instagram page to create and post these short videos; their effectiveness is still the same. They target short attention spans, leave room for creativity and entertainment, and because of their length, many reels can be consumed in a short amount of time, exposing your business to a larger audience.
Creating videos or shorter “reels” may seem too time consuming or daunting. But it can be a useful tool in your marketing toolbox. Watching how something works “behind the scenes” (BTS) or someone demonstrating the process of using a piece of equipment has become something people gravitate towards in their viewing. That’s why the Enterprise regularly scours the Web looking for videos to highlight in our Web Extra department and on our homepage.
According to Social Pilot, “Today, BTS reels are one of the most popular reels among Instagram users. This is because it creates a personal connection between you and your customers, authentic storytelling at its best.”
Using a video or reel can help market your company, new product, job opening. Audiences are able to see who you are and what you do instead of reading a caption or viewing a 2D photo. These can be posted on Facebook, Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
After recording videos on your smartphone, you can upload them to your social media business page, or you can use fancy editing tools for creating and editing them. For something simple and more straightforward, you can use a website such as Canva (www.canva.com). Canva has templates to choose from to create and edit videos, overlaying words on top of the videos, etc. You can even use a series of photos to create a reel in slideshow format. Canva has an app for your handheld device, or you can use their website. When you are logged into your free account, you can use the two interchangeably. Canva offers reasonably priced upgrades if you want to use more stock photos, templates, graphics, or other features.
Post Scheduling and Timing
Another tool for making the most of your social media is scheduling your posts consistently and then knowing when the best time to post for the most engagement is. While every audience is different, Social Pilot found an average of times when most people engage online. During the week, posts are most viewed and effective in early morning, around 6am, or early evening, 7-9pm. On weekends, posts are viewed 8-9 a.m. and mid-afternoon. You can use post schedulers like Meta, Social Pilot, Hootsuite, or Zohosocial to create your posts ahead of time and schedule them throughout the week for a month in advance.
Depending on time constraints and content, it may not be feasible to post once per week. Many businesses post twice per month. As long as content is posted consistently and your page stays updated, your audience can stay engaged.
Using Hashtags #
Hashtags (#) are another tool that can promote your social media content. By typing the hashtag symbol # and using a trending keyword, you can make your content viewed by more people and connect your content with others in the same topic. Depending on the social media platform, Social Pilot recommends 2–5 hashtags per post. Think about what keywords people might use to search content like yours and add those to the bottom of the post. For example, for small business, you can use #smallbusiness or even narrow the field to add your state: #smallbusinessvirginia. Adding a hashtag for your state or local town is also a plus because it categorizes your business when people search businesses that are in their region. You want your hashtags to be narrow enough so that your posts don’t get lost in the millions of other posts like it, but not too narrow that people aren’t using the specific keywords in their search.
Not sure what hashtags are best? Apps like “Hashtag Expert” can generate hashtags using AI depending on what categories you are posting about. You can also use the search in the social media platform and find your own hashtags by typing in a few to try. You will immediately see how many people are using that specific hashtag. It can only take a few minutes to find 2–5 hashtags for your posts. Keep a running list so you don’t have to research hashtags each time.
Networking and Sharing Content
Finally, posting original content a few times per month may not be easy if you don’t have someone in your business dedicated to social media marketing. This is where creating a network of businesses in the same field is helpful. As you “like” and “follow” other businesses, you are sharing your support, encouraging them to do the same. As you comment on their posts again, you are inviting them to do the same on your platforms. Others see those comments and click on your business profile to find out more. By sharing the content from other pages, you are supporting other small businesses and creating content for yourself. Always make sure to “tag” their company by writing @ and the social media page/company name so they receive the credit and so they can be notified who is sharing their content.
If you take the time to like, follow, comment, and share other businesses in your network, others will likely do the same. It is a great way to support one another in the community.
Effective Social Media Example
When searching for businesses in the pallet industry who used these techniques on their social media page(s), Pallet Machinery Group is a great example. They share everything from “new arrivals” of their employees, a video reel on their new Titan Nailer, behind-the-scenes photos of unboxing and setting up new machinery, new employee/intern spotlights, as well as posts for holidays and events.
Most PMG posts have hashtags connecting the post to others in that category. such as #pallet, #woodenpallet, #machinery, and #sustainability. Their platforms are on Facebook and LinkedIn. They post 1-2 times per month, but their content is eye-catching and relatable. Just by scrolling through the PMG page, you can get a sense of who they are as a company: employee/family-oriented and what they do: develop cutting-edge pallet machinery.
Whether you are new to social media for your business or have an employee dedicated to running your pages, using one or more of these techniques can promote your business by sharing it with a wider audience. Social Pilot has many free resources on their website categorized by platform to make your posts more effective. They have everything from AI-generated posts and templates to make promoting your business a little less intimidating. Decide to start implementing just one of the tools: creating videos and reels, post scheduling and timing, using hashtags #, or networking and sharing content. Little changes can make a big impact in the social media world.
