Now more than ever, consumers expect an online presence for the companies and organizations they support. A solid social media profile is no longer considered an additional marketing strategy but a requirement in today’s world.

But how do you build a social media marketing strategy as a small business?

Local stores and mom-and-pop shops often feel they are at a disadvantage when it comes to social media. Most small businesses may not have the resources to designate an individual solely responsible for social media strategy. However, this is not necessary to have a significant social presence.

Building a social media marketing presence requires strategic planning and thoughtfulness. Whether you’re a large or small business, there are ways to craft an online platform content you can proudly show off. Here are some key ideas to keep top of mind as you build your social strategy:

Schedule Your Posts Ahead of Time

It can be hard to step away during your typical day-to-day activities and post an Instagram photo or two. Setting aside time to think of a witty caption can take even longer – after you’ve got everything ready to post, often, the moment has passed.

To get ahead of this all a too common occurrence, consider scheduling your posts ahead of time. Stage some lovely photos of your store, products, and services to use in future posts, and pair them with solid captions, so you’re not left with on-the-fly ideas. 

Today, there are many programs available that help you schedule your posts in advance to be posted on the date and time of your choosing. Platforms like Hootsuite allow you to integrate your various social profiles and schedule posts ahead of time, all in one place. For planned posts like holidays or sales announcements, you can set everything up ahead of time for optimal posting time.

Create Engaging Posts

Most likely, your small business’s social media page is one of the hundreds – maybe even thousands – your followers see on their feed. That makes it easy for your posts to blend in with the crowd.

The best way to capture audiences’ attention is through engaging posts that pose a “call to action” for viewers. The posts that include discount codes, giveaways, or ask followers questions about what they’d like to see from your store next get significantly more engagement. Adding a call to action on Facebook posts has been seen to increase engagement by 285%. 

Creating engaging content makes your efforts worthwhile, and you’ll see way better results!

Use Creative Tools to Craft Your Posts

Just like shopping in a store, eye-catching content captures the attention of viewers. Spending the extra time on a great-looking post is always worth it.

If you’re not a creative type or don’t have the tools to create dynamic social posts, consider using sites like Canva to craft your content. Canva and other graphic design platforms have preloaded templates for creating social media posts that you can customize to fit your business. These posts will draw your viewer’s eyes and encourage them to stop and read them. 

When it comes to building your social media strategy, you don’t need to be an expert. Leverage some of the free tools available online, coupled with a bit of planning, to create a strategy that shines amongst your followers!