35
PRO INSTALLER DECEMBER 2015
TOP TIPS UNLEASHED
@proinstaller1
Top tips for using
social media as a
small business
Approach PR is Yorkshire’s multi-award winning creative PR agency, with
a reputation of providing media relations, social media, regional, b2b,
not-for-profit, community, and a host of industry and business accolades.
Senior Account Executive, Anisha Mistry
provides Pro Installer
reader step by step
tips on making social
media work for them.
There is a constant debate
around social media and
the true benefits to businesses that use it to engage
with audiences. However,
as a small business owner
there are so many plates to
spin, surely social media
can be outsourced or delegated?
Social media is a hugely
powerful communication
tool and can transform
businesses, brands and
people but it needs to be
consciously considered. It
needs full buy in from the
entire team including the
business owner. It’s your
shop window and your
customer service rolled
into one and it needs to be
recognised as an essential
part of the running of a
business.
A social media strategy
should be created by the
business owner or a senior
bod in the business. With
regards to prioritising
workloads, the day to day
running of social media
accounts can be looked
after by someone else
but only with a thorough
briefing, an approved plan
and timely checks from the
senior team.
Five top tips for using social media as a business:
1. Plan: There’s no need
to dive straight into your
Tweeting or LinkedIn updates. Take the time to plan
and build your content so
you know your time spent
using social media is going
to pay off. If you follow the
tips below you’ll be well
on your way to the perfect
social media plan!
2. Understand your
objectives: What does your
business want to achieve
from using social media.
Will LinkedIn help you
generate more business
leads? How will Twitter
help you increase website
traffic? Be clear about what
you want social media to
bring to your business – it
may be as simple as raising
your business’ profile,
but know that before you
start.
3. Know who your audience is: This runs across
all PR activity; knowing
who your audience is will
determine the content you
share, your tone of voice
and the regularity of your
communication. It is crucial
to identify who it is you
will be targeting otherwise
your messages may go
unheard.
4. Know what you’re
going to say: Content is
the absolute king when
it comes to social media.
To build engagement you
need to have something interesting to share whether
this is about your business,
the industry or local community, offering something
new and insightful to your
audience will help those
all-important relationships.
5. Use the right platform: Once your audience
is established and you
know what you’re going to
say, this will help deter-
mine what social media
channel you should be
using. There’s no point
setting up a Facebook
account if you want to be
targeting industry specific
professionals who are active on LinkedIn. Take the
time to research your audience and become familiar
with your chosen channel.
Once you are ready to
start engaging, your messages will be much more
powerful.
www.approachpr.com