Twenty years ago, advertising was very different. Most companies relied on physical mediums (i.e. billboards, newspapers, magazines) to market products and services. While helpful, these methods were expensive. Today, companies are moving their advertising online to reduce costs. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram are popular mediums to advertise small businesses. 

While social media can be intimidating, it doesn’t have to be. In this article, we’ll teach you how to master social media marketing and advertise your business online. 

Why Should Small Businesses Advertise on Social Media? 

It’s simple: social media attracts new customers. According to Statista, there are 4 billion active social media users around the world. That’s a lot of potential customers! While not every one of those 4 billion social media users will purchase your product, you can expand your customer base by advertising on social media. Best of all? Unlike traditional advertising methods, social media is free. 

Where do I Start? 

That depends on three things: your product, your target audience, and your message. Once you decide on these crucial items, you can determine what platforms to use. For example, someone opening a specialty knit shop should advertise on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook caters to a wider age range (meaning you can reach older knitters and a younger audience), while Instagram is an image-heavy platform perfect for displaying unique, colorful projects. 

If you’re looking to narrow down the extensive list of social media sites, try using one of the eight most popular social media platforms. They are: 

• Facebook 
• Instagram 
• Twitter
• LinkedIn 
• Youtube 
• Reddit 
• Pinterest 
• Quora 

What Content Should I Post? 

This depends on your brand and the platform you’re using! Facebook and LinkedIn are perfect for advertisements and blog posts, while Instagram and Twitter are more image-heavy. That said, there are many effective social media posts that will increase interactions and followers: 

• Blog Posts - Does your company have a blog? The best way to get your blog seen is to post it on social media. Just make sure it’s relevant to your audience!

• Curated Content - Content curation is sharing content from your fellow professionals. For example, doctors might reblog studies or interviews from colleagues. Remember: be selective about curated content and make sure it connects with your audience. 

• Memes - It’s 2021. Take advantage of internet humor and increase views by tapping into popular memes. A quick search on Google will reveal the newest memes; why not take a look? 

Looking for more ideas? The team at Harper Social Media can help you designing aesthetically pleasing and engaging social media posts. Take a look at our Social Media Packages and contact us today!

When Should I Post? 

The best time to post on social media varies from platform to platform. Let’s go over the optimal days and times to post on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram according to Sprout Social: 

• Facebook: Wednesday, 11 am and 1–2 pm
• Twitter: Wednesday and Friday at 9 am
• Instagram: Wednesday at 11 am and Friday from 10 am –11 am

The good news is that many social media management sites (i.e. Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and more) have built-in features that will tell you the best times to post! If you’re interested in using a management tool, Harper Social Media uses Sprout Social and has found it to be ideal for mass publishing. 

Want to learn more about the world of social media? Schedule a consultation with Harper Social Media today! Our experts will help you identify the best social media platforms for your business and design engaging posts that will boost your visibility to customers.