Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Your Business

Social media is one of the most effective low-cost promotional tools for small business owners. By using social media marketing to your advantage, you can grow brand awareness, connect with customers, and reach new potential buyers. Each channel has its strengths and weaknesses, making each one appropriate for different styles of promotion. Before launching a social media campaign, consider the types of promotions you plan to create and which platform would be the best match.

Use this guide as your quick-start reference to each channel’s best practices:

Facebook

Best for: Video content (especially live video), sharing curated photo collections, customer service (via FB Messenger), sharing product listings, connecting with and reaching broad, varied audiences.

Not good for: Reaching younger audiences, including teens.

Best Practices:

• Live Video: Use Facebook Live to engage with your audience in real-time. Showcase new products, give behind-the-scenes tours, or hold Q&A sessions.

• Curated Content: Share photo collections that resonate with your audience.Highlight customer stories or user-generated content to build community.

• Customer Service: Utilize Facebook Messenger for customer support. Prompt responses can enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

• Product Listings: Regularly update your page with new product listings and promotions to keep your audience informed.

Instagram

Best for: Strong visuals, cross-promotion, attracting influencers, giveaways, behind-the-scenes action (through IG Stories), reaching younger audiences.

Not good for: Overly promotional content.

Best Practices:

• Visual Appeal: Focus on high-quality images and videos that showcase your products in the best light.

• Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers to reach a broader audience and add credibility to your brand.

• Engaging Stories: Use Instagram Stories for behind-the-scenes content, daily updates, and interactive features like polls and questions.

• Hashtags: Utilize relevant hashtags to increase visibility and connect with potential customers.

Pinterest

Best for: Trend-lovers, on-trend products, visual thinkers, inspirational boards (for your creative process).

Not good for: Extensive or timely copy.

Best Practices:

• Inspiration Boards: Create boards that reflect your brand’s aesthetics and future product lines.

• Trend Tracking: Pin content that aligns with current trends and resonates with your target audience.

• Visual Consistency: Ensure your pins maintain a consistent visual theme to strengthen your brand identity.

• Product Pins: Use Rich Pins to provide additional details about your products, such as pricing and availability.

Getting Started

If you're new to social media, instead of attempting to promote your shop via every single channel, start by choosing one that’s a good match for your products and resonates with you and your target consumer. If you're already socially savvy, making sure you're using each network to its full advantage can help drive visits to your shop.

Facebook for Connecting with Customers

Facebook is a great place to connect with customers who may already be familiar with your brand and products.

Utilize tools like Facebook Live to cut through the clutter and open a dialogue with your customers, keeping them in the loop on what’s happening with your shop. Facebook can be used to spread the word about new products and share sneak peeks into products as they're being developed. It can also be a good place to solicit product development feedback and to share behind-the-scenes glimpses into your business.

If you’re new to Facebook promotions, start in your comfort zone by promoting listings and content to the people whose opinions you value the most: close friends and family. From there, you can branch out to peers and acquaintances and, eventually, a larger audience.

Pinterest for the Curator

If you’re a mood board aficionado who loves collecting inspiring images, Pinterest could be the right place for you.

Unlike other social platforms, which are more about capturing the present moment, Pinterest is used for planning future events.

Trend-forward business owners approach the site as a place to document inspiration for future collections and to gather inspiration for photo styling using current trends and color schemes.

Instagram for the Visual Storyteller

Perhaps you’re highly visual but also incredibly social and interested in what’s happening right now. If so, Instagram could be the ideal marketing channel for you.

Because it’s visual and interactive, Instagram is an effective place to share photos of your process and personal elements of your brand.

Show snapshots of works in progress or reveal newly finished items for sale, but don’t stop there. Share a tour of your studio on Instagram Stories so your customers can see where their items get made. Use creative hashtags to connect with potential customers and locals. Hashtags are virtual links to others with a common interest.

Bonus: Save with Myperfectpack When You Drive Sales to Your Shop

Share & Save rewards you for the traffic and sales you drive to your own shop. Whether you’re promoting your business on social media or at in-person events, you’ll save with Myperfectpack by driving your own sales. You can ask our sales executive to promote your brand.

Here’s a quick look at some of the different types of links you can share:

• Links to Your Shop: These links take buyers directly to your Shop Home so they can browse all the items you have for sale.

• Links to Specific Listings: Share links to specific listings in your shop. This is great for sharing a trending item, a listing that’s on sale, or posting about new inventory. To get a unique link for a specific listing.

• Links for a Promo Code: Let your followers know about any special offers you’re running.

• Links Highlighting Recent Rave Reviews: Share glowing reviews with a trackable link back to your shop.

• Links for a Section of Your Shop: Encourage buyers to explore a particular theme or category of your listings. By harnessing the power of social media, you can effectively promote your startup, grow your brand, and connect with your customers in meaningful ways. Choose the right platform for your business, follow best practices, and watch your small business thrive.