When TikTok surpassed the 1 billion user mark in September of 2021, the other social media networks knew they had to change their algorithms. Adam Moserri, the head of Instagram, soon after announced that the platform is “no longer just a square photo-sharing app.”
This meant businesses needed to change their marketing strategies for the turn of 2022. It’s no surprise that online trends are constantly changing. But for a small business, it’s like being a small fish in the ocean. They need to keep up with the competition and find ways to stand out.
We’ll take a look at some of the latest trends for maximizing your social media accounts as a small business by providing relative statistics in 2022.
Know Your Audience
Before you can tackle your social media strategy, you need to know your audience. This includes fully understanding their demographics, personality, and buying behaviors.
This is incredibly important because you have to know where your audience is actively spending their time online. If you want people to make a purchase, you have to know where to engage with them.
The most recent demographics in 2022 for the top social media channels include:
- Facebook: Ages 25-34 with 43% of users female and 57% male
- TikTok: Ages 10-19 with 61% of users female and 39% male
- Twitter: Ages 18-29 with 38% of users female and 62% male
- Instagram: Ages 25-34 with 48% of users female and 52% male
- Pinterest: Ages 50-64 with 78% of users female and 22% male
- Linkedin: Ages 25-34 with 48% of users female and 52% male
Knowing where to spend your time connecting with your audience will allow you to make the most of your social media marketing efforts.
Select Your Channels Wisely
One of the biggest mistakes many small businesses make when they first begin using social media is trying to be everywhere at once. Unfortunately, that’s not a productive use of your time.
It’s better to select two or three platforms to focus your energy on rather than spreading yourself too thin. The goal is to build a community and set yourself apart as an industry leader.
Get Connected With Social Media Affiliates and Influencers
A major social media marketing strategy in 2022 is affiliate or influencer marketing. Instagram announced in March of 2022 a new program called Instagram Monetization. Content creators can now make money based on the number of reels they make and how many views they get.
This is an excellent incentive for creators and a huge opportunity for small businesses. You can collaborate with these influencers to tap into other people’s audiences to promote their products or services.
Two main types of influencers can be beneficial to your small business. Typically they are seen for either being:
- Micro-influencers: profiles with 500 to 10,000 followers
- Macro-influencers: profiles with 10,000 to 1 million+ followers
As a small business, it may be more beneficial to start by connecting with micro-influencers who have a similar following to your target audience. It’s an effective social media hack to make your business grow faster by generating new leads through someone else’s audience.
Give Something Away For Free
When you’re new to social media, you have to work on gaining a following. A great way to do this is by giving away something for free.
For instance, if you’re an eCommerce store that sells heaters, you can offer your followers a free heaters buyers guide. You can post this on your website or offer it as an exclusive guide they can only receive by signing up for your email list.
This way, you’re combining your efforts and using social media as a way to get pertinent buyer information, such as email addresses. Now you can connect with them to turn leads into sales.
Set Goals And Track Them
Just like in other forms of sales and marketing, you need to have a goal with your social media accounts. This should be actionable and measurable.
- Are your goals to generate more leads?
- Are you looking to spread brand awareness?
- Do you want to have more people visit your website?
Start with one of these three broader topics. Then get specific with your goal. Some examples of goals could be:
- Generate 50 leads in Q1 through Instagram
- Grow following on TikTok by 5,000 in two months
- Increase website traffic by 20,000 unique visitors monthly by the end of Q2
The most important thing when setting a specific social media goal is to have a way to track them. Most platforms offer basic insights for business profiles.
You may need to set up specific landing pages on your website, create advertisements, or implement email campaigns for your business to track more diligently.
Conclusion
As a small business starting on social media, the most important takeaway is to have a better understanding of your target audience. And being responsible with messaging has a big impact. Much abuse, domestic violence, and hate can be minimized by the types of messages being shared.
This will shape how you move forward with your marketing strategy – where you focus your efforts, the types of content you create, and your overall goals for your platforms.
