By now you’re probably already aware of the power that social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat yield. Every day millions of interactions are happening across these platforms, and people have an ever increasing expectation to quickly connect with other people as well as with the businesses that they frequent.

As a local business owner, these shifts in our cultural dynamic can lead to a lot of uncertainty in terms of how to properly promote your business on social media, including how to build and engage with your audience effectively.  We’re here to offer you our top tips on successfully marketing your business on social media in 2017.

  • 10 Tips to Make Social Media Manageable

    “In her recent webinar, our social media manager and evangelist Christine Landry gave some hands-on advice on how time-challenged local business people can get the best results from social media with the most sensible effort. Listen to a recording of the webinar and check these takeaways.”

  • Go Claim Your Business Name on Facebook Now

    “Probably you never noticed, but the web address (URL) of the Facebook Page for your business by default reads like your business name plus a long string of numbers. But you can create a vanity URL, “facebook.com/YourBusinessName”. And you should do it now –particularly if your name is like hundreds of other business names on Facebook (you know, “Superior”, “Quality”, “Speedy”, etc).”

  • 5 Types of Likable, Shareable and All-Around Engaging Facebook Post Ideas

    “When you post on your business’ Facebook page, a follower has so many ways they could respond. They could share the post, comment on it or like/love/wow it. But more often than not? They do nothing. Between Facebook algorithm changes and the amount of information everyone encounters daily…”

  • Instagram, Now with Free BusinessProfiles and Paid Posts

    With nearly 400 million users and 200,000 advertisers, Instagram, the social networking app for sharing photos and short videos, is already a major online marketing platform. Instagram’s recent moves look to follow in the footsteps of parent company Facebook to become even more marketing-focused.

  • Daily Content Ideas for Your Facebook Page

    “You need a steady stream of Facebook posts to take your best shot at getting into your follower’s Facebook feeds. And while the most likely to be Liked Facebook posts are sale announcements and fun photos of staff or customers, the daily diet of Facebook posting are the news items, trivia, useful tips, surprising facts and other bits of information you find online and share on Facebook.”

  • Snapchat, the Next Facebook

    “Hey, old people, you over age 25, there’s this mobile app called Snapchat that pulls 100 million users daily (according to the company), 60% of them under age 24, and it’s starting to look like a serious marketing opportunity for local businesses. Snapchat users take “Snaps” (images or 10-second videos) on their smartphones and send them to friends or their network, through a simple and fun app.”

  • 4 Social Media Mistakes That Are Costing You Business

    “Social media has made ordinary people into stars, reality show real estate moguls into presidents, and given small business a big, realtime voice. It has also ruined reputations and tarnished brands in a single tweet. Here are the top 4 mistakes that could be costing you business.”

There you have it – our top advice to start off the New Year right by continuing to grow and engage with your business’ social media audience. The keys to marketing success in this space include being authentic and showing off your personality, posting fresh and engaging content on a consistent basis, and being responsive and understanding when people have concerns with your business or product. If it sounds daunting, just take it one step at a time and start off slowly. This is your opportunity to build an online face of your business and create real, meaningful connections with potential and existing customers for long-term success.

If you’re looking for a partner in managing and promoting your business on social media, check out Thryv, the all-in-one business management platform to help you run and grow your business with ease. Show me more.