It’s all well and good to have a stable government job or work at a successful business organization. But what if you have a fantastic, unique idea and a passion for building your own business from scratch? Then, without a doubt, entrepreneurship is what’s fit for you.
So, what makes a successful entrepreneur? Indeed, the right attitude and the determination and grit to achieve your goals are, without doubt, critical ingredients to success, but that’s not all that’s required. In this age, where social media is a crucial player in almost every field of business, education, advertisement, and entertainment industry, it is essential for the entrepreneur to make his presence felt on various social media platforms in order to make a mark. First, you can visit this page to gain free accounts on Instagram, to start off your social media journey of your business.
And how do you optimally use social media to grow your business as an entrepreneur? Here are a few strategies you can utilize to nurture a successful social media presence:
1. Have A Positive Personal Presence On Social Media
Most people don’t realize this, but the individual entrepreneur having a positive online presence is very important for the growth and promotion of his business. Needless to say, social media, if not utilized carefully, can become a harrowing dumpster of negativity. Before anyone else can support your start-up, you have to promote your own business on social media platforms by sharing your endeavor with others and inviting people to like and help your business page.
Thus, it’s crucial for people to know you as a friendly and likable human being, in order for them to be inclined to help your cause. Remember that, in the end, people buy from people, and your affability is directly linked to the growth of your business.
2. Invite Your Social Media Followers To Like, Share And Subscribe To Your Page
The more, the better. A start-up often requires support from friends and family, and
the easiest way to gain this support digitally is by getting your followers to share your excitement for your endeavor in the form of likes, comments, shares, and subscriptions. The more people talk better. Sharing will ensure maximum visibility and reach to people that may or may not know you personally.
3. Set A Clear Goal
To quote small business owner Gene Marks, ‘Advertising on Facebook can be lucrative’, but it will require an investment in both time and money, and there will be a learning curve. Know precisely what you are trying to accomplish: sales, leads, or both? Use Facebook pixel and/or Facebook lead ads so you can track and measure results.
4. Create Engaging Content
How will you ensure that people share your social media posts? That’s right; you have to create engaging content. Stand out amongst the crowd. Don’t just create bland posts. Social media is all about attracting attention. Be different, be creative, put a lot of thought into your posts, and you will find your page popularity skyrocketing faster than ever. If you are incapable of doing it all yourself, hire or ask for help from someone equipped with the required skills. Social media is brimming to the rim with people willing to help, so finding such persons shouldn’t be too much trouble.
5. Establish Your Authority
Josh Elledge, the founder of upendPR.com, says, ‘authority is a currency. The more of it you have, the more you can cash in on opportunities for growth of all kinds.’ Authority is easiest to build over networking sites such as LinkedIn. It is imperative to expand your network over LinkedIn and connect with all the right people. Your LinkedIn presence helps like no other in boosting sales and may even lead to fantastic opportunities for collaboration.
6. Start A Conversation
The critical thing with social media platforms like Facebook is that the algorithm favors posts that have interaction. If a business page posts something and no one responds, Facebook will gradually not show it to anyone. It’s important for the audience to engage in your posts. The key is to ask questions and respond to the answers. For example, if you’re in the apparel business and post pictures of 4 apparels that your business house has produced, it might be interesting, but not engaging.
However, if you post the same four pictures with a caption such as ‘which one do you like best?’, your post will immediately get more reach in the form of comments regarding their preference from potential buyers. It is essential for you to reply to as many of these comments as possible, as it shows the customer that you genuinely care about their choices. As a result of increased interaction, Facebook is more likely to keep your post for a longer time on other people’s newsfeeds, thus boosting your business in the form of increased visibility.
7. Be Visual
Attention spans are short, so be sure to add photos and videos to your social content. Make sure videos are crisp, concise, and refreshing enough to compel the viewer to watch till the end. Add attention-grabbing captions. Photos and videos are perfect for businesses to show off their products. Visually oriented platforms like Pinterest and Instagram are ideal for this.
8. Choose A Specific Time To Post
An essential factor in ensuring your posts get maximum visibility is choosing a suitable time to post. Most social media sites have tools to analyze the time of maximum online presence of followers, sorted both by days of the week and the particular time each day when most of them are online. For example, if most of your followers are online at 9 PM on a Friday, then your post is likely to get the best views at that time than if you post a 2 AM on a random night.
9. Create A Calendar
It is very important to plan your social media activities as it will allow you to post consistently and get more consistent results. Discipline is the most important factor for success, and entrepreneurship is no exception. Creating a plan may, in fact, help in securing bigger returns with less time and effort. Don’t try to do the work all by yourself if it gets too much; delegate and plan your budget accordingly.
10. Show Appreciation
Social media is not just about you and the products you have to sell. It’s not just about discounts on your products and services, but about connecting with people. Social media enables you to thank the people who have supported your cause and helped in the growth of your business.
Show your appreciation for these people by liking, commenting, and overall, interacting with them and their posts. Not only does this simple act of thankfulness help in building a positive image of your humbleness, but it further encourages them and others to continue to support you and your work.
Conclusion
With these factors in mind and a passionate, hardworking approach, you will be more than ready to embark on your path to success. And remember, as Joanna McFarland, co-founder of HopSkipDrive, said, ‘brand is much more than a logo and slogan. A brand is who your company is: how you function and make decisions.’ So with the right amount of effort and planning, it will not be hard to turn your one small idea into a well-known brand.
