With the invention of social media, how and where we do business has dramatically shifted. Before business owners could establish, promote, and advertise their business with the click of a few buttons, they had to rely on newspapers, television, mailings, and local signage to get the same exposure.

As of early 2019, The Pew Research Center found that 72% of all American adults use at least one social media site. Based on the current US population, that’s nearly 138 million people. It naturally follows that with that kind of exposure, using social media to advertise and promote your selling business is a no-brainer.

So how do you go about doing this and what do you need to know to get started? We’ve broken down some of the basics for you.

Online Presence

If you don’t make your presence known on social media, millions of potential customers won’t even know your business exists. Start by creating accounts solely for your business on your social media platforms of choice. Use all the tools at your disposal to get the word out there about your business. These can include:

-Daily or weekly update posts on what you generally sell

-Seasonal posts advertising applicable products for specific times of the year

-Business origin story posts

-Links to your website

-Links to your other business social media accounts

-Photographs

-Memes

-Paid ads

Where To Start?

New to social media platforms and not sure where to start? Here are some of the most highly trafficked and popular sites you should be using:

-Facebook

-Instagram

-Twitter

-YouTube

-LinkedIn

-Pinterest

-Snapchat

How you advertise on social media and what you say about your business is entirely up to you, but keep a few things in mind as you start to solidify your social media presence and your brand:

-Build a following by posting often

-Consider joining specialized online business groups and forums to communicate with other business owners, share ideas, and gain marketing insight/strategies

-Spread the word through any friends, family, and acquaintances you have online and ask them to do the same

-Be consistent in tone and content

-Make good and frequent use of your business logo

-Keep it professional but don’t be afraid to play around and have fun with it

With such a large percentage of the country’s population using some form of social media on a regular basis, the potential exists to gain the kind of exposure that a business owner could only dream of before the existence of these platforms. Once you’ve set your business model and know what kind of approach you want to use to reach your targeted audience, using social media can boost your visibility, your brand recognition, and your profits.

Happy Selling!