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Following the advice of 'social media ninjas' isn't necessarily the best way to ensure a successful strategy. Photograph: Alamy
Following the advice of 'social media ninjas' isn't necessarily the best way to ensure a successful strategy. Photograph: Alamy

How SMEs can make the best use of social media

This article is more than 9 years old
It's easy to get caught up in the obvious aspects of platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, but success lies in the subtleties

Social media can sometimes give SMEs an inferiority complex. Things are going seemingly well with a Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn profile, and then you notice that your tally of followers is overshadowed tenfold by the mega brands in your industry.

Without the dedicated team that many large brands have working on their social media output, it can seem like an uphill struggle. However, following a few simple guidelines can soon bring results for those who are willing to put in a little time and effort to immerse their SME in the right circles of social media.

Once social media influence is gained, and built on, companies will find they are in the enviable position of having direct access to their customers, prospects, suppliers and future talent pool at the click of a mouse.

1. Get it kickstarted

There is an inconvenient truth associated with social media. You can follow the advice of every "guru" or "ninja" (some social media experts really do use this term) but if you only have a handful of followers, your wonderful content and messages are unlikely to have much impact.

So SMEs should not be averse to advertising in order to kickstart a following, according to Heather Baker, founder of TopLine Communications and author of The B2B Guide to Social Media blog.

"It's very difficult to grow a following organically from a low starting point," she empathises.

"The good news is LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter all now allow companies to set small budgets of just a few pounds per day to advertise through suggested posts, recommended followers and so on.

"You can tap in the type of people you want to reach by where they are and what they're interested in, and you normally only pay when they click on your advert. It's a very fast and effective way to start building a following."

2. Treat it like a friendly local pub

Engaging with people through social media is simple so long as you remember a golden rule, says Penny Power, who advises the government on digital marketing, authored the Digital Business Britain Manifesto and founded the Digital Youth Academy. SMEs, she advises, should treat social media channels like they would their new local pub.

"If you'd just moved in to a town or village you wouldn't open the door of your new local pub and shout that you're a plumber or an architect and people should come over and give you business," she explains.

"You'd join in with what was going on around you, chat to people and get to know them and let them know what you do, so they know about you when they need your service, or can recommend you to a friend. It's exactly the same in social media. Look up Facebook pages, LinkedIn communities and Twitter hashtags for your area and expertise and get involved in conversations to build up a following. Don't just keep saying how good you are and how everyone should buy from you – it's very off-putting."

3. Be expert and small

Never be concerned by mega brands having millions of followers while you only have a handful. By researching people who have influence in your business sector and who are interested in what you do, the universal truth is that 1,000 engaged users are worth more to you than 10,000 who have simply liked a big brand to enter a competition.

"Don't try to compete with big brands, because if you concentrate too much on the competition, you'll never get anything done," advises Iona St Joseph, social media account manager at A Social Media Agency.

"If someone is already dominating your sector on certain social networks, you just need to find another way to stand out. They might be first to break news on their giant corporate blog, but by updating your accounts and blog in a friendly, humorous way, you'll begin to stand out as a more personable business that people can engage with."

4. Monitor to improve

The very simple rule that all social media experts would pass on to any SME is that if you are going to submit a post, offer, picture or video make sure it is interesting, informative or entertaining. If it does not tick at least one of these boxes, think long and hard about posting something that does.

This golden rule will help social media followers feel appreciated, says Rhian Farnworth, social media manager at online marketing agency DBD. However, businesses should not stop there. They need to continually be improving, and that comes from constant monitoring.

"The best way to make sure you're engaging properly is to monitor, monitor and monitor," she advises.

"You can do this by keeping an eye on mentions and conversation surrounding your brand online. There are plenty of free tools to track when your company is being talked about. Try Google Alerts to have new results delivered to your inbox as they appear, Socialmention.com to monitor content from across the web talking about your brand and set up Hootsuite to see live streams of content and conversations from top social networks that mention your company, brand and relevant keywords you want to monitor.

"This is the best way to identify what's working and what's not. By continually focusing on techniques and content that is successful, you'll grow your audience and create a big social buzz around your brand."

5. Treat it with respect

Do not leave social media solely to the intern or young person in the office who "gets" the internet.

All accounts should be set up under the SME owner's name and email so a member of staff leaving can no longer remotely post and does not take passwords with them.

Similarly, all marketing messages should be approved by senior members of staff, and all interaction online should be handled responsibly and professionally, no matter how strong the temptation may be to tell a third party they are acting inappropriately.

This article originally ran on 12 December 2013

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