Over the past decade, small businesses have increasingly relied on social media marketing to reach customers, build brand awareness, and drive sales. Whether you’re just starting out or have been in the business for years, social media marketing can help your small business reach its full potential. You don’t have to invest thousands of dollars in marketing to grow your customer base and be successful with social media marketing – you have to use it strategically and effectively. To help you grow your small business through social media marketing, we’ve put together this list of nine tips to use in your next campaign.

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1. Decide which platform is best for your business

Social media is a great place to start if you’re thinking about expanding and exploring new marketing avenues. Instagram is a great way for companies with visual products (such as clothing or jewelry) to showcase their work. Twitter can be a powerful tool for relationship building and customer service. Facebook is the most popular platform on the web, so it’s worth experimenting with. Not only can you create a Facebook page for your business and post updates, but you can also build a community around it by liking pages related to your work. This will bring in new followers interested in your industry.

2. Develop a social media calendar

Start by researching your competition on all major social media platforms. Find out what they do, how often they post and what their posts look like. By reviewing their work, you can decide if you want to emulate them or extend them yourself. Once you find a strategy that works for you, create an editorial calendar with specific daily tasks and goals. You should be updating your social channels throughout the week instead of just once a week. Posting more often keeps people interested and leads them back to your site.

3. Recognize when it’s time to turn

You may have used a particular method or strategy successfully in the past, but there may come a time when it no longer works or no longer works. If this happens, don’t be afraid to shift gears and try something new that might work better for your business today.

Related: When to turn your business around — and when to just stop

4. Keep up with trends

One of the best things you can do for your business is to stay informed What is going on in the digital world. Read blogs, magazines, books and publications about new technologies and innovations relevant to your industry. Join groups, attend events, and network with others working in the field to keep up to date with which consumers are using new channels.

5. Take advantage of live video

Live video is a great way to engage with customers, respond quickly, and give a behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening in the office. It’s also a great way to offer quick tutorials or a peek into the day-to-day running of your business. If you’re struggling with content ideas, try using live video as a time filler while you think of something else to say.

Related: Why More Brands Are Going Live With Their Videos (And Why You Should Too)

6. Organize a contest or giveaway

Create a contest or giveaway that revolves around your product or service. Make it simple and easy for people to participate by using a form on your website. You can run this contest or giveaway on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. If you’re giving away a physical prize, such as a t-shirt or mug, make sure the shipping cost is included in the price of the item. Consider setting up a timeline of milestones so customers can see how they’re progressing through the different levels of competition. Let them know how many submissions they still need to get before they reach their next milestone. For example, if a customer has five entries, tell them they need ten more to win a shirt!

7. Collaborate with other companies or influencers

Teaming up with other companies or influencers can be a great way to tap into each other’s following and increase visibility for both parties. The key is finding a pairing that makes sense and is relevant to the industry. For example, if you own a beauty salon, working with a hair stylist makes more sense than working with an accountant. Not only are they in different industries, but they also don’t target people’s exact demographics. Other companies that may be a good fit for you include those in similar areas, such as trade show vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers.

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8. Take advantage of paid advertising

Social media advertising is a cost-effective way to drive traffic to your website and increase conversions. Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads, and Instagram Ads are all great ways to reach an audience that wouldn’t otherwise come across your content. By targeting based on location, interests, demographics, and more, you can reach the people most likely to be interested in your offerings! If you use Facebook or Twitter ads, make sure you set up conversion tracking to see which campaigns work best for your goals. You can use tools like Google Analytics or Universal Analytics if you use Instagram ads to track how many users visit your site after clicking on an ad.

9. Make sure you add strong calls to action

One of the best things about social media marketing is that it allows us to create one call-to-action per post, rather than one call-to-action per page (as we would on our site). It’s essential that you put yourself in the shoes of someone scrolling through their feed – what does this post look like from their perspective?

Finally, the most important thing to remember about any business is that it is a living, breathing entity. One of the best ways to keep your business alive is to use social media as a marketing tool. Posting to Facebook and Twitter can help you stay visible and fresh in the minds of potential customers. Also use other platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn or Google+ if they suit your business needs.