In the life of a small business, it is always going to be a struggle. You always have something to do, something to remember, something to address. There is a lot to be doing and, with a smaller team and less resources to work with, each individual needs to be able to multi-task and handle several areas at once. It may sound chaotic but, with the right organisation, it can be pulled off. This is the way with a lot of small businesses, having several people who are able to handle different areas of the business and pulling as a team towards success. And when success comes, it is even more satisfying as you have a clearer idea of how the work you have done contributes to your company's success. Being a small business can be extremely rewarding in this sense; it is very easy to identify the work that you put in and you know that your contribution can play a key part that wouldn't be so easily identified if you were part of a bigger unit.
Managing this is just one of the major struggles for small businesses but another hugely important one is the struggle to get attention. Small businesses don't have the financial banking of multi-national corporations and this is most noticeable when it comes to promoting a company and its products and services. In the case of large businesses, they have the financial resources to employ marketing agencies and fund extensive advertising campaigns that can be spread across several different media, such as the Internet, television, radio and billboards. Small businesses on the other hand have to be far more selective about how they go about advertising and promotion. They will have a smaller budget and need to be sure that what they do produce is going to get noticed as the risk of it failing will lead to a financial hit. Because of this, small businesses need to look into all the avenues that are available to them and identify which have the best chances of success and will be the most rewarding.
The rise of social media and its benefits for small businesses
The emergence of social media in recent decades has seen companies latch onto it as they see it as being a good opportunity to spread their message to the billions of people who are already connected to social networks. In addition, social networks do not charge anything if you want to open an account so there are no financial restrictions in place that there would be with other sources. The use of social media by businesses has exploded in recent years and a lot of effort is being put into social media campaigns by companies looking to drum up more attention and business for their brand. Social media also offers small businesses the benefit of being able to combine more than one area into one as a lot of social media users use it to not only get the latest news and updates from companies but also as a way to get in touch and ask for further information, to resolve any problems or make complaints. Social media can also be used to build a closer relationship with your customers as there is a more interactive aspect when compared to other promotional media.
Which social media brand to choose?
Social media has been widely adopted by many companies and it is common for businesses to maintain active accounts on all of the three most popular ones (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). However, if you are a small business and you are wondering where to focus more of your energy in order to have a bigger impact then the research would suggest that the smart money is on Instagram. This is because Instagram has a loyal following of one billion users who are active on a monthly basis while the profile of its users also lends itself favourably to interaction with companies. 80% of its users follow at least one business while 60% have purchased a product they discovered on social media. In addition to this, interaction by its users with companies and brands is far higher than that by users of other social networks. In terms of what you can do, it offers plenty of formats to present content and generate more opportunities for user engagement.
How to make a big impression on Instagram
The key to leaving your mark on Instagram is interacting with its users as this will make your account more popular and, in turn, it will be easier for other users to find it and discover your company and its products and services. To generate interaction, it is recommended to make the most of both general and specific hashtags with your posts while also adding locations to your posts in order to catch the attention of people in specific places. However, if you have a bit of spare money lying around and you want to guarantee engagement then you can always go down the route of paying for Instagram features. There are many options available and there are numerous websites where you get comments on Instagram as well as views, likes and followers. The combination of these different types of features is certain to gain a wider following for your account. This will then lead to more brand recognition and help establish your business, no matter how small, on a stage with one billion viewers that you can share with the biggest companies around.
