Social Media For Small Businesses

So, Your Social Team Is a One- Person Show? Here’s Some Good News.

For smaller businesses lacking big budgets, marketing tactics such as video remain daunting. This can be particularly true if your entire “social media team” consists of one or two people scrambling to stay abreast of the latest hot platforms—all while juggling customer inquiries and a 24/7 schedule.

Luckily, a few trends in 2021 stand to benefit smaller-scale brands.

Here’s three ways how small- to medium-sized businesses can use trending platforms to their advantage this year.

Embrace Low-Fi

The pendulum swing of consumer preference has put low-fi, realistic-looking video—versus high-production value, prepackaged ads—in the spotlight. So, while your small business may not have a multimillion-dollar budget to produce a John Lewis-style viral video, you’ve likely got a charismatic employee who can showcase products or company culture in a quirky way via Instagram Stories once a week.

Microinfluencers to the Rescue

Another trend that should have small businesses perking up is the shift from celebrity endorsement to microinfluencer marketing. Microinfluencers— think an eyeshadow-tutorial expert with 9,000 niche followers rather than Kim Kardashian—are attractive avenues for online exposure. These individuals not only are more attainable and cost-effective for brands to hire but also tend to have highly engaged followers.

Build Community via Facebook Groups

Back in the day, Facebook groups were more commonly applicable to college sororities than they were to brands. But today, companies such as Condé Nast are launching efforts such as the Women Who Travel Facebook group, which has garnered more than 100,000 members. Such campaigns prove that closed communities present a safe space for brands and users to interact and share content—which is exactly what today’s customers are craving.