Social media is a growing part of our lives — in fact, more than 80% of all Australians are now active on social media. However, many businesses are yet to dip their toe in. One report found that 37% of Australian businesses don’t have an online presence at all, while just 34% use social media.

With so many platforms to choose from and new features being added all the time, it can be difficult for business owners to know where to start, as well as figure out what policies and procedures to put in place once you’re using social media. 

Where to start

Luke Ashmore-Delaney, head of performance at Indago Digital, outlines the following key steps in launching a social media campaign.

1. Set goals and measurements

“You should always have quantifiable goals and KPIs for a social media campaign, and you should always measure success,” Luke says.

For example, if your company is on the newer side, you might want to use social media to raise awareness of your brand. A more established company might want to increase sales or reach new markets.

Measurements are relatively easy to carry out and will vary according to the type of business and the stage it’s in. For example, a company using social media to increase sales to its Shopify site might be able to directly measure the return on investment (ROI) from its paid social media spending. Another might be able to measure the number of leads generated. For companies in the brand awareness stages, it might be the amount of unique reach or the amount of engagement (often in the form of likes and comments). 

2. Understand your platform

With several platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram, which one to choose should come back to your goals as well as your own industry knowledge about where your customers spend their time.

Understanding the difference between paid (like advertising) and organic content is also important. 

“Organic content is very ‘earned’, which means that you have to build up your engagement through good content, reliable posting, and a high-quality website.”

“Paid, on the hand, is where you spend money to secure your place.”

However, Luke also warns that the content behind a paid post still has to be of high quality. 

“Platforms still have minimum standards, so it’s not as simple as merely buying your way in,” he adds.

3. Think carefully about content

Luke says to think of content in two broad buckets: content that appeals to the rational brain versus the creative brain. Again, this will depend on the business, the audience, and the goals.

“For some businesses, like say a plumber, people might want to see a price list. Another might benefit from a celebrity endorsement or a customer testimonial.”

“Or for a business in that early awareness stage, maybe something like a little quiz will draw people in.”

CASE STUDIES

Atlas Soils takes on LinkedIn

Although he’s used social media for a few years, Jason Lange from Atlas Soils has been more active on LinkedIn over the past 12 months or so. As an innovative company that builds soil amendments and offers agile recycling services to businesses, Atlas Soils has used LinkedIn to increase credibility and reach key people such as sustainability experts, government ministers, and potential collaborators. 

Jason says his company engagement has gone from hundreds to thousands and the key to this success has been genuine, thought-provoking organic content.

“It’s all about telling a meaningful story and building a relationship of trust with potential clients that often end up becoming friends,” Jason says. “We’ve found that we get a lot of engagement from sharing our business story. People want to hear that, rather than [a push of] product information.”

He adds that they often use LinkedIn to get scientific information across but try to present this in a way that provokes thought, rather than overloading the audience with data.

Other ways he’s built emotional connection are by using real images rather than stock images — particularly where people are involved.

Zoe Alexandria Jewellery dives deeper into Instagram

Zoe Richardson has always used social media as well as email marketing to promote her business since launching seven years ago. However, for the past 12–18 months, she’s been working with a digital marketing agency to ramp it up.

One of the new activities she’s undertaken is paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram. She’s also upped her content on Instagram, holding live events where she demonstrates her handmade manufacturing process. She also uses Instagram stories to ask for customers’ opinions on her designs and offer styling advice.

“This has helped me build genuine connection and increase engagement,” she explains.

Her following on social media has grown and currently sits at more than 5,000, and there’s been a resulting increase in enquiries and sales. She’s noticed a longer-lasting impact from her recent videos and reels, which are still getting views and likes, compared to the static image posts she used before.

Her advice to other business owners is that it takes time. 

“You need to be prepared to put in the groundwork first and gain trust with your niche before you start to see the sales come in.”

“You can’t just run some adverts and hope for the best. You need to be showing up on your social feeds, engaging with your audience, and offering quality content.”

How we help

Any engagement in social media should be accompanied by a strong social media policy for all staff.  You'll also need policies for internet usage and risk management. 

My Business Workplace has a range of specially-designed templates to help you out, including:

My Business Workplace also offers cyber-security awareness training to ensure your employees know how to keep your online presence safe and secure.