Social Media is a "build it, nurture it, engage them, and they may come and stay. Conversations among the members of your marketplace happen whether you like it or not. Good marketing encourages the right sort of conversations. "What Every Good Marketer Knows"- Seth Godin

Introduction

Hey world, welcome to my very first blog! And as a proud minority business owner, lets talk about one of the key tools that has taken my business from just scraping by to having monthly net profit of 5 and very close to 6 figures. Social media marketing for small businesses like mine has been one of the “KEY” factors to growth in business and to living a life that I love. 

Get Active

First things first, social media marketing is the secret sauce to boost your visibility and reach a wider audience. And let's be honest, as a small business, we need all the help we can get! It's like having a megaphone to shout out to the world, "Hey, check out my business, these are my services/products, and this is why you need them!" And there are so many to choose from, from long format like Blogging and Youtube to short format social media like Linkedin, Youtube Shorts, Tiktok, twitter, Facebook and Instagram

And the best part? Social media is a cost-effective way to promote your business. So, if you're like me and are starting with a tight budget, fear not my friend! You can create posts to grow organically and create targeted ads on all of these without breaking the bank.

I don’t know what to post

Now one of the things I hear the most is “I don’t know what to post” or “I don’t want my life on social media”. What to post, there are so many ideas out there that I will not dive too deep into this subject, but Behind the scenes, why did you get started, what are the unique properties of what your service or product is, your “WHY” you do what you do. I do believe connecting with people on a personal level allows them to get to know you beyond just a product or a service.

You have control

As far as not wanting your life on social media, well the fact is you are in total control, you control your message, what is scene or no scene. Are there some people out there that post everything that they do and they are successful, yes. Do you have to follow that, nope, there are many successful businesses that post about what they do and why you should pay attention to them, and you do, without going into personal details of their life. You may feel like you know everything about them but in all honesty you know just enough to trust them and buy what they are selling.

Build your Voice, Build your brand

Not to mention, social media is an excellent way to build brand awareness. By consistently posting about your products and services, you can create a strong brand identity and increase your visibility. It is  building your brand reputation one post at a time. Also, social media gives you a chance to engage with your customers in real-time. It's like having a virtual chat with your customers and building a community around your brand. And we all know that happy customers mean more business. It's a win-win!

And last but not least, social media marketing allows you to keep up with your competition. Let's face it, we don't want to fall behind! With social media, you can stay on top of your game and showcase what makes your business unique.

So, like I said, as a minority business owner, social media marketing has been a game-changer for my business. It's like having a superhero cape to help my business soar! My Recommendation is to start with one social media platform and grow from there. We do not have to be on every channel all the time and we do not have to make this out lifestyle, but it is important as a business owner to spend time each week marketing your business or you probably will not survive. Now let's go make a post about how this blog helped you take a step, LOL or just a post because it’s Monday.

Thank you for your Time!

~Osei Xavier