Six social media techniques for small and medium-sized businesses owned by black people
An additional point of emphasis, according to content and design consultant Alicia Noelle, is that business owners should create innovative content that encourages customers to interact with them. Business owners can engage with their followers in a variety of ways, including by creating polls and responding to fans in the comments section. Noelle believes that these efforts make a significant difference in terms of getting followers versus simply gaining followers.
As Noelle pointed out, “I believe that’s what small businesses will have to know as they adjust their marketing strategies in 2021 and beyond—that customers will no longer buy from you simply because your product or service is visually appealing,” she said. “They want to feel like they are part of your community, and you must establish an environment that allows them to do so.”
Michelle Thames, a social media expert and the CEO of Thames Media Solutions, expressed opinions that were similar to mine. As the Thames explains, people tend to forget that humans exist on the other side of social media, and they still want to feel like they’re a part of a group.
She asserted that you must nurture your audience by providing them with tools and resources to succeed.
“Whether you have a product-based business or a service-based firm, you must address [your audience’s] problem and explain to them why they should come to you,” Thames continues.
In their presentation, Noelle and Thames cited the natural hair care line Mielle Organics as an example of a black-owned business that has effectively built a community around its social media pages.
Promote their line through the use of social media influencers, and the company also offers promotions and prizes. Also on their social media platforms, Mielle Organics showcases clients who have benefited from their product lines.
Create subtitles that will strike a chord with your followers.
Noelle recommends that business owners create suggestions for their captions to accompany their visuals or videos before they post them to their websites or social media accounts.
According to the content and design strategist, every caption should create a tale that resonates with or connects with the audience of a company’s product or service. A call-to-action should be included in the text, which should be more than two words long and encourage people to subscribe to the company’s email list, sign up for discounts, or purchase something.
Noelle cited Breanna Aponte as an example of a successful entrepreneur who produces catchy captions for her social media posts. She claims that Aponte uses her articles to present stories that resonate with her audience. Despite the fact that her posts are unrelated to her business, she is nevertheless able to offer her social media services due to her genuineness and honesty.
Owners of businesses make captions that shift the thinking of their followers and compel them to read what they have to say about their products or services.
A behind-the-scenes glimpse at your company can be shared on Instagram Stories, Twitter Fleets, and Facebook Stories by business owners and employees.
Mattie James is an example of an entrepreneur who successfully uses the Stories feature on Instagram to influence others. James has a great deal of information on her family, her daily routine, and other topics. She also provides connections to brand promos and other resources.
Additionally, the Stories feature on all platforms is a fantastic tool for entrepreneurs to promote their products and engage with followers who respond to their postings via direct message (DM).
Thames recommends that firms spend 30 minutes to an hour each day engaging with consumers and followers in order to demonstrate that they are a trusted and reputable source of information and services. This endeavor also gives followers the impression that the business owners are concerned.
Make films and reels to showcase your work.
Businesses must use videos and Instagram Reels to hold people’s attention and gain more followers in order to succeed.
Instagram prioritizes new features, therefore if you want to make films, Reels will help you get in front of more people because Instagram prioritizes new features. It is a new feature, and they want to make sure that people make use of it,” Thames explained.
Thames reported that she obtained over 1,200 followers in 30 days using Instagram Reels, despite the fact that she does not post on a daily basis. She stressed that the reels of business owners must be amusing or instructional in nature. Additionally, they should be brief, concise, and to the point, because on social media, individuals frequently have short attention spans, which demonstrates why the feature is so popular.
By pushing her clients to post three to four times a week on Instagram Reels, she was able to incorporate the feature into their overall social media strategy. She also suggests that entrepreneurs should take advantage of social media platforms such as Instagram Video and TikTok.
Candace Junée and Ashley France are two successful entrepreneurs who make excellent use of videos and IG Reels.
Post several times a week at the very least.
Whatever the format (picture, reel, story, or video), business owners should post on their Facebook page at least once a week in order to not only secure purchases but also remain current.
This method, according to Noelle, is known as the “rapid-fire strategy” for social media. Using the other aforementioned tactics, she recommends that company owners who sell products post at least once a day, but ideally two to three times a day, on their social media accounts.
If it is a service-based firm, Noelle recommends publishing at least three times a week, citing the fact that solopreneurs are more likely to be in charge of this type of organization, making this an especially difficult duty. This method can also be used by product-based firms that are unable to publish many times per day on their social media accounts.
Mahdi Woodard is a marketing and branding expert that maintains a high level of activity on his Facebook page by updating frequently. Woodard creates content that is simple but incredibly effective in order to keep his following interested. In order to market his brand, he employs motivational phrases and videos.
Make use of hashtags.
On social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, hashtags are regularly utilized. When it comes to attracting potential followers and consumers, entrepreneurs rely on hashtags since they are a quick and easy method to be noticed, especially when they employ specialty and location-based hashtags.
On Instagram and TikTok, users have a proclivity to overuse hashtags. If used appropriately, hashtagged words or phrases might be one of the most effective free marketing strategies available.
For example, I discovered all three social media experts for this blog article by searching for them on Instagram using the hashtag #socialmediaexperts.
Make use of templates.
Using templates can be a valuable tool for entrepreneurs, according to Bolaji, because they help to ensure that your content layout is clean and consistent. The use of templates allows business owners to publish their materials more quickly and efficiently, which makes life easier for them.
My Fab Finance founder and millennial money guru, Tonya Rapley, use templates on her Instagram profile, which she shares with her followers. Her page has a constant color palette, which helps to make her website appear more unified and visually appealing to the viewer.
Even if each of the strategies listed above is certain to help businesses develop, Bolaji acknowledges that occasionally business owners can’t apply the same approach that helped them gain 1,000 followers in order to gain 10,000 followers. Although they may employ all of these techniques, business owners must remain up to date on the latest developments and learn which method works best for them at various stages of success.
The following are seven social media tools that black-owned businesses can use.
Although the tactics described above are important, company owners will be unable to publish high-quality content for their followers unless they have access to powerful tools that make the process easier. When used properly, social media platforms may help business owners better understand and serve their consumers’ needs while also providing outstanding customer care to their customers.
See the tools that social media professionals recommend black-owned businesses utilize in the section below for more information.
1. Canva
Canva is a graphic design platform that is widely utilized. Social media images, templates, documents, and other visual content can be created with the application, which is available to users for free.
Price:
There is no charge for the free version.
Pro Version: $9.99 per month or $119.99 per year (whichever is more).
$ 30.00 per worker, per month for the Enterprise Version
2. Flodesk
Flodesk is an email marketing service provider that was created just for creators to assist them to develop and delivering automated marketing emails to help them expand their audience.
Price:
$38/month
$418/year
3. Hootsuite
It is a social media management tool that includes a social network integration function that allows users to publish material on social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube. Hootsuite is free to use.
Price:
Professionals pay $49 per month.
Team members pay $129 each month.
$599 per month for a business.
4. Later,
The Later social marketing platform is an all-in-one social media management tool that helps organizations to plan, evaluate, and publish content for the leading social networks.
Price:
For the free version, there is no monthly fee.
Starter plan: $12.50 per month
Monthly growth rate: $20.83
Payment in advance: $33.33 each month
5. Planoly
It was the original visual planner for Instagram, and it continues to be the most popular today. Planoly also schedules and monitors content across other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
Price:
There is no charge for the free version.
Solo: $7 per year or $9 per month (paid annually or monthly).
$15 per year, or $19 per month, whichever is more.
$23 paid annually or $29 invoiced monthly for custom orders
6. Pixistock
Founded by African-Americans, Pixistock is a stock photography and graphics provider that sells images for use on websites and social media feeds.
Price:
Member Discounts are available to you.
1–5 images are available for purchase for $35 each.
Each shot costs $30 for a total of 6-9 photos.
Each shot costs $28 and can be purchased in groups of 10-19.
Each photograph between 20 and 29 is $25.
Each photo between 30 and 49 is $20.
If you have 50 or more images, each photo is $18.
Pricing for Non-Members
1–5 images are available for $45 each.
Each shot costs $40 for a total of 6-9 photos.
Each shot costs $38 and can be purchased in groups of 10-19.
Photographs from 20-29 are $35 apiece.
Each shot between 30 and 49 is $30.
If you have 50 or more images, each photo is $28.
7. Airtable
Airtable is a low-code cloud-collaboration platform that enables users to create software applications that are tailored to their specific requirements. Users have the ability to personalize their processes and collaborate with other producers and designers.
Price:
There is no charge for the free version.
In addition, $12 per month or $10 per seat each month is charged on an annual basis.
When invoiced annually, $24 per month or $20 per seat per month can be saved.
Despite the fact that it requires dedication and time, social media gives a platform for black entrepreneurs and creatives to have their voices heard. This list of recommendations is intended to assist black-owned enterprises in sharing their talent with the world, whether it is through a service or a product.