5 Tips to Help Resource Constrained Businesses be Successful on Social Media

Hey Everyone!

Shannon Kinney here, Founder and Client Success Officer at Dream Local Digital. I recently received a question via LinkedIn from Jared – “How do you suggest that small businesses prioritize their social media efforts when resources are limited?” 

This is a GREAT question because so many businesses today are feeling resource constrained, not just with money but also with TIME. You can easily sink a ton of time into social media and not see returns. At Dream Local Digital, we’ve helped more than 75,000 businesses market their businesses effectively, and this is one of the biggest areas of concern that we see today. That’s why I want to share these five tips with you. 

1. Pick your channels wisely: When you have limited resources, you need to be smart about where you post. Make sure it’s the channels where your customers spend the most time, not necessarily your favorite channel. For example, my team and I would like to spend a lot more time on TikTok, but a ton of my customer engagement actually comes from LinkedIn, so I devote the majority of my time there. While you can take content and post it on all channels, focus your efforts where you can get the strongest returns and build a real audience there. 

2. Create a focused plan ahead of time: That can seem counter-intuitive – I’m already constrained on time and you want me to slow down and make a plan? I do. When you create a plan ahead of time, you can ensure that what you’re posting on social media has a natural connection to your other marketing (in-store signage, events or sales going on, your email newsletter, etc.), and you can stay on point to really speak to your customers’ needs. By taking the time to plan, you save yourself time later AND you make your marketing more effective. 

3. Be consistent: Often, we see resource-constrained businesses post on social media several times and then get busy and their channels go dormant until they get back to them. Like going to the gym, we all know that posting on social media will help your business if done well – but it takes consistency. Even if you commit to one post per week all year long, that’s better than leaving channels dormant for weeks. 

4. Remember, social media is a conversation: Posting consistently helps your audience know, like, and trust you, which is critical in your marketing. But it’s not a one way street. You can’t just post; you also need to engage your audience in conversation and answer their questions. This blog is entirely generated by responding to a question from one of my connections, Jared! 

5. Measure your results, and make adjustments: It’s important to know what’s working and not working for ALL businesses. When you’re resource constrained and trying to set priorities, it’s even more crucial. Take the time to look at your analytics and understand what’s working and not working in your marketing. 

Finally, and most importantly, know when to ask for help. So often for resource constrained small businesses, it’s more cost effective and will drive higher return on investment / ROI if you bring in experts. At Dream Local Digital, we manage social media for hundreds of businesses nationwide. We manage their marketing so they can run their businesses. Let me know if YOU need help with your marketing!