Starting your own business means having perseverance and dedication. It means following your passion, no matter what obstacles stand in your way. Being an entrepreneur means juggling responsibilities and wearing many hats. Trust me, I know because I’ve been there. When I launched my first business, I’d jump from sales calls to client work, from website updates to bookkeeping. I felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. I’d post on my brand’s social media channels sporadically, losing momentum and focus when a new task came my way. I knew social media could help me build stronger relationships with my audience, but I didn’t have the right tools to save time, money, and make the most of my social media marketing.
If this sounds like you, don’t worry. Running a tiny but mighty team or a rolling solo as a solopreneur doesn’t mean that you can’t crush your business goals on social media. After 10+ years as a Social Media Strategist, I’ve tried and tested a lot of social media tools. I’ve narrowed down 3 Social Media Tools Every Entrepreneur Needs to help you engage and connect with your audience while growing your business.
3 Social Media Tools Every Entrepreneur Needs
1) Schedule content in advance with CoSchedule
Did you know that posting strategic social media content more often actually increases audience engagement? It’s true! Most social media algorithms favour higher engagement, meaning more people in your audience will actually see your posts (without paid ads) when they interact with you more frequently. As a busy business owner, I know there isn’t always time to craft and post engaging content daily. You can simplify your process and get organized with CoSchedule, a sweet social media calendar tool for entrepreneurs. Use it to schedule all of your posts in advance from your desktop or mobile.
I often tell clients to set aside a dedicated social media day to come up with posts for the next two weeks (or whatever timeframe works best for you). This way you won’t feel pressured to create new content daily, on the fly. You’ll be able to think through how your posts align with your business goals and strategy. You can still leave room for ‘in the moment’ content with notes and draft posts to fill in later. On CoSchedule you can input your post captions, upload photos/videos, tag other accounts, and see user-friendly analytics for every social media channel all in one tool.
Having a month-by-month calendar view of all of your posts also gives you a bird’s eye view of all of your social media marketing. See how content works together to maximize the value of your campaigns and promotions. CoSchedule has a free 14-day trial, so give it a try to explore its features at no cost. It’s $29 USD per month after and well worth it in my opinion, because this tool saves you time, and as they say, time is money.
2) Create beautiful social media graphics using Canva
Did you know that every social media channel is optimized for different image sizes? It’s true! You don’t want to post the same image layout for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, for example, because the image will show up on each platform’s timeline or feed differently. Using the correct layout stops important information from getting cut off, making your images more engaging. Channels like Instagram especially which are very visual require extra thought around what graphics to post. In fact, the Instagram algorithm favours content where people spend more time, and that’s usually on posts with beautiful imagery and strong captions.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a graphic designer to create beautiful, visually-appealing social media posts. You can use Canva to easily design and lay out social media images even if you have no design skills. Canva allows you to upload your own images and lay them out in the right format for each channel. You can also choose from their massive library of stock photos and pre-designed layouts to create a consistent look for your brand. Spice up your images with text using their library of fonts or add stickers to give posts some personality. Canva is available on desktop or mobile so you can create visually-stunning content from anywhere. Try the free plan, or go all-in for additional customizations starting at $12.99 CAD.
3) Customize, shorten, and track links using bit.ly
Did you know that sharing your website link on social media improves your Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? It’s true! Social media is a cost-effective way to drive traffic to your site and improve SEO. Improved SEO means more people will be able to find and connect with your brand using Google and other search engines. When posting links on social media it’s important to pair them with a strong call to action. This lets your audience know what you want them to do and what they should expect when they arrive at your site. Do you want them to read a blog post, subscribe to your newsletter, or register for a webinar? Instead of copying and pasting an ultra-long and confusing URL, use a clear call to action and a shortened link to drive more traffic to your site.
Bit.ly is URL shortener that helps you clean up your links and make them more memorable. It offers free customization to change the back half of your link, for example, http://bit.ly/TheHoneyBlog or paid customizations where you can change the entire URL.
Using a customized link gives audiences a preview of where you’ll send them, building trust, and boosting conversions. Conversions mean the point when the recipient of your marketing message performs the action you want them to take, in this case, clicking your link. Bit.ly also helps you track the number of clicks on each of your shortened links to see how your content is performing. This will help you refine and optimize your social media strategy because you’ll know what content your audience is interested in. Shorter URLs have lots of benefits so use Bit.ly to shorten your links the next time you post.
Do you need an expert to help you grow your brand using social media? Work with me.
