Customers expect to be able to follow their favorite brands and businesses on social media, so it’s important to have a strong social media presence. If you don’t actively use social media for your business, you’re potentially missing out on attracting new customers and also engaging your current customer base.

Social media is a great way to connect deeper with customers and share your story and brand.

How do you get started on social media?

Determine which platforms are best for you and your brand. If you have a highly visual product or service, platforms like Instagram and Facebook will be useful. If you're focused on the B2B space, a platform like LinkedIn is likely a good start. Once you've determined which platforms are best for your brand, set up your account and handle, and make this handle the same across all platforms. Make sure your brand is consistent, such as your logo and color scheme, and you'll be ready to start adding in content.

No matter which social media platforms you choose to communicate with, we’ve compiled a few best practices for engaging with your customers below.

1. Be Authentic

According to the most recent Stackla Consumer Content Report, 90% of millennials say authenticity is important when it comes to deciding which brands to like and support. For baby boomers, it drops to 80% - so still fairly high.

Needless to say, being authentic on social media is important.

The great news about being authentic is that you don’t need to be posting perfect content each time to your social media pages. 

In fact, customers prefer the real + raw footage of what’s happening within your business and your life much more than something staged and less authentic.

If you don’t have much photography or video experience - no problem! 

You can simply use your smartphone to take photos and videos to share across platforms.

2. Communicate and post consistently

Algorithms with social media platforms are always changing and can be hard to keep up with. Quite often, social media companies do not even disclose their exact algorithm they use to highlight posts.

Rather than guessing what these constantly changing algorithms are, we recommend posting and communicating with your followers consistently.

A good rule of thumb is to post once a day. Remaining consistent will allow your customers to stay up to date on what’s happening in your business and build a deeper relationship with them. 

Again, this does not need to be perfectly curated - sharing a thought you had that day via video or a creative photo can often resonate more with your audience.

3. Share Your Story + Behind the Scenes

Customers want to get to know you and your team, much more than just see pictures of your products and services. 

Rather than simply posting pictures of your products/services, consider sharing how to use your products creatively or the ways other customers are enjoying your product or services. 

In addition to this, customers love hearing your story and journey with the business. 

Consider sharing why you started the business, how you’ve grown over time, what your favorite part of being a business owner is, and other interesting facts to allow your customers to see behind the scenes and connect with you on a more intimate level. 

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Social media can be powerful -- 56% of Millennials have decided to eat at a restaurant because of a friend’s post on social media! Following the steps above will help build connection and engagement across your customer base and beyond.