Introduction
How would you like to make more sales, get more customers, and build brand awareness, without spending any money? You can. All you need to do is use your social media tools effectively.
You may have heard lots of buzz recently about Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. These are four of the most popular social media tools and are important lines of communication for business owners. You can try these tips to help you get started using them to grow your brand.
Establishing a strong brand presence is more important than ever. With normal advertising channels often off-limits for cannabis companies, social media emerges as a vital tool to connect with audiences and make your brand stand out.
Play Around on the Sites
LinkedIn is focused on business, so it’s a good tool for making connections with fellow business owners or even people to hire. Facebook is the old school site and works best for products that have a capacity to develop a fanbase. Twitter can help any business make connections, attract customers, and build a reputation especially if you have a good taste in memes.
Improve Your LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn Answers allow users to ask questions that can be answered by anyone on the site. You can respond to the questions that are relevant to your business and industry, which can help you build your expert reputation.
You must make sure the answers you provide are useful. Do not use this as a way to hard sell your services, this will cause you to have a bad reputation.
Join a LinkedIn Group or Start Your Own
Participate in a LinkedIn Group related to your industry. This is a great way to get to know the people that can help you grow your business, make new connections, and become known as an expert.
Create a Facebook Fan Page
Your Facebook Business page is different than your personal page. Create a Fan Page so other members can become “Fans” of your business. Keep things fresh by posting updates about your business. Make sure you include links, videos, and photos.
With Twitter Think Quality, Not Quantity
Twitter users post “Tweets” these are messages that are up to 140 characters. When you “follow” someone, you will receive their Tweets. You can repost other people’s quotes which is called “retweeting.” You can get started on Twitter by important the people from your e-mail contact list, then follow them.
From that list, you will find new people to follow. Weed out the people whose tweets don’t interest you. Aim for a narrow niche, rather than going for volume. It’s better to have a small group of 200 followers who are passionate about your industry and business than to have 200,000 who don’t.
Use Twitter Tools
It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Tweets out there. You can find free applications to organize your tweets and schedule any future tweets, you should not be sat on social media all day. You should be using post schedulers to keep the workload to a minimum. I personally use TweetDeck.
The Benefits of a Blog
Blogs are one of the most influential tools you can use. You can start your blog on your website. WordPress is a simple way to build a blog. If that’s too consuming, you can get mentioned on another person’s blog via the use of guest posts.
Read some of the top industry blogs, and write a comment on posts that are relevant to your business. Bloggers are hungry for new interesting topics, so make sure to keep them updated on your company’s newsworthy events.
Put In Some Time
Social media tools may not cost money, but you will need to invest your time. Plan to devote at least two hours a day to social media, especially in the beginning. If you don’t have the time, appoint a staff member to do it. Many twenty-somethings would be glad to handle this job.
Find Your Favorite Tool
In time, you’ll get a feel for which social media tool is the most effect for your business. Don’t rely on your gut when it comes time to decide which social media site to focus on.
Measure how many clients you’ve landed on LinkedIn, how many customers your Tweets are bringing into your store, how many blog mentions you’ve received, what those Instagram views look like and how many Facebook fans you have. The tool you choose should be the one with the biggest payoff.
Publicize It
Your marketing materials, business card, and website should include the information needed for people to find your blog, fan you on Facebook, follow you on Twitter or connect with you on LinkedIn. Also, make sure to include these links in your email signature.
Monitoring and Adapting Your Strategy
Success on social media is not set in stone; it requires a great amount of work and also a little bit of luck. Use analytics tools to track your progress, understand audience behavior, and tweak your strategy for better results. Stay adaptable to navigate algorithm changes and shifts in social media trends, ensuring your brand remains relevant and engaging.
Conclusion
Building a cannabis brand on social media is an exercise in creativity, compliance, and customer engagement. Despite the challenges, social media offers unparalleled opportunities to connect with audiences and grow your brand. By approaching it with a well-thought-out strategy, a focus on quality content, and an adaptive mindset, you can harness the power of social media to create a distinguished presence in the cannabis industry. Embrace these challenges as opportunities to innovate and set your brand apart in this cannabis revolution.