WELCOME to Digital Life and a whole new service for businesses that want to use social media. I will be your guide and share essential information to make your social media presence most effective. For the average small business owner, tackling social media can seem like a daunting task. However, I promise that you can grow your brand awareness and increase sales with the right planning and outlook, until you can hire an agency. Here are some quick tips:

1. Choose the right platform: Social media is great because it has a pocket for every niche; the trick is to find which pocket fits. Check and see which platform works best with your business. Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are the three (3) major platforms, but a make-up artist might want to look into weddingwire.com to further promote his or her skills and book clients, especially for destination weddings.

2. Engage with your audience: Engagement increases how many people view your page. Speaking with your customers/followers is a great thing; it shows the algorithm that activity is happening over here. Also, people love that personal touch on social media. It might be daunting to engage at first but give it a try by starting with a “Thank you!” or even just like the comment. This leads to the next point.

3. Focus on customer care: As much as 54 per cent of persons say they prefer social media channels for customer service. There’s a reason review platforms such as Yelp, Google Reviews and TripAdvisor continue to grow. Social media is digital word of mouth, and how you handle queries, discontent and accolades can determine what people learn when they Google your business.

4. Never ignore your insights: Most social media pages provide the owners with a look into how people interact with their content. It might seem strange that they’re saying to post your content at 6:00 pm, but that is what the algorithm has seen to be your highest time of engagement. Most who use insights know the best time to post, but you can get so much more from this data. With this information you can learn more about the demographics: what percentage of men vs women, what type of content gets more traction – for example videos vs graphics – and interested countries. You can then tailor your content to match your insights to get more responses.

5. Quality content makes a difference: Many people think you need high-end equipment to create quality content; this is not always the case. If you own a decent smartphone you can make good content with proper planning. I see so many businesses post content that could’ve been better. Something as simple as ensuring you’re recording in a well-lit area or cleaning the lens of your phone camera can make a world of difference.

Chelan Smith, CEO of Chelan Communications, has worked with local and international companies to develop strategies, as well as implement and solidify their digital brand voice.