In a world that is doing all sorts of interesting things (hello COVID!) there are a few things that you can bank on. One being that people will spend more time online than ever before. People are connecting online more than ever before, and people are spending more money online than ever before. 3.8BILLION people can’t be wrong, can they? That’s the number of users on social media and it’s growing every day.

If you haven’t already rushed to the computer to set up your social media for business, the time is now. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200! Run and do it now. Every business owner right now needs to have a strong social media presence if they want to survive the impact that COVID has had on close to every industry. This is the time, right now, to create strong and powerful foundations that will see you thrive when we can get to a state of COVID Normal.

Here are five ways social media can help your business survive and then thrive.

1. Create and grow your online presence

Create a business profile on the main platforms that your audience are on. These are primarily Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. These are the three major platforms that people are on these days that the most leverageable for businesses.

You need to have profile on these platforms, because your potential customers and clients are spending time on their searching, researching and killing time. When you have an online presence on these platforms, you will show up in search results and recommendations.

2. Be present

The biggest mistake that many businesses make is scheduling or automating all of their content. Please don’t do this with all of your content. When you are posting ‘in the moment’ each platform will reward you with increased reach to the audience that you have grown. Scheduling all of your content will result in less reach.

3. Be consistent, daily

When people are researching you and your business by looking through your page profile, they are unconsciously looking for reasons to trust you or not trust you. Consistency is a very simple way to show your audience that you care about them and that you are there to help them. Trust is built slowly over time and being consistent will help your prospects to see that you are in this for the long haul.

4. Be real

People are fascinated by other humans! It’s time for you to share some of the ‘behind the scenes’ content with your audience. Let them into what’s happening in the company and how you’re working your way through the challenges that we are all facing.

The thing that must be remembered on social media is that we don’t want to see a business hiding behind a logo or a corporate brand. In order to show your audience that you are living your company’s values, you have to show them not just tell them.

5. Add value

One of the best things any business owner can do on social media is add value. Make the commitment to add more value into the platforms than anyone else in your industry. Dazzle your prospects with insights, hints, tips and advice. This shows them that you’re investing time and energy into them before they’ve even spent any money with you.

Remember that you can also, of course, put promotions and sales up on your profiles as well. Just make sure you’re also adding value to your audience. It feels great, it builds trust for your audience and helps to build customer loyalty.

COVID has thrown such a big spanner into the works for so many businesses. Yet, it’s also provided a massive opportunity for your business to step up and into the spotlight for all the right reasons. Adapt, pivot and thrive.

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