Social media is a great way for small business owners to connect with customers and drive sales. It’s also highly competitive. With so much content being posted every second, how can you make yours stand out? Michelle Pan, Senior PR and Social Media Specialist at Vista, says it’s about showcasing what makes your brand remarkable.

A successful social media strategy needs a clear purpose, valuable content and captivating designs that highlight your brand’s personality.

When these three things come together, you’ll be able to build a community of loyal followers. Let’s look at how to do that.

1. Define the kind of content you’re going to create and why

Before you start designing visual content, you need to do some groundwork.

“Clearly defining your social media strategy and brand identity will make it easier for you to develop a content plan that increases brand awareness and engagement, grows your audience, and boosts sales,” advises Michelle.

Once you know what you’re aiming to achieve, Michelle recommends creating 3 to 5 pillars – topics or themes that will keep your social media content strategic and focused.

“After identifying your target audience, build out some content pillars that your followers are interested in. Once you have those pillars, ensure every single piece of content you create aligns with them,” she tells Kochie’s Business Builders.

2. Think video, think simple

Video is king at the moment with over 54 per cent of consumers interested in seeing more video content from the brands they’re purchasing from.

“Instagram Reels and TikTok perform really well and allow you to reach a larger audience outside of your existing following,” says Michelle.

Being time poor and technically challenged doesn’t have to stop you from creating professional video content. Michelle recommends using a tool with built-in video editing software to share tips and hacks, DIY videos and behind-the-scenes footage.

“VideoEditor in VistaCreate takes the hassle out of creating short videos for Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, TikTok and more. You can merge video clips, trim footage, add captions and include static content. It’s super simple to use, perfect if you’re short on time,” Michelle shares.

An Instagram story template in VistaCreate’s VideoEditor. Image: Vista.

3. Make sure your content offers value and tells a story

People will quickly unfollow if all you do is sell, sell, sell. You need to connect with your followers by showing them who you are and how your products or services can add value to their life.

“Instead of hard-selling your products, show people how they can use it. What benefits does your product bring? How is it different? What does your brand stand for? People will tend to purchase your product if they feel connected to your brand. Don’t lose the human touch,” says Michelle.

At Vista, Michelle’s social team focus on supporting small businesses by promoting their work, sharing marketing tips and featuring their top five posts of the week as part of their ‘Friday Faves’ series. It’s an important reminder that people want to feel connected to a brand and its values – give them reasons to be a part of your community.

4. Brand your content so it’s consistent and memorable

Never underestimate the importance of consistent branding across all touchpoints. A strong visual identity makes your social content more recognisable and memorable. While custom designs used to require a healthy graphic design budget, these days it’s easy and affordable to create social content that pops.

“A tool like VistaCreate can really help elevate your brand by giving you access to over 70,000 social media templates created by graphic designers,” Michelle says.

“You simply choose a template you like then customise it with your brand colours and typography. It helps you create designs as unique as your business and it’s free.”

When you have a bank of templates ready to go, you can easily brand your feed posts, Instagram stories and highlight covers, YouTube videos, Pinterest graphics, ads and more. The more people see your brand colours, typography and overall style, the more they recognise it’s you.

VistaCreate offers a curated collection of social templates selected by professional designers. Image: Vista

5. Don’t forget the little design details

While you want clean designs that don’t detract from your product or service, there are some elements that can strengthen your brand identity. Michelle recommends adding music, animations, backgrounds and objects to give your content an edge.

“Something as simple as adding a frame or a border to highlight a focal point can have a real visual impact. Also think about adding unique graphics and relevant music to help highlight what’s remarkable about your particular brand,” Michelle adds.

When all these branding elements come together, they help your customers understand who you are, what you stand for and why they should choose your business over your competitors.

6. Use social media to get to know your followers

Michelle says there are a lot of social media trends that can help build relationships with your followers. It’s all about facilitating two-way communication.

“Polls on Instagram are great for getting to know your audience. The ‘This and That’ Instagram trend allows your customers to tell you what types of products or services they prefer. With Christmas coming up, you can use their feedback to find out more about their wants and needs for the festive season. You could also do an Instagram or Facebook Live to launch a new product and get live feedback,” she suggests.

Don’t forget to make time for community management.

“Respond to all queries and feedback and most importantly, take it on board,” advises Michelle. “Your followers need to know that they’re being heard and that you value their opinions.”

Want to make your social content more engaging? Head to vista.com for tips, tools and templates to make your brand pop.

This article is brought to you by Kochie’s Business Builders in partnership with Vista.

Feature image: AdobeStock