How To Properly Use The Free Tools Offered Through IG & FB To Make The Most Of Your Business’ Marketing Strategy Are you a small business looking to utilize social media and make the most of the free tools offered to you? Well, you’re in luck! Launch by Siva and its group of professionals have put together a guide that can help! We break down the most important tools offered through and and give tips on how your business can best utilize them.

As a business owner, growing your business and increasing sales is the ultimate goal. However, sometimes it may seem like the only way to do so is by investing more money than you have before and hoping you gain a substantial return on the investment. Thankfully, Launch is here to help you. Social media is an excellent way to share your brand and increase your sales in a cost-effective way. By implementing the ideas in our list of free tips and tricks, you will be more likely to drive an increased amount of traffic to your website and make the most out of your small business’ marketing strategy. STAY ON TOP OF 1| COMMENTS & MESSAGES Make sure to take the time to appreciate your followers, fans, and customers. Responding to messages and comments on social media in a timely manner demonstrates to your followers that you appreciate their interest and support. 73% of customers fall in love with a brand and remain loyal because of friendly customer service representatives. With this in mind, it is important to take the time to show excellent customer service and stand out among your competitors.

Additionally, taking the time to reply to comments can improve your search engine opti- mization. In 2018, Facebook announced that they would prioritize meaningful interaction on their . Therefore, comments, replies, shares and reactions all contribute to your ranking with social media algorithms. Being responsive makes it easier for your small business to get in front of the eyes of users and increase traffic to your website!

CREATE BRAND X 2| BRAND COLLABORATIONS Cross-brand collaborations are a great way to get in front of your target audience and reach out to potential customers. Social media can become a crowded space, which is why collaborating with other companies, and leveraging their audience, is a great way to stand out. If you collaborate with an account that people love, they are likely to associ- ate your company with those feelings and gain that respect for you as well. Overall, it is a great way to get exposure to new audiences! USE 3| IGTV Video features are a powerful tool, as they build a deeper connection with your audience. Many followers appreciate videos as they are interesting and make it easier to get to know the brand.

As Instagram evolves, they continue to add new features to make social media plat- forms valuable to small business owners as well as the average user. According to Insta- gram,15-second long IGTV ads will begin showing up in IGTV from a select group of part- ners and advertisers in the US with plans to expand globally. This is a great opportunity for small businesses to make money directly from their IGTV, while also giving their consum- ers the content they enjoy.

IGTV badges are another feature that can be used as a new revenue stream for small business owners. This new feature allows followers to “tip” their favourite creators/busi- nesses during live streams. This tip will allow the IGTV to get highlighted, allowing it to become noticeable to more audiences while the video chat is occuring. Overall, this is a great opportunity to see what your followers are enjoying, making sure you continue to show it and profit in the process!

Facebook and Instagram can also be a great visual tool to use. These will allow your audience to get to know you on a more personal level and form a connection to your brand. Make sure to save these videos to your highlights for future use.

BE 4| CONSISTENT Consistency is key. Whether it is across your tone, messaging or branding, you must al- ways make sure the voice of your business is consistent. This extends to having a consis- tent social media posting schedule as well. Consider using a social media calendar and planner to release content regularly for your followers. This tool can keep you organized and ensure content gets posted when planned.

HOST A 5| GIVEAWAY Everyone loves free products and services, which is why a giveaway or contest can get people to love your brand! Starting a contest where your followers can receive something for free after following your account will allow you to increase your followers and get your small business noticed. Furthermore, it reiterates your dedication to quality customer ser- vice and provides an ideal initial experience with your brand. Overall, a giveaway can be an inexpensive alternative to advertising and give viewers a chance to learn about your company. STAYING CONNECTED 6| WITH YOUR COMMUNITY Connecting your followers through a Facebook group page can help create a community around your brand. These groups are beneficial for your small business as you can speak directly to your clients, create a space for fans to share their positive experiences, get constructive feedback, and increase sales.

In order to help small businesses build their communities, Instagram has released a new feature called messenger rooms. Using this add-on allows Instagram users to join and create groups of up to 50 people. This is an excellent way for small businesses to build their community and stay connected with their loyal consumers.

USE HIGH QUALITY 7| VIDEOS AND PHOTOS The average consumer has an average attention span of 8 seconds when it comes to social media, which is why using a quality image or video is so important. You only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention and become a “scroll stopper”. A good visual can get users to stop on your post, encourage them to engage with it, and drive traffic to your website.

Instagram’s new AR feature allows small businesses and curators to use filters and ef- fects on content uploaded from your camera roll. This means you do not need to take your photos or videos the same minute you want them to be posted. This allows your brand to share fun, socially relevant content without sacrificing consistency in your style.

Utilizing stickers is also a great way to grab the viewer’s attention with visuals. Stickers are graphic elements that can be dynamic or animated, making your stories more intriguing. These images can help make your content more engaging, thereby creating an enjoyable experience for the viewer. You can make your own branded stickers by creating and uploading them to GIPHY! UTILIZE 8| SHOP PAGES Does your business sell products? Make sure your team is utilizing the shop features on social media. This is an easy way to share your products and get viewers to buy what you are selling directly through the platform.

As of 2020, Facebook and Instagram shops allow you to build online stores through your social media accounts and then tag products during your Instagram live broadcasts or in your stories. Businesses will be able to use their third-party platforms to manage their shops and even merge their loyalty programs.

Instagram is adding to this by allowing users to view products on a page specific to dis- covering products. Here you’ll be able to browse your favourite brands by using filters such as beauty and fashion and then shop directly on Instagram. Overall, it is important for your company to stay up to date on trends. By utilizing these shop pages, viewers will be able to discover your brand and make a purchase immediately.

USE FACEBOOK 9| TABS Facebook tabs are an easy way to showcase your small business’ key features. Having tabs such as, ‘About’, ‘Shop’, ‘Testimonials’, and ‘Email Sign Up’ can improve the user experi- ence and encourage potential clients to stay on your page for longer. These tabs provide people with the opportunity to engage on your page and learn more about your small business in a convenient and organized way.

LINK TO 10| OTHER ACCOUNTS Lastly, make sure your social media accounts allow users to easily access your other so- cial media pages. Whether it is your , Youtube, LinkedIn or TikTok, linking to your other accounts will ensure people can stay up to date with your brand on any social media platform. This will increase your online following and get your viewers to learn about the different sides of your business. For example, TikTok can be fun, while LinkedIn is more professional.