How I Social

When it comes to marketing your small business on social media, it's not just about what content you put out there - you also have to keep in mind where you are putting that content. By conducting some simple market research, you can define which social media channels will best reach your target audience. Some important metrics to keep in mind when defining who your audience are: · The location of your audience · The online behaviors of your target market · How long they spend on the internet · How they prefer to take in their content · How often they use social media These factors will help you to obtain an in-depth profile of your audience. With this info, you have the potential to establish what your customer looks like, where they fit demographically and geographically, what stage they are at in their career, and so on. You might already have something like this. If not, there are a couple of ways to get it. 1. Survey your Customers Send a quic...

We sat down with Evy from Evy Tea to discuss using social media to tell YOUR brand’s personal story, adding value to the lives if your followers, and the importance of having an off-line presence   The Stats: Evy Tea Charlestown, MA Instagram: @coldbrewtea 6,868 followers   Facebook Evy Tea 1541 Likes 1613 Followers   Evy Tea was founded in 2014 right here in Boston. Using a cold brew method and traditional techniques and ingredients, Evy had the goal of putting a real good product out there - no more sugar and artificial flavors. Since then, Evy Tea has grown dramatically and can now be found in stores coast-to-coast. Throughout this journey, Evy has used social media in a very unorthodox way: rather than looking at her product portfolio and asking herself how she could turn it into content, she looked at her journey and realized that this was how she could connect with people. Social media was created as a media to con...

So you have a small business and you want to get started with social media, but you have no background in design or photography? No biggie! In today’s world, all you need is a decent smartphone, access to the internet, and a desire to connect with your target audience.   Creating visually attractive content that is authentic to your brand and your brand’s story is essential to small businesses using social media. Marketing your content in a specific way that is true to your brand allows you to catch the eye of your target audience, and hopefully gets them to follow you further and eventually become a customer. To figure out your brand’s visual story, try answering the following questions: 1. What is the goal your content is trying to achieve? 2. Who is your audience and what topics interest them? 3. What problems do you try to resolve? 4. What adjectives would best describe the look and feel you are trying to model? 5. How would you...

We sat down with Lexie from Blackroom Salon in the South End to discuss transparency, the importance of hashtags, and how they use social media to foster a culture of inclusivity. The Stats: Blackroom Salon Boston, MA Instagram: 2,372 Followers   Facebook: 200 Likes, 205 Followers, 60 check-ins   When Blackroom Salon opened in Boston’s South End this past winter, they made a concerned effort to distinctively brand themselves and set themselves apart from every other salon right from the start. They are a woman owned, woman run salon that offers a gender-neutral pricing structure. Performed with professionalism, creativity, and open mindedness, they offer a comprehensive menu of just about every hair and makeup style you could think of.   As a small business, they are an amazing example of how you can develop a new brand and get off to a great start by first finding your unique voice on social media and using that to bring in new cu...

Keeping your brand consistent on Social Media   It’s incredibly important to focus on keeping your brand's voice and content quality consistent on social media. This is how small businesses are able to cultivate a loyal following of customers. If customers are getting inconsistent messages, differing levels of content quality, or aren’t getting a steady flow of new content they can be confused and your social media presence could damage your brand as a whole.   The key is to be consistent, but not repetitive or boring Some tips: · Don’t bombard users with the same content over and over again · Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram users expect different kinds of content and differing posting frequencies · Do not consistently advertise to fans. Promoting a product is a great thing to do in a post, but shouldn’t be the only thing you do- guests will find this boring. We go on social media for funny content, interesting content, or anythi...

Earlier this week, HOW I SOCIAL spoke with Derek, the Social Media Manager for Castle Island Brewing Co. about using social media to stay relevant in what some deem a saturated market, getting people from the channels into the taproom, and not taking yourself too seriously. The Stats: Castle Island Brewing Norwood, MA Instagram: 13,700 Followers Facebook: 14,082 Followers, 13,718 Likes, 9,220 Check-Ins Twitter: 6,219 Followers, 5,177 Likes About: Founded in 2014, Castle Island Brewing Co. is a microbrewery located in Norwood, MA, about 20 miles from downtown Boston. They also have a satellite seasonal location right on the water in the Constitution Wharf area of Charlestown. They offer a full range of beers in the taproom; from tried and true standards, to rotating seasonal beers, collaborations, and limited edition offerings. According to MA.gov , there are over 130 visitable breweries located in the state of MA, w...

What is HOW I SOCIAL? Hello! We are two graduate students at UMass Boston's School of Management. We want to explore how small businesses in Boston can use social media to grow their brand. Through conversations with small business owners, entrepreneurs, and social media managers, we're going to find out:  -What works and what doesn't  -How a company can use social to define the voice of their brand  -How they measure their results and turn followers into customers  -Any tips and tricks that can help you build your following  -And much more! Our goal is that through this campaign we can build a community of Boston based small business owners sharing their insights and helping each other succeed We look forward to sharing these stories with you!