Using Social Media to Engage & Attract Customers

What this video covers

Digital marketing specialist Jenny Green outlines a four-step framework for small businesses to build an online and social media presence: setting SMART goals, identifying targeted customer personas, defining brand identity and voice, and managing editorial planning. The session offers practical workflows using spreadsheets for monthly calendars and style guides, along with tool recommendations for analytics, design, and scheduling. It applies directly to local B2C and service businesses planning their own marketing, while advanced multi-channel paid ad strategies are not covered.

Best for: Small business owners starting or revamping organic social media; Brick-and-mortar retail and local service providers; Businesses managing marketing in-house with limited budgets; Not applicable to businesses looking for paid ads or programmatic media buying tutorials

Chapters

1. 00:00 Introduction and Maine SBDC Overview
2. 02:51 Webinar Agenda
3. 03:16 Social Media Usage Statistics
4. 04:01 Overview of the Four Primary Steps
5. 04:40 Shifting Mindset from Marketing to Helping
6. 05:23 Step 1: Setting Goals with the SMART Framework
7. 07:11 Big-Picture Goals and KPIs
8. 08:38 Example SMART Goal for a Local Business
9. 11:02 Tracking Metrics with Spreadsheets
10. 12:42 Accessing Platform Analytics and Tools
11. 14:01 Step 2: Identifying Your Audience
12. 16:30 Developing Buyer Personas
13. 19:34 Platform Demographics and Posting Frequency
14. 21:43 Frequently Forgotten Platforms
15. 23:44 Step 3: Defining Your Brand Identity
16. 27:32 Evoking Emotion and Highlighting Benefits
17. 28:46 Developing Core Copy and Messaging
18. 30:18 Creating a Visual Style Guide
19. 32:42 Step 4: Content Planning and Production
20. 34:12 Building an Editorial Overview Calendar
21. 35:42 Selecting Content Categories
22. 37:09 Tapping into Timely Conversations and Events
23. 39:31 Scheduling Tools and Staying Active
24. 40:49 Monthly Social Media Checklist

Key points

• 03:16 Over 329.3 million people in North America use social media, averaging 2.6 hours of daily usage among adults.
• 23:22 Small businesses should generally focus on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, aiming for 3 to 5 posts per week.
• 31:12 A post with at least one Instagram hashtag averages 12.6% more engagement than posts without hashtags.
• 52:21 Using 8 to 11 targeted hashtags is the recommended baseline on Instagram, up to the maximum limit of 30.
• 1:03:31 Email marketing is generally more effective at generating sales conversions than social media alone.

Turn it into a project: Establish an Organic Social Media Presence

Establish a structured social media workflow by defining measurable goals, audience personas, brand assets, and a recurring editorial schedule to consistently attract and engage customers.

Phase 1: Strategy & Analytics Setup

1. 06:40 Install Google Analytics on the company website
2. 08:38 Define measurable SMART goals across reach, engagement, and conversions
3. 11:02 Create a monthly KPI tracking spreadsheet

Phase 2: Audience & Brand Definition

1. 16:30 Create 8 to 10 detailed buyer personas
2. 28:46 Write primary narratives, mission points, and core messaging into a copy spreadsheet
3. 30:18 Create a visual style guide including Hex color codes, typography, and logo variations

Phase 3: Routine Engagement & Optimization

1. 22:30 Claim and update Google Business Profile with current hours and posts
2. 40:50 Complete monthly outreach checklist (networking, review responses, and boosting key posts)
3. 51:17 Build a categorized library of community, branded, and campaign hashtags

Phase 4: Editorial Planning & Tool Configuration

1. 34:12 Draft a 6- to 12-month high-level editorial overview
2. 37:59 Create a detailed 30- to 60-day content calendar
3. 39:31 Connect social profiles to a scheduling tool like Creator Studio, Buffer, or Later
4. 49:40 Configure a link aggregation tool (such as Linktree) for the Instagram bio

Sign in to Bizer to add this plan to your projects, each task linked to its moment in the video.