6 Ways SMEs Can Use Social Media for Competitive Advantage

Social media has a lot of potential for businesses, whether your company is a multinational, or you run an SME. 

According to a recent study by The Manifest, 96% of social media users engage with brands from time to time, which goes to reinstate how valuable this pool of audience could be for your business.

But it’s easy to assume that, unless you’re one of the big players, you really can’t stand tall within your market. That’s especially true of SMEs, whose marketing scopes are usually limited by budget constraints. 

Does that mean you should consider social media as a less important part of your business, and marketing strategy? Not at all. In fact, social media is where you can stand head-to-head with supposedly big brands. 

Armed with the right strategy, you could make a competitive brand of your business in no time, using social media as the driving force.

In this article, I’ll discuss six simple ideas you can apply now to give your brand some competitive advantage in your industry. 

Content is Everything

This goes without saying. If you’re doing anything on social media, make sure quality content is a part of that. And by quality, I mean content that is relatable and engaging to your audience. 

If you were to be your customer, what would you like to see coming from your social media platforms? So, you’ve got to be deliberate about this, and ensure your content has a place in their minds.

Choose what Platform Works for You

It’s basically unrealistic to expect yourself to be present on every social media channel. Neil Patel mentioned that understanding your audience is very key to this decision. 

Take the time to research who they are – their challenges, their lifestyles, etc. That’s mainly to help you determine what social media platform flows with their persona. For example, the highly professional spend a bulk of their time on LinkedIn, while curious conversationalists are right there on Twitter. 

Don’t Leave Negativities to Thrive

How responsive you are to negative reviews and customer complaints determine your brand positioning in many ways. 

If you allow negative representations of your brand to linger, unattended to, it erodes public trust, which puts you at a disadvantage against the competition. And when you resolve issues, make that public as well.

Automate as Much as Possible

One very vital reason why you should automate your content sharing on social media is to give you enough time to do other important things on social profiles. Think of the need to engage with other content, and respond to customer queries, and actually work on your business. 

Whether you’re handling that yourself or you hire someone, resist the urge to come to social media to post every day.

Keep an Eye Out for Best Practices

It’s also important to stay the cutting-edge of using social media for business. Competitors and learning resources could be helpful guides for you, to enable you to remain competitive day in, day out.

It helps to have a schedule to read blogs, listen to podcasts, or check industry reports, basically to sharpen your skills and the knowledge of the audience. Social Media Today and Social Media Examiner are some very helpful blogs for social media, and marketing voices such as Neil Patel also have periodical podcasts.

Invest in Social Ads

There’s only so much you can do organically. The reach is always limited, and you may wait endlessly to get customers, without any ads. 

So, have a plan for social media ads, on any platform you’re using. Facebook (and Instagram) offers the cheapest advertising options though, but anywhere your audience spends their time, don’t hold back on advertising.

In Conclusion: Play the Big Boys’ Game

I understand that you run an SME, but one undeniable fact that you’re pulling the same audience as bigger companies. And the best way to win at such a game is to play like you’re also a big player.

The ideas I’ve highlighted above are what your supposedly bigger competitors do every now and then. So, you should do the same, and see their results trickling in for you as well.

Has any of these ideas helped you in the past? Share your thoughts in the comments

And if you need help getting a perfect social media direction for your business, our team would be excited to help. You can talk to us here.