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Guide to Social Media Marketing For Startups & Small Businesses – Part I

Which social media platform is right for you?

This blog post is part of a series focusing on emerging brands, startups and small businesses that are just beginning their marketing/PR efforts.

How are we defining a small business? Although the Small Business Administration typically defines a small business as less than 500 employees, this series focuses on businesses that are even smaller than that.

By now, social media is so ubiquitous that it feels like an everyday part of one’s life, no different than email (which, umm, why has no one disrupted this yet??). Yet the majority of small businesses (or even Small to Medium Business – SMBs) still lack basic social media strategy, with some lacking even a presence.

This series will focus on which social media platforms are optimal for a small business brand. This is NOT for social media advertising (which will come later) but for organic marketing on social media. We’ll discuss content, advertising and integration in later blog posts.

This particular series will focus on U.S.-based small businesses/startups that caters to consumers (not B2B), and that don’t have the budget to hire folks like us. They’ll have to start scrappy and do it for themselves.

With all of that out of the way, which social media platforms should a brand new small business catering to consumers focus on? Given that the small brand will have to DIY their social media marketing, and resources are extremely tight, only one or two platforms can be tackled for optimal ROI.

Facebook

Facebook is still the #1 platform in the U.S. and will likely remain at that top spot for a while. There are few businesses and brands that Facebook doesn’t make sense for. However, Facebook is now pay-to-play (gotta justify that stock price!) so if you aren’t routinely “boosting” posts, then you’re SOL. Even spending $5 on one post per month will see your engagement skyrocket, compared to not spending any money at all. Does this suck for brands with extremely limited budgets? Absolutely. But we all knew that the free ride wouldn’t last, especially when Facebook went public.

While $5 for, say, a weekly post won’t break any budgets, it can add up. Unfortunately, depending on organic reach is a thing of the past. How can a small business get around having to pay-to-play? Hashtags have become as critical to audience growth on Facebook as it has on Twitter and Instagram. So #hashtag the #shiz out of that #ish (<–don’t actually do that – that’s really dumb). Another way to grow an audience is to tag/mention other pages.

But ultimately, content is still king. Videos can still “go viral” without plugging in your credit card number. And sometimes, a brand can just get plain lucky. Look at the Kohl’s Chewbacca mom video for proof of that. Treat your customers well and you might be surprised how they will reward your brand on social media.

Twitter

For many B2C brands, Twitter will be as important as Facebook. We have found Twitter to be the best platform for local brick & mortar businesses, in particular. The best businesses that thrive on Twitter are still ones like Kogi taco truck (the brand that revolutionized local social marketing on Twitter), that can tweet out a location, or a special deal, for customers who might be wandering nearby.

Be warned, however. Twitter has become a customer service platform, with customers routinely tweeting complaints to brands. B2C brands in particular bear the brunt of Twitter complaints. If you don’t have a way to address customer service complaints on Twitter, you’ll be digging yourself a hole that will be difficult to crawl out of. Even before you set up your Twitter page (or Facebook, for that matter), make sure you have customer service response plan in place. Whether it’s merely responding to a tweet with an email address to contact, or actually addressing issues directly, have a plan and don’t be caught unaware. Unlike Facebook, you can’t delete or hide criticisms on Twitter. It’s the most transparent of platforms.

Instagram

If you have even a somewhat visually appealing store or product, then Instagram is your best option. The engagement on Instagram is significantly higher than any of the other platforms; however, that doesn’t mean it translates into sales. If you’re suddenly rewarded with hundreds of likes for your photo, don’t get *too* excited. Instagram is not great at driving sales or traffic, primarily because it doesn’t easily allow for links. But what it’s great for is showcasing your brand in a visually compelling way.

The businesses that it’s particular great for: Consumer products, especially fashion brands; entertainment brands; stores such as bookstores and consumer goods; travel and luxury brands; restaurants/food brands.

Because so many Instagram users will take photos of your business, it’s important to acknowledge them (favoriting/liking their photo, via the heart icon, is a good start), and then engage and occasionally reward them (we’ll talk about engagement and rewards later).

When regramming a user’s photo/video, be sure to tag them and credit them (better yet, ask for permission first. Most users are more than happy to see their photos be picked up).

There are so many ways to be creative on Instagram. Leverage the layout, for instance, with a photo collage. Use the video function to drive traffic outside of the app, etc. It’s one of the best marketing platforms for any brand that can take a simple photo.

We’ll discuss the other social media platforms in part II of our series. Check back on bethechangepr.com/news. Hit us up on Facebook or Twitter as well.

The Walden Approach to PR – Less Is More

A common misperception about PR and how to do it successfully is to always go big. Bigger = better. More stunts, more high profile celebrities, more articles, more more more! What could go wrong? Many things, actually. Too much PR can result in oversaturation and brand dilution, or, in the case of former media darling startup Theranos, an unwanted spotlight that exposes inconsistencies and weaknesses.

There are plenty of examples of brands who take the PR path less chosen. The documentary film “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” portrays a dedicated sushi chef who could easily open a chain of restaurants or slap his valued name onto QVC-quality products like many other chefs before him. The lowkey Jiro shies from the attention, focusing instead on his craft and creating the best damn sushi in the world.

Like Jiro, Van Winkle whiskey (as detailed in this excellent post from Branding Strategy Insider) is another example of a brand that focuses on product rather than hype. This has lead to the whiskey being so highly sought after, they don’t even need to go on store shelves as the wait list is long enough. Sometimes, cultivating a cult status brand is just as good, if not better, for brand AND financial longevity.

Cards Against Humanity is another example of a brand that lets its fans do the hyping for them. Cards Against Humanity focuses on its main flagship offering, with inspired offshoots, but you won’t see the brand splashed across every bit of merchandise a la “Angry Birds.”

Tech startups in particular can heed the advice of not overdoing PR/marketing. The number of overhyped startups, heralded in popular industry media outlets like TechCrunch and PandoDaily, that have flamed out after the initial PR pop is countless (just look at the breathless articles touting the recently shuttered Fab, ours included). Of course, this is typically an issue of product vs. hype, and why it’s more important to concentrate on product offering first before sitting down with a reporter.

Cultivating an air of exclusivity has long been a PR staple, so this isn’t a new concept, but in the age of the Kardashians and digital media overkill, it’s become a valued one.

Lesson For Startup CEO’s: Don’t Torpedo Your Brand

Tinder’s demotion of (soon-to-be former) CEO Sean Rad illuminates the need for brands to have the right face representing them.

It’s largely believed that Rad was ousted from his position due to his inability to maintain a culture that doesn’t create such major PR and ethical problems as the sexual harassment lawsuit lobbied at Rad’s best friend, former Tinder CMO Justin Mateen (who was already generating negative PR before the lawsuit). While Rad’s ability to grow Tinder and create a mega-popular sensation is undeniable, his ability to foster an atmosphere free of harassment was clearly in doubt by his superiors at IAC, who own a majority of his startup.

Several CEO’s have had to step down from their positions as the face of their brand for business reasons — including Mark Pincus of Zynga, Andrew Mason at Groupon — but those demotions typically occurred because the business was faltering. In Rad and Tinder’s case, business couldn’t be better, with a bright and lucrative future for the brand on the horizon.

Due to the sexual harassment lawsuit, Tinder had a rightful PR problem. Like Tinder, Uber is currently facing a barrage of negative press, in part fueled by CEO Travis Kalanick’s crass comments. Kalanick is better protected since Uber isn’t owned by a corporation like IAC. However, his personality is affecting the brand and its lack of goodwill and he’s definitely making the PR problem worse.

What the Rad situation highlights is the need for CEO’s, especially startup CEO’s, to represent their brands in a manner that is acceptable not only to their user base and financial overlords but to potential acquirers and stakeholders. That might mean running a tighter ship and not letting your best friends operate with impunity, or it might mean keeping your comments to yourself when it comes to press.

The “move fast and break stuff” motto of Silicon Valley is represented in their unorthodox, brash manner of CEO’s like Kalanick, Snapchat’s Evan Spiegel and Rap Genius’s Mahbod Moghadam. That devil may care attitude might be okay when you’re a new startup trying to establish yourself, but for brands on the verge, it presents a major PR issue. And these are just the CEO’s who don’t exactly say or do the right things in the public eye, let alone the growing subset of startup CEOs who have been convicted of committing crimes, like RadiumOne’s Gurbaksh Chahal or NextDoor’s CEO Nirav Tolia.

Of course, every CEO wants to be a nonconformist like Steve Jobs and no one’s arguing that CEO’s should be cut from the same cloth. But there’s a difference between making bold creative decisions and excusing sexual harassment.

Ultimately, all of this can be avoided if a CEO acts ethically and creates a supportive working environment, representing his/her brand in a professional manner. Unfortunately in today’s Silicon Valley, that might be easier said than done. There’s a reason that Valleywag seems to have no dearth of stories about startup CEO’s behaving badly.

Startup Tips From a Startup PR Firm

We at Change Communications love nothing more than working with startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses. These risk-takers are fearless, exciting and visionary, and we’re proud to consider ourselves a startup PR firm that specializes in startups. Based on our experience, we’ve put together a few tips for anyone thinking of growing a startup or small business. Go forth and conquer!

Reach out to mentors who will provide you value, not just connections. There are plenty of mentors out there who aren’t names you’d see splashed all over TechCrunch but who can give you the same guidance and more attention than busier, flashier mentors. Don’t just seek out all-stars but look for business leaders who genuinely believe in your business and will do more for you than get you an invite to the latest party.

Your most important priority is your Product. Your product is your #1. Nothing else matters. Yes, marketing is important, and there are a lot of products out there that have had their uselessness overshadowed by smart, creative marketing and PR. But all of that smart, creative marketing and PR will yield you ZERO results if your product sucks and your customers, and the media, will figure that out quickly.

Don’t be afraid to do it better. You don’t always have to be first-to-market (in fact, it can sometimes hurt you). If you’ve seen a company that has a product/service that you like but you have a million issues with it and think you have a better idea, do it.That being said, do NOT be a leech and copycat that steals ideas. There’s a big difference between creating a brand new web browser with features no one has seen before because Firefox, Chrome and IE aren’t doing it for you, and blatantly ripping off an existing idea. If you do that, you’re dishonest not only to your brand but to yourself.

It’s all about the talent. If you’re the founder(s), don’t let your ego hang you up. Hire people more talented than you, who have skills you don’t. And give them what they need to stay motivated. We’ve witnessed lots of boardroom blowups that stemmed from pure ego and relationships go haywire simply because someone wasn’t happy with someone else’s title. Keep a healthy, talented team, shine the spotlight on them and nurture good people.

Pivot early. This is the most critical part for startups. At a point in your growth, you’ll find yourself at a crossroads. Either you’re about to get really big or your business is faltering and you need to start fixing what’s not working. We’ve worked with a few startups who have smartly pivoted and were willing to embrace the change. There are many startups who have done so and reaped the benefits. Fab.com is the most recognizable example of an excellent reset. We’re not saying that these shifts always work — we all know that for every Fab.com, there are hundreds of startups who pivoted and failed. So it’s a strenuous, agonizing decision that shouldn’t be treated lightly but it’s one to always consider. You also can’t pivot every single time something goes awry with your business. It’s almost a one-and-done move, for most.

Don’t party like its 1999. For the love of Michael Arrington, stop blowing your funding on unnecessarily expensive office space and meaningless parties that do nothing but stroke your ego and prove to attendees that you can’t do the robot. You’ll be stunned at how quickly you can blow through that $2m seed funding and how difficult it will be to secure more funding once VCs and investors discover how lavish you are. Spend that money on hiring talent, improving your product/service and, when the time’s right, hiring PR/marketing help. Which brings us to our next point.

Don’t get PR too early. Now, we’ll be the first to go on and on about the importance of PR. We truly believe in its value and we’ve seen first-hand how much it has helped companies, especially startups. If you’re a startup seeking PR, you’re smart! Good decision. However, be careful not to secure PR too early. Some companies like to get PR input on whether they can sell the product during the development stage, and while that’s important, it detracts from your product development. Focus on the best product you can make and then find the right PR firm (oh, HAI!) or professional who believes in it, too.

Surround yourself with skeptics. Don’t surround yourself with yes-men and people who tell you how brilliant you and your product are. Surround yourself with people willing to be the devil’s advocate and who question your tactics. It will help you immeasurably.

Don’t be evil. Can we add this one? It’ really important and perhaps has become a bit of a punchline now. But seriously, don’t be evil.

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