With their limited marketing budgets, small businesses are taking advantage of social media to generate sales. While traditional marketing can weigh heavily on an organization’s funds, social media is a valuable, low-cost tool that businesses can use to engage with their audience. It is no wonder that social media has become critical for small businesses and many business owners say that it is a central aspect of their marketing strategy.

A majority of small businesses carry out social media through Facebook. Facebook’s tools make it easy for businesses to engage with their audience and bring content forward. Alternative social media sites such as Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn are also gaining traction due to their content creation and communication platforms. LinkedIn is recognized as the prime social media platform for B2B communication. YouTube is a great platform for businesses to create original content. Twitter is used by businesses to communicate directly with their audience.

If you work for a small business looking to effectively utilize social media, here are some quick tips.

Define Your Audience

Like traditional marketing, social media is about connecting with an audience which should be specifically defined. Before you post any content, consider who will be reading it. Define them by their geographic, demographic and psychographic factors. In other words, define your audience by their age, gender, hobbies, and profession. Afterwards, match an image to the description. Once you have a target audience in mind, you will be able to tailor messages toward them. Find out what social media your audience uses primarily and adopt it as a central focus of your marketing campaign. Each social media has a different audience. For example, Instagram is primarily younger users, while Pinterest has a large majority of female users.

Integrate Integrate!

Each of your business’s social media channels should be integrated to reflect a consistent brand message. If you treat each social media channel as an individual entity, your campaign may be disorganized and confusing. Each channel should serve a specific purpose but overall reflect your business’s message. A website is a business’s central hub and all social media channels should be leading users to it. A blog is a business’s voice and can be used to share updates and opinions. YouTube should be used to generate interesting content. LinkedIn should be used for all professional endeavors. Twitter should be used to engage with customers. All of these channels should be integrated together so they can easily be managed. Consider using a tool such as HootSuite to manage all your channels in one hub.

Set Daily Goals

Setting daily social media goals will help ensure that your content is consistent and steady. For example, posting five times a day will keep your channel fresh and updated. Make it a daily habit to post whatever is going on with the business. Thank users who share and comment on your content and welcome new followers with a warm message.

By following these tips, you will enjoy the benefits of running active and steady social media channels. Though the results on your business’s bottom line may not be immediate, your perseverance with your social media efforts will pay off in due time.