Are you concerned about gaining social media traction as a small business? Building a robust online community is not only possible, it’s essential for success.

Here’s what’s in your favor.

• You are interesting! Small businesses often attract very loyal followers who choose them for a personal reason and want to be supportive. Tell your story and share behind-the-scenes posts. Explore the option to make yourself accessible through video and live sessions. By inviting customers to the conversation, ideas can be introduced for immediate feedback. Followers love that they can chat with you and get to know you.

• Engaging your community. Engagement rates are more important than follower numbers. If you are posting meaningful, conversation-starting content you’ll grow an active community. Wouldn’t you rather start with a small but mighty following? In the long run it will be much better than gaining a large yet impersonal audience.

• The opportunity to rise to the top! Chances are, others in your community aren’t fully embracing digital marketing. Just by taking advantage of some of the options available to you, and being consistent, you’ll gain awareness. Plus, advertising budgets need not be terribly hefty!

• Affordability of authenticity. While there is a place for branded and polished means of promotion, today's marketing also calls for an authentic and personal voice. Use this to your advantage. Recording and publishing short videos from your cell phone is free, easy and effective. Forming Facebook groups centered around hot topics builds relationships. While they take some dedication of time, tactics like these allow you to be genuine and conversational. Plus, the absence of corporate hoops allows you to move forward quickly!

Here’s to your business!

Another blog post from Marketing Connection addresses diversified content and recommends a quick check of past posts. Find out what to look for here.