Do I need social media for my business?
You open your brand new online clothing boutique and are ready for the customers to flood in. You have sent all of your friends the link and can’t wait for the news to spread. But it is day one, and only your best friends and family members have made purchases. Where are all my customers? My clothes are cute right? The answer is yes, but no one knows your store exists. The magical fairies have not shared your website for all to see. You must do this yourself. This is where marketing comes in and more specifically social media.
What social media do I need and when do I need to open each account?
The answer is now. If you are in the beginning stages of building your online business, it might seem early to start marketing, but it might not be soon enough. This is because your perfect username for your online boutique may already be taken. Even if it is available now, doesn’t mean it will be available when you are ready to launch your store. Let’s review which social media is imperative to lock down.
Instagram – 30 character limit
Twitter – 15 character limit
Pinterest – 25 character limit
Email – character limit varies (fortunately if the name is taken on one provider, you might be able to find it on another)
Snapchat – 15 character limit (optional)
Facebook Page – 75 character limit
Facebook Group (optional, but can be an effective way to make sales without using an e-commerce platform)
Tumblr (optional, can post directly from Instagram)
Flickr (optional)
YouTube (optional)
What to do if my username is taken?
If your ideal username is already taken, you don’t have to contact the account owner and demand they give it to you because you already have the domain. You can instead get a little creative. If your boutique name is “Smiley Miley” and @smileymiley is already taken on Instagram, you can instead try “smileymileyboutique”, “shopsmileymiley”, or “smileymileyclothingco”. This might work in your benefit because making it clear what your shop is about in the name by adding Boutique or Clothing Store can be a helpful marketing hack.
I have all of these accounts, what now?
There are other platforms that you can try such as Flickr and Tumblr that may or may not help jump start your marketing plan. If you have not launched your website yet, you can begin building excitement build a following.
Social media is a powerful marketing tool used to promote your business and build excitement around company launches. Subscribe to our newsletter and look for the blog post “How to Build Excitement on Social Media Before Launching Your Store”.