Social media campaigns do not have to be very expensive.  There are small businesses that thrive on social media because they have a clear plan and they know what to do, even without the big budgets that big companies and corporations have.

But what exactly are they doing?  Is it some big secret that cannot be replicated by everyone?

The answer is a big fat no.  It is not a secret and yes, it can be done by just about everyone.

So what gives?  The hubze squad identifies four best practices that small businesses can do for their social media campaigns without spending too much!

1. Plan. Setting up a good social media plan could help you know your goals, boundaries, expectations and activities.  A good plan in place can serve as a road map for your social media strategies.  And once good plan has helped you know your objectives, you can then measure them accordingly.  It would also help you appreciate the value of your social media campaigns and increase your commitment to it.

2. Have a clear call to action. You know the importance of having a call to action included on your website or email campaigns.  It directs your audiences down a specific path and tell the people what you want them to do.  The same applies for social media.  A simple but clear call to action would help your followers or likers know what it is you’d want them to do.  For example, when sharing a video, don’t just put up the link.  Instead, share a short message that encourages them to watch the video as well and then tell them what they could get from watching it.  A simple “Watch this video to learn more about how we bake our breads!  Really interesting dough science!”

3. Spread out and time your distribution. You should know when most of your followers and contacts are most receptive to your social media shares.  This varies from business to business.  Some would like to share posts at 6am every business day.  Some take a look at their analytics to see what time of the day gets the most traffic.

Social media consultant Dan Zarella shares that weekends are a better time to share content on social media sites than weekdays.

4. Engage your customers. Start the conversation and keep discussions rolling to engage your customers.  Do not just use your social media accounts to sell something.  Instead, acknowledge your contacts and solve their problems with regards to your products and services.

Be authentic.  Acknowledge negative feedback if they come in.  You should be very transparent on social media.  There is nothing wrong with negative feedback as long as you handle it properly and see it as constructive criticism.  Do your best to placate an irate customer and it will show others that you are committed to them as well.

These are primarily the four ingredients that every successful social media campaign have.  As you progress with your social media campaigns, you will learn some things that might modify or build on these four pillars of social media success, but you will certainly come back to these basics.

Do you have any additions to these four?  Let us know in the comments!