If you own a small business, you know you need to meet your customers and prospective customers where they are. And increasingly, where they are is on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

That’s especially true in Australia, where more than 60% of the population, about 18 million Aussies in total, are active monthly users on Facebook.  The same number are on YouTube, with more than 9 million sharing photos on Instagram, and more than 5 million on both Twitter and LinkedIn.

Social Media: not about funny cats anymore

And here’s the thing:  a lot of those people on social media sites are there looking for information about products and services, the kind your business sells.

For example, a recent consumer survey found that almost 75% of Facebook users go to the social media giant “for professional purposes,” and more than 70% of Twitter hashtags are from B2C and B2B businesses connecting with consumers.

Consumers know the benefits of social media to help them find businesses and make purchasing decisions.  So do marketers.

In a recent Statista survey of marketers worldwide, for example, 87% said they increased website traffic, 74% reported boosting lead generation and 72% said they increased sales by leveraging social media marketing.

Here’s how HubSpot sums up the value of a smart social media marketing strategy:

“Social media is everywhere. For many people, social media is used daily for entertainment, socialisation, and even news consumption… Additionally, over the last two decades, it has risen as one of the primary marketing channels. With over 40% of the world’s population on social media, it’s critical your business devise an effective social media strategy to reach your intended audience.”

The operative word is “STRATEGY”

When effectively executed, a social media marketing strategy can help your small business achieve many of its principal marketing goals. However it’s not enough to run a fe