Rita D. Williams, Ph.D.
To My Fellow Non-Business Business Owners- Part 2

Welcome to my blog series dedicated to folks like me who do not have a business background but are striving to create a top-notch corporation. Part 1 discussed knowing your why. Why is our purpose, cause, or belief, and knowing our why is essential to small business success. It is the passion that fuels what we do, the momentum that keeps us going when tempted to quit.
The following entries in this series will focus on leveraging our resources to advance our business. Let's start with social media.
Leverage Social Media
My oh my! Who knew how addictive and time-consuming social media would be? The amount of time people waste scrolling on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter is not only mindboggling but also a beautiful opportunity for small business owners.
Simon Sinek highlighted the fact that people don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it. I believe people also buy who you are. Social media is the medium that allows people to have a peek or a full-court view into our lives. Therefore, while the three things that matter in real estate are location, location, location, the three things that matter in social media are posts, posts, posts.
One of my mantras is everything is a photo opp, so take advantage of
people's preoccupations with other folks' lives and post any and everything that will keep them browsing. Some ideas are:
Business/product updates
New team members and partnerships
Life milestones
You in your company's swag in different places
Significant events in your field
Your personal professional development
Your supporting other businesses
Favorable reviews of your services
Items that inspire you
Take a moment to jot down the other postable items running through your mind.
Lastly, advertisements can be expensive. Facebook and Instagram provide economical ways to expand small business owners' reach. Facebook and Instagram ads are:
Easy to create
Highly customizable
Promoted to the audience you define
Measurable due to the provided analytics
Proven to be effective. (I can personally attest to their efficacy.)
I want to end with a homework assignment. (Yes. Once a teacher. Always a teacher.) Reflect and answer, "What will you do today to begin or increase leveraging social media?" Don't waste time jotting down your response. Be like Nike and just do it.