Social media can help your business grow and scale. Learn some of our proven social media tips for business.

Social media might be something you try to avoid in your personal life, but if you are starting a new business and looking to grow, it is one of the best ways to accomplish your goals. This is especially the case for children’s activity and education businesses because parents love to use social media for inspiration and planning. To help you get started, we wanted to provide some of our best social media tips for business profiles, gathered after working with thousands of education businesses to grow and scale their companies.

We will cover:

• Why social media is important for your business
• How to use social media for business growth
• ~The benefits of high-quality photos
• ~How to set up business social media accounts
• ~What is user-generated content and how to highlight it
• Frequently asked questions
• ~What are the benefits of using social media for business?
• ~How can I manage multiple social media accounts for my business?
• ~What are some social media ideas for small businesses?
• ~How can I grow social media followers for my business?
• ~What are some social media tools for my business?

Why social media is important for your business

Like it or not, social media is one of the best ways for parents to find activities for their children. Whether they are following a marketplace like Sawyer, specific providers, or other parents, Instagram and Facebook are great places for parents to learn what activities and classes families like (and dislike). Even better than Yelp or Google, parents look to these social channels for reviews from other parents and high-quality photos that show children enjoying activities.

Social media allows parents to post photos, tag businesses, learn more about a business, and get excited for upcoming classes. When you think about your business and how you can grow, you need to consider how social media can play a part in your success. See below for some social media tips for business profiles so you can set yourself up for success.

How to use social media for business growth

The benefits of high-quality photos

Before you create social media channels for your business, you should make sure you have a diverse backlog of high-quality photos and videos. Professional photos are best, but with technology these days, smartphones take great photos, too. We have a whole guide to help you master Smartphone photography so you can make your images shine. High-quality photos show that your business is professional, so it is important to ditch the blurry images and take the time to get it right.

Make sure to take lots of varied photos and videos so parents get a good sense of what you offer. Photograph children in action - having fun and learning! Then, take additional photos and even some videos of your space, whether it is indoors, outdoors, or online. Parents want to see that they are sending their child somewhere safe. In addition to where their child will be, parents are looking to get a sense of who will be working with their child. Include headshots of yourself and your staff and post the images with descriptive bios of each person. All of your photos should be high-quality and fully edited to show off their crisp resolution and saturated colors. For even more helpful tips, check out our guide to learn how to build your photo library.

How to set up your business social media accounts 

1. Choose a profile name

When you create the profile for your business, try to use the full name of your company for your username. If they have it available, snag it! If not, try to keep your handle as close as possible to your business’ name. For example, you can add “hi” or “hello” before your name like @HelloSawyer or add a bit more information after the name of your business like “Soccer” or “Theatre”, depending on your focus. 

2. Write a clear bio

Make sure you write a clear bio that explains what you do, the ages to which your classes cater, and a link to your website. Parents are busy and in their precious moments between driving to activities, prepping and cleaning up meals, and waiting in line for school drop-off, they want to be able to learn about a company and make a decision as quickly as possible. Remember, adding a link in your bio is especially important when using Instagram for your business because you can’t add links to posts.

What is user-generated content? How can you highlight it?

User-generated content (UGC) is any content (videos, images, text, etc) created by people instead of brands. It is a great way to show parents that your business is fun, safe, and exciting for children. 

User-generated content examples

1. Include a form in your registration flow to get permission from parents to post content of their child in class. Then, snap away! 
2. You can also ask parents to tag your business’ social media page in their posts and then repost them on your business’ account. That way, when a parent posts about your business, you are notified and other parents can check you out straight from their post. It’s like a 5 star review that is public to all of the parents’ friends.
3. You can also gather more UGC by hosting photo contests. Post on your social media and let parents know that you are looking for photos for a specific photo contest with a fun prize (think: a discounted class or a gift card to Starbucks). Once you have the submissions, you can use this treasure trove of UGC for your social channels. 
   

According to a study done by Hootsuite, customers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic compared to brand-created content, so it really does make a difference. For more Instagram marketing strategies for your programs, check out our guide. Plus, if you're wondering how to ask customers for reviews we've got you covered!

Frequently asked questions about social media for businesses

What are the benefits of using social media for businesses?

Social media can increase your customer base by spreading awareness of your brand. In addition, parents look to social media for testimonials from other families as well as an opportunity to tag and be featured by brands and providers they love. When done correctly, there are so many benefits of using social media for businesses.

How can I manage multiple social media accounts for my business?

We recommend running at least a Facebook and Instagram page for your business because some parents prefer one platform over the other. Luckily, it is very easy to manage both of those platforms because they are interconnected. Everything that you post on Instagram can be added to your company’s Facebook with just a click of a button. Just make sure you block off time on your schedule to respond to parent inquiries and comments on both platforms. Looking for help on how to make a perfect schedule for yourself and your business? Check out our guide.

What are some social media ideas for small businesses?

1. One of our favorite social media ideas for small businesses is to get the families of your students involved. User-generated content (UGC) is such an important growth tactic and asking for submissions, hosting photo contests, and putting polls up are great ways to get parents involved in your social media and keep them coming back. 
2. We also recommend highlighting fun holidays like Halloween, Mother's Day, and national cupcake day (December 15th) to keep the fun content flowing. 
3. You can also take videos and add them as stories on Instagram and even Facebook now, too, to show a live look at classes. Save the stories as a highlight so parents can take a look anytime! For more Instagram Story ideas for businesses, including examples and templates, check out our guide.

How can I grow social media followers for my business?

Hashtags are a good way to grow social media followers for business accounts. Do some research to see what hashtags your competitors use as well as parents in your area. Then, make sure you include those hashtags as well as some of Instagram’s suggestions so that you can capture more people.

What are some social media tools for businesses?

One of the best social media tools for businesses is HootSuite, which is a platform that lets you manage multiple accounts across different platforms. It also allows you to schedule your content, so you can plan your posts in advance and post them no matter what is going on. Another popular option is Sprout Social, which is similar to HootSuite but it also provides customer relationship management (CRM) solutions as well.

If you are starting a children’s activity or education business, we at Sawyer want to start by saying congrats! We know you are passionate about teaching children and we are passionate about helping you grow your business so more children can discover their love of learning. If you are looking for more information on why social media is important for your business and how you can use it to grow, check out our free e-book, The Sawyer Guide to Growing Enrollment.