Living in the digital age, a website is assumed to be necessary. However, it really depends upon what kind of business you have, and whether the functions of a website that you need for your business can be accomplished through social media platforms. Alternatively, you can use social media to drive people to your website. The key functions of a website can include:

• Convey an image

• Provide information about your company, tell your story, let people know your operating hours, locations and contact details

• Provide information about and pictures of your products and services

• Educate the audience

• Showcase your legitimacy and expertise, and establish trust

• Showcase customer stories and testimonials from customers

• Provide a platform for blogs

• Provide videos featuring you, your company, and/or your products and services

• Generate leads

• Enable customers to make inquiries and appointments

• Enable customers to make purchases

A good place to start when developing your website is to take a look at other business like yours in different cities around the country. Look for especially successful businesses and check out the unique things they are doing on their sites. At the same time, be sure to take note of the features that most of these businesses have in common on their sites, as you know you will need those things on your own site.

You first need to pick and register a domain name as well as a hosting service for your business website. Each of these two services involve a relatively small fee (the name might cost around $15 or so per year, while hosting could cost around $10 per month. The domain name, also called the website URL, is equivalent to your website’s address or permanent home on the Internet. When a customer enters your domain name or URL into Google or some other browser, it connects them to your site. Make your domain easy to spell, easy to recognize, and not confusing. Your domain should be easily associated with your business. Keep it short, keep it simple, and be sure to check on the USPTO.gov website and make sure the domain is not already in use. You can purchase domain names through various providers, such as GoDaddy, Domain. com, Squarespace, Wix, Google Domains, HostGator, Hostinger, DreamHost, and Bluehost (associated with WordPress). These services will also host your website. A website hosting service offers the capabilities to create and maintain your site and make it available on the Internet.

You must decide whether to pay an expert to develop a website, or to build one on your own (which still will involve some costs). The more features and capabilities you require, and the more customized the site is, the more you should hire someone who specializes in building websites. If you pay someone, be certain that you have access to the site and the ability to make changes to the site, as well as to move the site. But it has become relatively easy to develop your own basic website. Examples of companies that you can use to build your website include Wix, Ionos, Network Solutions, GoDaddy, Web.com, Squarespace, Shopify, and Wordpress. So, you can use the same company (but do not have to) for a domain name, hosting and to actually build the site.

A big decision concerns the look and feel of your website. Many of the companies that assist you in building a site provide lots of available templates, and these allow you to get a feel for different options for the overall visual look or style of your site. These templates can then be customized. You also want to think about colors and fonts to be used on your site.

You then need to design the actual layout of your website. With available website building services, you generally do not need any coding knowledge. These services employ a content management system (CMS) that helps you create, manage and modify content on your site. An example is WordPress. It helps you create web pages, store images, and accomplish other key functions.

Creation of the site layout first requires a sitemap, which basically is an overall blueprint that includes all the pages you want to have on the site and how they will be connected to one another. This helps ensure the site is easy to navigate and flows logically. You want it to be easy to move from one page to another page. It helps to have a website menu that can be seen no matter what page a person is on.

You then must create the actual pages. In addition to your HOMEPAGE, you might include an ABOUT page, a page that displays your different PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, a page with CONTACT information, a page for a BLOG, a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page, a TESTIMONIALS or customer feedback and news stories page, a page to SHOP, and a page to make an appointment or booking.

When laying out pages, be sure to prioritize what goes where. The most important content should show up at the top of page before one has to start scrolling down. Sometimes content gets people’s attention and is easier to grasp when presented not through text, but with infographics, images and videos. Similarly, using headers that stand out in terms of font, font size, and color for sub-sections of your content makes topics more visible and easier to navigate.

Another issue to consider in designing the site is search engine optimization (SEO). This concerns things you can do to help ensure your website pops up higher on the list when someone is doing a search. Most of the website building services offer assistance in how to use keywords and structure content and other approaches to SEO.

Finally, remember that many users search for websites through their phones. As such, it is critical that your website is appealing when viewed on a mobile device.

While having a website may be important depending on your circumstances, a social media presence is pretty much a necessity. Social media platforms enable you to build your company’s visibility, tell your story, drive website traffic, and eventually, increase your sales. Social media marketing is all about meeting your target audience and customers where they are and as they socially interact with each other and your brand.

While a big advantage of social media is that it is free, do not let yourself be misled. With things that are free, there is usually a catch. Unless you are willing to invest serious time in terms of continuous communication through different social media channels, you are not going to see much impact. It is hard to engage with people if you rarely communicate with them or your communications are not consistent.

When using social media, have a clear idea of what you are trying to accomplish in a given month. For instance, are you trying to:

• increase awareness of your company name

• educate potential customers about product benefits

• manage brand reputation

• increase traffic to your website

• improve engagement with customers

• boost sales

• generate leads

• deliver customer service

In addition, you should have a clear idea of who are you trying to reach, particularly in terms of age range, gender, income level, lifestyle, and the things in which they are interested.

Which Platforms to Focus Upon …

The first question concerns on which platform(s) you want to have a presence? Different platforms attract different audiences, and are more effective in helping you accomplish certain objectives. Here is a brief summary of a few of the available platforms:

Facebook

• Audience: Younger baby boomers, gen X, older Millennials

• Best for: Brand awareness, advertising

Tiktok

• Audience: Gen Z and younger Millennials

• Best for: Product tutorials, audience engagement, brand awareness, brand visibility through viral trends, lead generation and product sales

YouTube

• Audience: Millennials and Gen Z (especially ages15-35)

• Best for: Brand awareness, entertainment and how-to-videos

X (Formerly Twitter)

• Audience: Younger Gen X and Millennials

• Best for: Public relations and customer service

LinkedIn

• Audience: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Gen Z

• Best for: B2B (business-to- business) relationships, business development, and employment marketing

Pinterest

• Audience: Females between ages 18-54;

• Best for: brand exposure, especially with people who want to plan vacations, home projects, outfits, holiday dinners, weddings and other events/activities

Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are the current most popular social media outlets, so you might want to start with one or more of these. Which social media platforms you choose to use will also depend heavily on the type of business you own. If you are a service-based business, showcasing your services on TikTok or Instagram reels is a great idea. If your product or service targets the older generation, Facebook is the best place to advertise. These tips, however, are broad. Do your own research and utilize the social media platforms that are best for your industry (and you can use Google to research platforms that fit your type of business).

Approach Social Media Strategically …

It is useful to think about using social media in a strategic manner, not just posting random or occasional messages. Here are ten steps for developing a social media campaign. Using these steps, a given campaign will usually run for a defined period of time (e.g., 3 months, 6 months).

1. Pick a theme or central element that will tie all of your posts together;

2. Pick a platform or channel (e.g. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) based on your objectives (note that you can get detailed demographics and other data on each platform)

3. Determine who you are trying to reach with this platform—have a clear target audience in mind

4. Determine your communication objectives—the behavior you are trying to stimulate in your target audience

5. Determine when you want to reach them

6. Determine type of content (how much reliance on text, video, graphics, polls)

7. Determine structure of a post (standard beginning, middle, and end or call to action)

8. Determine tone (funny, informative, playful, sarcastic, etc.)

9. Determine schedule of posts (number and time per week)

10. Determine performance metrics

Some Tips for Driving Traffic to Your Social Media Page …

The key to successfully using social media is to build an audience. Again, this requires concerted effort. Here are a few examples of some of things that can help when driving traffic to your page:

• Use keywords in your profile, adding posts related to your product that people are most likely to search for

• Emphasize what you have done, not just who you are

• Give your company a personality

• Use images and videos—they generate more likes, shares and comments

• Convey content through infographics

• Post links to your Facebook page on other social media (Twitter, Whatsapp, etc.)

• Create posts to your page frequently (post more & get more metrics on what works)

• Be aware of optimal times for posting to different social media channels (e.g., Facebook is 1- 4 pm while Pinterest is 8 -11 pm)

• Have a strategy for the mix of links, photos, videos, quotes, content updates and reshares you are posting

• Connect your business page to your personal page profile

• Link your Facebook page to a blog or YouTube channel that you create

• Interact with followers—respond on timely basis

• Be personal and personable in posts

• Avoid buzzwords

• Provide an interesting number (fact)

• Place partial content that teases or intrigues on one platform (e.g., Instagram) where person must link to your Facebook page to get the rest of the story

• Add your Facebook business page link to your email signature

• Have people vote on things (e.g., a product name)

• Getting influencers (e.g., big people in industry) to blog, tweet or otherwise post about you

• Partner on social media with related product or service providers

• Dedicate time—some argue for an hour per day per social media channel

Getting Started …

The place to begin is probably by setting up a Facebook business page. To do so, you begin by signing up for Facebook, as you first open a personal page. Your business page will be linked to your personal Facebook account. Once you are logged in, you then do the following:

1. From the Pages section, click Create new Page.

2. Add your page name and category – you can choose up to 3. (There is a dropdown menu—if you can’t find the category that directly applies, you can choose a broader category like ‘restaurant’ or ‘small business’).

3. Add your Page’s bio—up to 100 characters that describe your business and click Create.

4. Include your business details such as website, phone number, email address, physical address, hours of operation. Click Next.

5. Click “Get Started” (means you have accepted the Facebook terms and conditions).

6. Next you can add a picture—this is actually two pictures, one is a profile picture (usually you put your logo here) and the other is a picture about your business, such as a picture of your products, or facility. Be sure to use high quality photos.

7. You then add a username—this is a vanity URL which is unique to your business page—it is typically the same as the business page name. This option can be found under General Page Settings.

8. Add a business description—in the About section, you provide details about your business, its values, your unique value proposition (see STEP 9), and your products or services.

9. Then you can adjust the page settings (the page setting tab is in the upper right-hand corner). This is optional, but it allows you to provide inputs on page info, messaging, notifications, page roles.

10. Next you address the Call to Action button. It allows people who visit your business page to do such things as send you an email, visit your website, or schedule an appointment.

11. You then can complete your first post (for example, announcing you are open for business).

12. After this, you are ready to get users involved. You can use the Invite button to invite people to like your business page, and start using the ‘driving traffic’ tips above. You should first ask all your personal network to like and follow your page and all your posts until you develop some momentum.

It is a good idea to start by “liking” organizations who target similar groups to you in the beginning. When someone “likes” your page, invite them to “follow” your page. Respond to posts and questions and messages immediately. Spend time each day liking and commenting on other’s pages. Find ways to complement them so that they come to your page and create activity.

Creating Posts …

Posting should be ongoing and on a regular frequency (e.g., three times per week). You also want to keep it fresh and interesting. Here are some ideas for things you might post about:

• Product advertisements

• Sales, discounts or giveaways

• A creative way you solved a customer problem

• Upcoming events

• Milestones (100th xxx sold, 1 year in business, 1,000th follower)

• Behind the scenes videos or pictures

• Product tutorials

• Polls or questions

• New products or services being introduced

• Inspirational quotes

• Testimonials

• Other’s relevant posts

• Short-form videos

• Live posts

Whatever you choose to post, be professional and be sure your posts reflect well on your business, and further the goals you have set for yourself.

Other Things to Think About …

Create a schedule for posting. You should have a monthly plan for your social media posts and schedule them at least once a week. Posting in addition to this schedule is great—having a schedule to stick with ensures that you have a consistent presence. There are ways to make the scheduling of social media posts easy. Apps like Hootsuite allow you to schedule multiple posts at one time, in advance, so that you can be hands off for the week. The free version allows you to manage two social media platforms with up to 5 posts per week.

You might also consider taking advantage of the Planner tool available in Facebook that enables you to schedule posts ahead for both Instagram and Facebook. It will let you know about holidays coming up, and once you hit 100 users, it will tell you the time your users are most active.

You also want to consider what is called “winning the algorithm game”, which is about getting your business to pop up when people open their social media. It is vital that you be responsive to clients online. The various platforms will reward you for timely responses and penalize you by making your posts less visible if you do not respond.

Also, hashtags act like magnets—they will attract people to what you have. Examples include #buylocal #womenowned #minorityowned or topical words or ideas like: #organic #affordablehousing. Some hashtag basics include:

• Hashtags always start with # but they won’t work if you use spaces, punctuation, or symbols.

• Make sure your accounts are public (not restricted to your friends). Otherwise, the hash-tagged content you write won’t be seen by any non-followers.

• Don’t string too many words together. The best hashtags tend to be relatively short and easy to remember.

• Use relevant and specific hashtags. If it is too obscure, it will be hard to find and it won’t likely be used by other social media users.

• Limit the number of hashtags you use. More isn’t always better.

Hashtags increase engagement with your followers. Including them in your posts means taking part in a conversation happening on that social media platform. Most critically, they make your posts visible in that conversation. This can lead to greater engagement, boosting your brand’s social media engagement through likes, shares, comments, and new followers. Creating a branded hashtag can be an effective way to promote your business and drive conversations. Branded hashtags can be as simple as using your company name or incorporating a tagline into a hashtag.

Another key tool is called a “tag”. When you create a post, if you use “@” and then the person’s online name, it will create a link to their timeline, effectively connecting you to their audience, and expanding your own. You can also tag pictures of people with the same effect.

Finally, always use high quality photos on your social media pages, and photos that reflect consistency. Here are examples for a coffee making business that is part of the UPBI program in South Bend, Indiana. Done right, photos make you feel you are going on a journey with a friend that entices you come along.

Social Media Marketing Platforms

1. Facebook

   • Cost: Free

   • Ease of Use: Easy

   • Best For: Local community-based businesses, service providers

   • Key Strengths: Large local audience reach, Facebook Groups, events, Marketplace

   • Limitations: Organic reach can be low without ads

   2. Instagram

   • Cost: Free

   • Ease of Use: Easy

   • Best For: Visual products (food, fashion, art, beauty)

   • Key Strengths: Photo/video focus, Stories & Reels for engagement, hashtags

   • Limitations: Requires regular posting to stay visible

   3. TikTok

   • Cost: Free

   • Ease of Use: Moderate

   • Best For: Creative, entertaining content; younger audience

   • Key Strengths: Viral potential, short-form videos, trends-based marketing

   • Limitations: Takes time to learn trends and video editing

   4. LinkedIn

   • Cost: Free

   • Ease of Use: Easy

   • Best For: B2B services, professional coaching, consulting

   • Key Strengths: Builds credibility, networking, thought leadership posts

   • Limitations: Smaller reach for retail/consumer products

   5. YouTube

   • Cost: Free

   • Ease of Use: Moderate

   • Best For: Tutorials, product demos, storytelling

   • Key Strengths: Long-term content visibility, search-based discovery

   • Limitations: Requires more effort to produce videos

   6. Pinterest

   • Cost: Free

   • Ease of Use: Easy

   • Best For: Products with visual appeal, e-commerce traffic

   • Key Strengths: Drives website traffic, evergreen content, great for DIY & lifestyle

   • Limitations: Not as effective for service-only businesses

   7. WhatsApp Business

   • Cost: Free

   • Ease of Use: Very Easy

   • Best For: Direct customer communication, appointment-based services

   • Key Strengths: Broadcast lists, quick replies, catalogs

   • Limitations: Limited for broader marketing; better for customer retention

📖 Reading: Social Media Trends and Strategies

📖 Reading: Social Media to Build Your Business

📖 Reading: Social Media Types and How Each can Benefit Your Business

Click here to explore all the online marketing resources designed for business owners in the Technology in Your Business section of our website and discover tools to help your business grow.

Market research gives you a clearer picture of what customers truly want and how your business can stand out. With today’s technology, it becomes much easier to gather insights—whether through online surveys, social media trends, or simple digital tools that show what people are searching for. Technology helps you move faster, reduce guesswork, and make decisions based on real information rather than assumptions. It’s a powerful way to stay ahead and build a business that responds to real customer needs.

Click here to discover 14 budget-friendly or free market research tools to give you a clear understanding of your customers.