Are you a smallbiz owner wanting to make a big splash,  reading social media tips for small businesses and wondering if you should, instead, be looking at the big brands and see how you can simply replicate their strategy?

If so, let me stop you right there.

Being a small business owner has several advantages.

One of them being YOU. Yes, you.

I call it “You-ness” and it has the power to give your social media strategy a “you-niqueness” that can create bigger ripples and build a community around your brand. Here’s more on the importance of being YOU in your business and blogging, in case you weren’t still sure 😉

Let’s see how you can leverage this YOU-ness on social media and turn it into a social media success secret ingredient:

1. Infuse Your Passion into Your Posts

Go back to the time when you started your business. What was it that inspired you to do that? The passion, the vision, your mission. Dig deep into them and share them with your community.

Unlike big box stores where sometimes the passion gets pushed under the carpet for numbers and more, you can choose to keep your fire burning.

Jadah Sellner and Jen Hansard , owners of Simple Green Smoothies do this with great success. Their Facebook community is over 190K+ strong and it showcases their passion for living healthy and smoothies beautifully! In their posts, in their article shares and also, in their photos, their passion for a healthy life shines.

Do your social network profiles and pages reflect your passion? What are the 3 things you can do to infuse them with your love for what you do?

2. Strengthen Your Community with your Support

Many of you may have gotten into the business you are in because you identified a gap in the market, sensed a need, felt a lack and then, strove to fulfill that.

Building your community with your support, knowledge and expertise is something that small business owners can do excellently via social media.

Photographers Lisa De Geso and Erin Brule of The Milky Way-A Photographer’s Resource are past clients of ours who’re building up their mom photographer community by supporting them with knowledge and expertise.

Sharing tips, tutorials, how-tos not only showcases your passion but also, strengthens your community and brings you word-of mouth goodness as well.

How can YOU strengthen your community today? What can you share with them that can help them get better with your support?

3. Share Your Story

Being a small business owner gives you the advantage of being able to take your customers along with you and tell them your story.

Whether it is the stock arriving at your store or a new employee joining your team or a major life event, you can share your story with your community and invite them into your life.

Beryl Ayn Young, a talented photography teacher for moms, takes her readers into her life and shares snippets and stories from her life while infusing encouragement and showcasing her talent as well, like this lovely post featuring her sister with her newborn.

Kelly Lester, CEO of Easy Lunchboxes is another example of a smallbiz owner who shares her story elegantly with both her Facebook page and her Pinterest profile.

Whether it’s her bio that draws customers in with her assurance that she’ll help them pack lunches FAST and that she’s a theatre person as well or her boards that strengthen her community and highlight exactly how she does that. She also, takes them with her as she shares her love for theatre and the stage with her Show and Tell board.

What part of your story can you share with your community today?

Remember this: Being a small business is special. Celebrate it with your social media presence.

How can YOU add more YOU to your social media? What part of sharing you do YOU struggle with the most?