Social media is scaling—exponentially. In fact, “More than half a billion people have joined social media platforms in the last 12 months,” according to Henk Campher, VP of corporate marketing at Hootsuite, a global leader in social media management.
This astounding growth is due, in part, to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which accelerated the need for SMBs to digitize. But, Campher says, while “social media has become the place for businesses to engage and drive purpose…not every SMB has the resources available to establish and grow a social media strategy or hone in on customer needs through social listening.”
Get a Social Media Makeover
Luckily for SMBs across North America, Hootsuite wants to address that challenge. It recently launched The Very Big Social Media Makeover for Small Business, featuring more than $10,000 in prizes, including a complete social media overhaul for one business owner. This will enable them to establish a more robust social presence to help them grow and scale their business.
Surviving the pandemic has been a struggle for many SMBs—and some did not make it. The ones that did had to be innovative and agile, adopting survival strategies, including social media, which became a lifeline allowing them to connect with customers, drive sales, and build brand loyalty.
As Campher says, “Social is an incredibly powerful tool, and with access to the right resources, a thriving social media presence is something that anyone can realize. That’s where we come in.”
The contest is easy to enter. Go to that link and explain why you deserve to win the social media makeover. If your business makes the shortlist, you’ll be asked to submit a video story to support your application. Four finalists will be selected, and then the high-profile panel of judges will interview them and pick the grand prize winner, who will be announced on June 17th on Hootsuite’s Instagram channel.
Meet the Judges
The esteemed judges are celebrated experts in the world of small business and know what it’s like to start, run, and scale a business. They are Arlene Dickinson, a serial entrepreneur & CEO of Venturepark; Maneet Ahuja, a senior editor at Forbes; my friend Steve Strauss, a senior small business columnist at USA Today; and Gabrielle Bienasz, an editorial assistant at Inc.
Win Big
The grand prize winner receives more than $10,000 worth of prizes, including:
- $5,000 social media ad budget
- $5,000 in agency spend—the winner can choose from options, such as an influencer marketing package, a branding book and social media advertisement toolkit, a reputation management package, an email marketing package, and more.
- Lifetime access to Hootsuite’s Team Plan
- One-on-one social media consulting from Hootsuite experts
- A video creator kit (including lighting, audio, and recording equipment)
- An all-access pass to Hootsuite Academy, Hootsuite’s industry-leading online learning platform (worth $1,100)
- Custom-branded Canva templates for social media
The three runners-up will win:
- One course at Hootsuite Academy
- Lifetime access to Hootsuite’s Professional Plan
- A copy of Saving Social, the new book from Ryan Holmes, the founder of Hootsuite
What it Takes to Win
- Are you motivated and eager to see what social media, social tools, and insight can do for your business and take it to the next level?
- Are you ready to make the most of your time with the Hootsuite team and consultants during the makeover (from June 21st to July 30th, 2021)?
- Are you excited—and proud—to share your success? Hootsuite will feature you in case studies and press releases, so other SMBs can learn from your experience?
- Are you comfortable sharing your experience on your company’s social channels?
If you are, don’t hesitate. You have until May 30th to enter the first-ever Very Big Social Media Makeover for Small Business. Even if you’re not one of the four finalists, everyone who enters gets access to Hootsuite’s newly released Small Business Playbook—packed with strategies, tools, advice, and inspiring examples of how to achieve social media success. You’ll also get access to Hootsuite’s Small Business Resource Hub, which is filled with resources, templates, and toolkits.
If you don’t own a small business, there’s still a role for your to play. Encourage the business owners you know (or perhaps even work for) to enter the contest by mentioning the makeover on your social media channels using the hashtag #MakeoverMySocial.
In partnership with Hootsuite
Social media marketing stock photo by Vasin Lee/Shutterstock
