It really sometimes amazes me on how small businesses can use Social Media to market themselves effectively. I recently came across three ideas that were not only creative but very effective in their messaging to consumers. The interesting aspect of it is that all of these ideas come from well-established and well-known businesses. However, small businesses can easily pick up these tactics and leverage them with just a small budget and few resources.

Here are three social media marketing ideas that small businesses can utilize:

Walmart’s Associate Stories on YouTube

Videos are an important part of any digital marketing effort. However, coming up with content on a consistent basis can be daunting. Walmart decided to focus on their employees from all over the world. In their YouTube playlist Walmart focused on employee stories that included careers, benefits of working at Walmart, and other personal stories. This approach was very affordable and put a human-touch campaign together in an effort to counter some negative publicity about Walmart’s working conditions.

Starbuck’s Pictures of Products & People on Instagram

In the age of smartphones, photos not only capture moments, they can also tell stories. This is exactly what Starbucks is doing with Instagram and any small business can do it too

Starbucks takes simple elements, like their beverage cups, and turns them into works of art by taking photos from nontraditional angles. They also take pictures of people enjoying coffee, lattes, etc. in various settings (at home, outside, with loved ones), making their Instagram feed very personable. The cost for this is very minimal.

For your business, focus on what makes your brand unique and tell a story. If you own a restaurant, take photos of the Chefs cooking, the fresh produce coming in the delivery door or a finished drink at the bar. These are the types of photos that can tell your story and give your business a visual personality. And the great thing is, that phone in your pocket is all you really need

The Weather Channel on Vine

Vine is a six-second video app. While many individuals use Vine, very few large companies or brands do; but not all of them. The Weather Channel uses Vine to do a walkthrough of their studio, show seasonal decorations and even what the weather looks like outside their office studios.

If you have a small specialty clothing store, you could shoot a Vine video of an employee laying out the latest styles. Or perhaps stich together all of your seasonal fashions. You don’t have to overproduce this content, and that’s really the beauty of it. Your target market will still get value out of it. So as long as you keep it simple, your viewers will find it interesting.