How many people have told you, time and time again, that social media marketing services are important for moving your small business forward? Yet it’s not always so easy as simply starting up a Twitter account and tweeting away.

It’s easy to get lost in social media and ultimately lose sight of your goal, which is to use social platforms in order to build your brand name, and connect with your customers. Most small businesses ultimately choose to work with social media marketing companies for this reason, so that, instead of having to learn by trial and error what to do, they can rely on the expertise of a professional instead.

Although you should meet with a social media consultant regarding your internet marketing strategies, there are several tips out there that you can get for free. Here are three things you should know.

1. There are Ideal Times for Sharing

You might think to post something just when you have the time to get around to it. Yet fully harnessing the marketing power of social media means engaging with it when the most users are around to view your content. The data analytics firm SumAll discovered that there are different ideal times to post for each website. Facebook’s best times are 1pm to 4pm, for example, while Tumblr’s ideal posting time is 7pm to 10pm.

2. Grow Your Email List Now

Email is often the un-glamorous side of social media marketing, getting a lot less press than Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. However, it can be very important for your company’s day-to-day communications with customers. Many people thought the smartphone would make email obsolete. Instead, people are checking it more than ever, with 91% of consumers checking their mailbox everyday. Many consumers also report preferring it over other marketing channels.

3. Understand the Right Message for Each Platform

Facebook isn’t Tumblr, and Tumblr isn’t Pinterest. Sound obvious? The thing is: all social media services are unique in terms of the content they promote, and the users who congregate on their site. You can’t just post the same thing across all channels and expect it to go over the same way. It’s worth noting things like Facebook users hate being asked for likes, yet Twitter users don’t get as offended by a request to retweet.

What tips do you think social media marketing companies would give? Let us know in the comments. More on this.