CHOOSE AN INCUBATOR
if you are just starting and need training, coaching, and space.

CHOOSE AN ACCELERATOR
if you already have customers and want to grow quickly with expert mentorship.

• messaging apps
• social media platforms
• online tools for planning and communication

Why it matters?

ICT tools make business tasks faster and simpler for entrepreneurs.

The use of technological advances, such as corporate social networks, offers great benefits to small and medium enterprises, which are the new focus of interest for technology companies.
 

ICT tools help your small business to:

• communicate better inside and faster the team and with customers
• save time and simplify daily tasks
• understand customer needs and habits to satisfy them
• reach new markets and communities
• improve your brand image online

SOCIAL MEDIA HELPS YOU:

• show your products and services
• reach your audience where they already spend time
• build trust and connect with your community

A good social media goal is SMART:

Specific – “I want 500 followers.”
Measurable – “I can track the number.”
Achievable – “It’s realistic for my business.”
Relevant – “This helps me reach customers.”
Time-bound – “I want this in 3 months.”

SMART improve online sales:

SPECIFIC
I want to sell more candle sets per month.

MEASURABLE
Increase monthly sales from 10 to 20 sets.

ACHIEVABLE
I will create a simple promotion and share it in local community groups.

RELEVANT
Higher sales help me grow my microbusiness and support my family.

TIME-BOUND
Reach this goal in 3 months.
 

SMART launch a crowdfunding campaign:

SPECIFIC
Raise money to buy new equipment for candle production.

MEASURABLE
Raise €800 on GoFundMe.

ACHIEVABLE
I will prepare photos, a short video, and ask community groups to share the campaign.

RELEVANT
New equipment will increase production and quality.

TIME-BOUND
Reach the goal within 30 days.

Learn from your competitors

Search online to see which companies are successful in your sector
Look at their websites and social media pages
Compare their designs, posts, and hashtags with your own
Use what you learn to improve your strategy
Check how often competitors post and how people react
See if they use blogs or websites to share content

Pick the social media platforms that fit your business.

If you already have a profile of your target audience and know their age, income level, gender, etc., you can compare that data with the social media demographics and determine which network will work best.

Choose platforms based on your audience and content type. Example:

VIDEOS/PHOTOS
→ Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube

ARTICLES/PROFESSIONAL CONTENT
→ LinkedIn
 

Plan your social media content:

USE VISUAL CONTENT TO INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS
Images and graphics get more attention. It's best to create your infographics, but if you can't, you have the option of sharing others' and tagging the source.

SHARE HIGH-QUALITY POSTS THAT OFFER VALUE
The relevant actions depend on quality content. If your content does not offer value, your publications will be ignored.

LOOK AT COMPETITORS 
For inspiration and learn what works.

USE HASHTAGS
Without fear to expand the reach of your brand in social media.

MAKE YOUR CONTENT VIRAL
Whether something goes viral depends on the value of your content, what matters is that it is attractive. If your networks work, it's easier for your content to go viral.

THE BLOG, YOUR BEST PARTNER
If you don't have a blog, create one. Create useful and interesting entries and share them on your social channels, if the content is of high quality, it will be shared. If you lack ideas, research your competitors. When a post works give it a push. Use your social ad accounts and boost successful posts. If a post has worked well take note, be guided by the good results.

IMPROVE THE USER EXPERIENCE
You should always think that social media should maximise the customer experience. Before publishing, you should consider what your followers expect, don't just publish promotional messages. You can offer information about your company or news of interest in your sector.

If you receive complaints from your followers do not ignore them, try to respond as quickly as possible and do not forget to be friendly. Try to make your followers feel well treated, consider it a customer service job.

BE YOURSELF
Both we and our followers are people, in social media, you have to express yourself as a person who addresses people, do not show falsehood or create an artificial character. If your follower senses that you are a real person, he or she is more likely to get involved.

ADAPT YOUR STYLE TO DIFFERENT PLATFORMS
You must be yourself, but you have to take into consideration that each platform has different characteristics. On some like TikTok, you can be more carefree, while on others like LinkedIn you have to show your more professional and efficient style. As in real life, in a different (social) context we can behave differently, but always maintaining politeness and courtesy, netiquette.

NO COPY AND PASTE
When you want to share content in several social networks, do not publish the same message in each place. Try to be creative and publish a unique message on each network.
 

Don't limit yourself. If you have the capacity, use several social networks to launch your messages. Take advantage of all channels.

Remember to stay true to your brand image in all social media, that way users will recognize it more easily. Social media advertising is a great way to get your brand recognized.

You can use social tracking tools to receive information about the mentions of your brand. 
 

Key things to remember:

• entrepreneurs can grow their projects through incubators (for early ideas) or accelerators (for scaling existing businesses)
• both growth partners offer training, mentoring, and support, but with different timing and intensity
• ICT tools and social media are essential for communication, customer engagement, and brand visibility
• a strong online presence helps small businesses reach wider audiences and build trust
• effective social media use requires clear objectives, knowing your audience, understanding competitors, and planning quality content