[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_single_image image=”662″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css_animation=”top-to-bottom”][vc_column_text]Is social media right for you and your business? Well then read below and find out!
Do you have a business? Are you looking to find new prospective clients? Do you want to be known as an expert in your field? Are you trying to make a name for yourself? Do you have something to say? Then you and your business should be on social media!
It always baffles me when I chat to companies who don’t believe in investing their time, resources or money in social media. They’ll spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on above-the-line advertising, and yet they’re not prepared to spend a fraction of that on digital marketing. In today’s world, it’s imperative to have a social media strategy in place. Contrary to what some people believe, social media is much more than just a way to be noticed online. It allows you the opportunity to grow your brand, connect with your current customers, and when done correctly, you can generate real leads for your business. And what’s even better is that social media lead generation is actually very cost effective. There probably isn’t a more powerful sales tool on the internet than social media. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram can become effective and profitable sales tools.
Social media networks are incredible resources for businesses looking to promote their brands online. The platforms themselves are free to use, but if you want to reach new audiences and grow a massive following in a short amount of time, then there are paid advertising options available. Obviously everyones aim is to pull in a massive amount of organic engagement, but the changes to Facebook’s algorithms have made it increasingly difficult to get organic reach. The bright side is that Facebook Ads can be budget-friendly. And so if you’re not reaching the numbers you want, it wont break the bank to boost your posts and pages. That’s why I use a mix of organic, and paid for content.
It’s important that you choose and nurture the social platforms that work best for your business, so that you don’t spread yourself too thin. A lot of small businesses tend to join every single social media platform that there is, without knowing how to use them properly first. My advice would be that you choose your social media platforms carefully. For example, if you’re in financial services, then your main social network shouldn’t be Instagram (which is a very visual platform), it should be LinkedIn instead.
LinkedIn lets you connect with other industry people, share thought leadership articles and infographics, and will establish you as a leader in your field. If however you were a fashion blogger, or someone selling services or products to do with image, then Instagram, Pintrest and Facebook are for you. I’m not saying that you cant be on all of the platforms, but I am saying that you need to know which platform would suit you best, and where your content would receive the most engagement.
If you want to create a successful social strategy, you should familiarise yourself with how each social network works, the kinds of audiences you can reach on that network and how your business can best use each platform.
Let’s talk about Facebook for a minute. Facebook is the biggest social network on the web. With nearly 1.8 billion active users, Facebook is a great medium for connecting people from all over the world. You need to be where your audience is, and since the majority of people spend time on Facebook every day, this is the best place to reach them. So the next time you want to email a prospect, perhaps just think of reaching out to them on Facebook messenger instead! You’ll probably hear back from them a lot faster than you would by using email.
Whether you’re an individual, or have your own business, when people search for you online, your Facebook profile will pop up. Since this is a platform that most people are familiar with, they’re bound to click on this first. Which means that the information that you supply on your Facebook page has to be relevant.
So many sales and prospects will be lost if your Facebook page is full of irrelevant posts and updates. Have a clear description of who you are, what you offer, and how people can reach you. And then make sure that the content you post is both engaging and informative. Nowadays anyone can create content, and if you want to be seen as an expert in your field then you should be uploading videos, doing Facebook live’s with your community and sharing your knowledge.
Facebook also lets you target based on anything from interests, age, gender, and income. You can choose to display ads based on geographical region, or occupation. Targeting in this way means that cold calling people, who may not be interested in your product or service, is potentially a thing of the past. The customization options are virtually limitless, allowing you to maximize every cent you spend. Pay per click advertising (PPC) is extremely powerful, and if you’re not already implementing it into your sales strategy, you should be!
But before we can really maximise a social media advertising strategy, you’ll first need to create a following. And in order to create a following, you’ll need to have content that is engaging, relevant, and interesting. Think about what you have to say, and how you’re going to say it. If you’re a car sales person or a real estate person then think about your subject matter and how you would engage with people in the market place through social media.
A lot of people employ other companies to do their social media but if you’re going to develop your brand then you need to make sure that the brand is you. This means being very hands on and involved in everything that is posted.
Digital advertising has without a doubt changed the entire marketing, advertising and sales landscape. People are constantly on their phones so this is where you need to reach them. Smart businesses have taken social media to the next level and if you’re good at it, you’ll generate great leads.
If you do a Facebook live once a week, where you speak about your products and services, and offer people advice, you’ll slowly build a following. This creates online traffic, which in turn generates contacts and leads.
Another way to generate contacts is by uploading videos to Youtube. This builds credibility and positions you as a leader within your industry. People will start thinking of you as the go-to person in your industry. You can put your details on these platforms for people to call you directly, or you can send them to a portal where they input their details and you call them back. Think of every way possible that you can introduce yourself, your products and your services on social media. If you do it the right way and you’re committed to it fully, you’ll see fantastic results. But if you do any of these methods half-heartedly then they won’t work.
[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1532955308822{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;padding-left: 5px !important;background-color: #eaeaea !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Top tips: Getting started
- Ask questions: Ask your audience questions that are relevant to the product or service that you sell. This will work as research for you, and your audience will also be more interested in engaging with your content.
- Do your homework: Spend time learning about social media and how it can help your business. It’s more effective than cold calling and door knocking. There are so many different platforms and things that you can do, so spend some time exploring and discovering everything available to you.
- Target: Make sure that you know your target market, and tailor your content to suit their needs and wants.
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