You know I believe that every business should have a presence on social media. Does this mean you need to be on every platform? Not at all. Let me share how by giving you 5 social media strategies to help market your business.
According to Wharton Executive Education:
- 74 percent of consumers share video content from brands on social media
- 57 percent of consumers have reached out to a brand on social media because they had a question
- 45 percent of consumers reach out to brands on social media to get an issue with a product or service resolved, and 34 percent reach out to brands to tell them they’ve done a great job
5 Ways to Market on Social Media
It is easy to get frozen when trying to do your social media. So, before we get into the activities you should do on social media, I think you should consider first if you really have the heart to represent your brand on these platform(s). If you have a real aversion to social media, then consider hiring someone to do it for you.
The 5 Ways You Should Market On Social Media
I owned a small digital marketing agency for years. These steps are ones we took for our clients (and I did with my brand). Here are the 5 ways to market your business on social media we are discussing today.
- Choose Your Platform(s)
- Create Regular Authentic Posts
- Managing Direct Messages
- Take Action On Your Posts’ Engagement and Comments
- Activity To Take On the Posts of Others
1. Choose Your Platform(s)
One of the first social media strategy steps to take is determining which platform(s) your brand should be present on.
When deciding it is important to do research and see which social media channel lines up best for your industry.
You will also need to consider the ROI (return on investment) for the platform. Many statistics can be researched on Google and other search engines (which include social platforms now as well).
“Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok drive the most business impact overall, though B2B marketers consistently name LinkedIn as their strongest channel.”
Sproutsocial
As indicated by the quote above, LinkedIn is named the top social media platform for B2B. This includes the online services industry. Other industries (like eCommerce) indicate Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok platforms perform best.
2. Create Regular Authentic Posts
Another way to help market your business on social media is to create regular authentic posts. It is just as important to be consistent with your content.
One of the ways I do this is by creating one main piece of content, my blog. Within my blog, I offer 5 to 7 bullet or numbered points. I offer personal examples from my own experiences so that it is an authentic voice from my brand.
I then take these and create an individual piece of content for each day of the week. I simply copy and paste them into a graphic template I have on Canva. If you create a graphic template, you can use it every time for your blog quotes.
I also then copy and paste my article (or most of it) into my email for the week. Then I make it into a Newsletter for LinkedIn. And the last place I share it is on Medium. As long as you note at the end that it was “originally published on <your website>”, this is allowable.
This is how creating one piece of content each week can provide you with tons of content for social media.
Time Saver: Create templates for your graphics, email newsletters, and any place you can share your expertise. Then all you will need to do is copy and paste the information. Another time saver is to use a scheduler. There are a number of them, and most offer a free option. If, however, you want to post multiple posts at a time (which is advised), you will likely pay for it, but it is well worth the money in the long run. I, personally, use SocialPilot.
3. Managing Direct Messages
The third way to market using your social media channels is by managing your direct messages. Regardless of the platform you use, it has direct messaging and/or inboxes.
I will be honest, I’m not a fan of direct messaging for sales. Mostly because I get so many sales messages myself. I never want to do that to others.
I do, however, think there is a place for them. For genuine inquiry or networking (without a sales push), if you are trying to help other entrepreneurs, it has value.
The first thing to know about direct messaging is to answer your messages as quickly as possible. I know people who live on their messaging system, but I cannot and do not want to do that.
If you are like me and unable or do not want to do this, then checking the platform messaging at least a few times a week is usually suitable. If you make an honest effort to do it, people understand.
Time Saver: Keep your calendar links handy to copy and paste into your messages. Make them genuine and try to connect with the other person. You can also create standard messages that you can customize once you copy them into the message you want to send. Doing either or both of these things will save you a lot of time when managing your direct messages.
4. Take Action On Your Posts’ Engagement and Comments
The next way to market on social media is to take action on your engagement and comments. This is crucial on your platform. People want to know you are paying attention to what they are saying so they feel heard (good or bad).
If you only post generic posts and do not respond when others comment, you’ll likely begin to lose that engagement. By responding to engagement, you build a good reputation and good relationships with those whom you engage online.
hubspot
“50 percent of customers will ditch a business that doesn’t respond to a negative social media posts, and 80 percent of customers want a response within 24 hours.”
Many customers are going to social media to vent their dissatisfaction with brands. Those brands that do not respond to an upset customer stand the chance of losing that customer and others. So, make certain you are checking your engagement on the platform of your choice.
5. Take Action On Posts of Others
Regarding action to take on the posts of others is just as important. It also includes creating engagement and commenting on those posts.
You must show others love by commenting on their posts; otherwise, you tend to look selfish. So, show you care and want to be involved in the community by engaging in the posts of others – just not your competitors. Choose those in your ideal prospect audience, so they will see you interacting.
Final Thoughts
Having owned a small digital marketing agency for years, I can honestly say that social media is worth the investment of time or money. If you don’t mind the time to invest in your social media, as little as 15 minutes a day up to approximately 1 hour.
If you don’t want to give the time to it or don’t like it, then invest a little money and get someone to help you. Either way, it is well worth it.
I’d love to hear about yours and your ROI.
I love helping women online service businesses scale. Helping you Work Less and Earn More!
Tammy Durden is an award-winning business coach and consultant who specializes in helping women online service providers grow a business to fit their lifestyle rather than squeeze a life around their business.
Tammy has established herself as an authority figure over the last 18 years while creating and growing several online service businesses. She is also a sought-after thought leader, course creator, and speaker in the online service industry.
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