5 Simple Social Media Rules
As a certified marketing consultant, perhaps the thing we hear most is: “How can I get more sales from social media? I constantly share deals on there, but I get no bites and it seems like a waste of time”. And the short answer is, social media isn’t always the right platform for sales conversions. In fact, for most business models, social media only exists to provide social clout. So, what is social clout? Social clout is communicating a sense of influence or proof to your customers. In other words, social media for business purposes exists for for these reasons:
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To demonstrate industry expertise
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To drive website traffic
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To re-market the abandoners
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To grow brand awareness
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To get to know your target consumer
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To showcase customer reviews
Stop Wasting Time & Get Results
From Social Media Marketing
5 Rules To Follow in Social Media Marketing
So without further ado, let’s get down to our 5 rules of creating social media platforms that ACTUALLY help business.
1. Analyze Your Customer
Sure, ideally you want every human on this earth purchasing your product or service, but almost all successful businesses have a niche. Your niche helps you stand out from the crowd and lets you specialize on what you do best. So, with niche in mind, fill out this free customer avatar sheet. This helps you identify who your customer is, what goals they may have, where they hang out, and what objections they may have.
Now let’s imagine you are a health magazine that has two client types- the advertisers (B2B) and the readers (B2C). These two clients interact in very different ways. On one hand you are trying to attract small businesses in the health niche to advertise in your journal. But on the other hand you want health focused individuals to come to your site, and better yet invest in a program you have. For this reason, it’s important to fill out multiple customer avatars based on any potential client genre.
Related: Get a Free Technical SEO Website Audit >>
2. Hang Out with Your Client
So now that we have identified our client niche, we need to get in front of them. Think about it, imagine a crowd of people walking by and you are holding up a sign that says “FREE Fishing Lures”. You are almost certainly wasting your time on about 70% of the population walking by. BUT now imagine if you are investing your time into a Facebook group for fishing tips, you may just get a bite (see what I did there). You need to be friends with your client in order to really understand what they need. So in other words, follow the customer avatar sheet you filled out in step 1 and join those groups where your customers are.
Pro Tip: don’t just jump in there trying to sell; instead listen to the customer, identify pain points & become a friend.
3. Create the Right Content
I get it, this one is much easier said than done. Pay-per-Click advertising- it’s all people talk about these days, but it goes so much deeper than the “boost this post” button on facebook or a $5 daily Google Ads budget. There is no point to throw money at content that doesn’t attract your ideal customer. A click is great, but a click from an engaged customer is worth 1,000x investment. If you need to freshen up your thoughts on the benefits of SEM and different types make sure you read this information first. Become an authority in the matters that affect your clients, and convert them into being a fan.
Related: What is Search Engine Optimization? >>
4. Cultivate a community
It’s been said that the average customer has 7 points of contact with your brand before making a purchase. So you got them in your door, but you still need a little more convincing to get them to trust you. Think about it this way, you can’t propose to someone on your first date (I mean you could, but I wouldn’t recommend it)- so why are you expecting them to convert on their first visit? This is where it is super important to have a lead magnet. And if you don’t know what a lead magnet is an incentive (usually a free or downloadable PDF) that you exchange with a potential client in exchange for their contact information. Build your email list and keep them engaged in your latest updates.
Pro tip: don’t spam them, refer to step 3 about creating the RIGHT content. Only send them information that somehow benefits their pain points.
5- Retargeting Campaigns
Now you have cultivated an audience, rather than screaming at a crowd, by creating the content that your ideal customer cares about. So it’s time to focus on retargeting efforts. This step ties back in to all of the 4 prior steps- you need to: identify your customer, hang out , become an authority , cultivate a following and now you can follow up. Maybe they are still in the “fan” stage of the customer journey, or maybe they have already made a purchase. Either way its much more efficient (and cost effective) to market to the community you have already won over. There are great tools to manage that these days, but a few worth mentioning include Facebook Pixels, AdRoll & Automated Email Campaigns.
Why do we share these in-depth small business marketing tips?
Short Answer? We believe in the power of community. Long answer:
Many clients often ask me why I go so in depth during a consultation. In other words, if I show all of my cards, won’t the person take my roadmap and run with it? Well, maybe- and if you do, all the more power to you. I am all about rolling up the sleeves and doing the hustle. But the truth is, as entrepreneurs, we need to look at our time as the one non-renewable asset we have. Your time is worth something, hence why you created this business in the first place. And if you are like thousands of other successful entrepreneurs, your time is most likely better spent on the passions that brought you to this place instead of studying the intricacies of implementing this actionable marketing plan or taking the certifications that we have mastered for you. If that sounds like you, let’s have a chat and discuss if there is anything Creative DSM can do that you just don’t have the time for.