Social Media may seem like the dream solution to reaching your audience and marketing to them. You can schedule posts as often as you eat, you can talk to your audience any time of day or night and even stalk them to see what times they are online
NOTE*** If you’re not looking at your Facebook analytics then why not?!
Once you’ve posted your wonderful content and sent it out there into the stratosphere you can bask in the warm glow of those notifications that pop up to let you know people “like” your post. You can share the posts in groups and within networks. And it’s all free, right?
Well not everything is always as perfect as it seems at first glance. There are oodles of great things about social media, but it is not necessarily the magic pill you crave.
Want to jump on the social media bandwagon?
Most business are using some form of social media, but not all are using it well. Have you ever stumbled across a business page only to find their last post was circa 2017? Blimey! What HAVE they been doing?!
Almost eight in 10 people (79%) * now use social media so as a business it seems to make sense to be using it, and doing it right.
Let’s explore the benefits of social media in business, while also looking at some key reasons why it might not be the ideal marketing strategy for your business.
Here are 3 key strategy areas that social media can be used for:
You should use social media for…. Content distribution
The key here is to offer value via education or engagement. You must always think of the audience – Every. Single. Time. Use social media to promote informative blogs, or tips from your industry. Share relevant articles that will help your audience. Post funny or interesting quotes. Give value to your readers and they will keep coming back!
The way you show your content is important: create some professional graphics in Canva or similar, or engage someone to do it for you. Think about the colours, imagery, copy for the posts and the time of day that you post. Attractive graphics make you look professional and modern, and set you up for success.
You should use social media for…. Brand Building
With this strategy, you are looking for ways to increase your brand awareness - and a way to humanise your brand. Social media can help you stay ‘top of mind’ with your target market.
Here, it is important to work out what your brand actually is – what does it stand for? What brand are you actually building?
You should use social media for…. Business Growth
If done right, social media activities can grow your business by:
Increasing traffic to your website
Generating leads
Boosting sales
Positioning you/your business as a leader/expert in the market.
3 reasons not to use social media for your business
Don’t use social media if… you are not willing to take it seriously
Social media is not a quick fix; it is not a cheap, disposable marketing tool that you can treat with disrespect. If you don’t respect your audience, why would they respect you or your brand?
Don’t use social media if… your audience is just not there
Selling handbags to 20-something females in professional careers? Great, get on Instagram and Facebook and pimp those posts! If you are promoting a leadership course to accountants, perhaps jump on LinkedIn.
On the other hand, if you are selling stamp-collecting packs for men over 50 in regional areas, perhaps check to see if that audience are even on social media, let alone using it regularly.
There are other marketing channels you can try: Print media still has its place and can reach an audience that might not be on social media. Other avenues to consider are Radio, TV and Face-to-Face marketing.
Don’t use social media if… you just want to sell
It’s understandable that you really want to sell your product or service. It’s your life – you believe what you have to offer is AMAZING and want to shout it to the world.
The thing is (sorry to be harsh) ………. no-one else wants to hear about it all the time, or have it shoved down their throats every day – even your best friends and family!
Every time you are tempted to sell a bit too hard, or every time you are not sure what to even post on social media, go back to the first point in this article and think about what the audience are getting from you. Are you offering value? Are you educating or engaging them? Are you building your brand in a suitable way?
___
If you would like me to write your blogs and create your social media posts, pop your details onto our Contact page https://www.sbcreations.com.au/
*(Sensis 2018 Social Media Report)