BREAKING THE MYTHS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
It's a common theme we get all the time — "social media is so easy! If you build it, they will come. It takes no effort whatsoever to be successful off of this! "
The reality we face — "Social media can be challenging and time-consuming, but wholly worth it when done right. It takes a lot of effort and commitment to make the masses see us online."
Digital Marketing can be a bit of a beast to tackle. When done right, it can significantly increase awareness, while establishing a culture of consumers that are loyal, reliable and engaging. Unfortunately, this takes time, a lot of time, AND effort. We recommend taking the following steps - in order! - to start building your platform for promotional and business success.
There are so many platforms available to share and spread content online, and more and more are being created every day.
Get your accounts together (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.)
There are so many platforms available to share and spread content online, and more and more are being created every day. For starters, we recommend checking out Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Create an account, see how and what kind of content others are sharing, and find what works for you. Everyone does it a bit differently from account to account or platform to platform, but they're all working towards the same goal: Get the information out, and the sales in.
Note: We do not recommend attempting to create a presence on all platforms. Find the platforms that work best for you and work up from there. Trying to handle several accounts at once can be extremely overwhelming and time-consuming.
Develop a branding strategy.
This is where the magic happens. Honing in your branding strategy makes the rest of your journey easier overall. Here, we're developing the personality, the tone, and voice behind your brand. Who is your brand? Is she bright and bubbly, or clean-cut and straightforward? Are you here to inspire, or to inform? All of this sets the tone for your marketing efforts and will enhance your ability to effectively communicate the business message.
YouTube is an amazing platform to further elevate your brand message.
Create It, Educate, YouTube It! (Long Term)
YouTube is an amazing platform to further elevate your brand message. We're constantly reminded of how important video content is to a business' marketing strategy. In fact, Internet Video Traffic will be over 80% of all consumer internet traffic in 4 yrs. With each platform's ever-changing algorithms, it's important to produce content that consumers will actually consume so that you remain visible. This can be anything from product demos, Q&A sessions, to tutorials or just general life updates. So long as it's a subject you're knowledgeable of and feel comfortable discussing, it will work. Cross post these videos to other platforms when possible and start building your YouTube following.
Start a strategy for a Blog.
We recognize that growing clientele takes time. What usually starts with supportive friends and family, eventually grows to secondary groups met through sales success and networking opportunities. These individuals may keep up with you, follow you on social media, and then you may never actually interact with them again. Having a blog keeps those "passive" followers engaged with your business long-term. Blog posts are purposefully written like informal conversations. It's yet another chance to show your personal side, your knowledge of the products, anything that can be used to connect with your audience on a deeper, relatable level.
Long Run Level Up: Platforms and Consistency.
We call this section the "Long Run Level Up" because this next step is something to be accomplished in the long run. At this point, you've created all of your necessary pieces to get your social media presence up and running, have made some posts, and are getting comfortable, more in control. Perhaps you've hit a time where you're posting every day! Take your confidence and strategy to the next level by putting together a consistent schedule. Each platform has a different strategy and recommendations on how often to post. Take time to assess, invest, and commit to posting regularly. In time, with consistent effort, the community engagement and customers will start to trickle, then flow in!
The only myth about all of this is that it's easy. What is true, is that you are fully equipped to bring the masses to your business with just a few taps on your phone screen. Take these tips to heart and start making a change, one social post at a time.
Some resources we recommend:
