So what is social media marketing?

You’ve been in business for a while, you used to advertise in your local newspaper but that doesn’t seem to work anymore and everyone tells you you need to use social media marketing…..

For some of you, familiarity with social media can bring comfort but it’s not just about advertising your latest sale.

When you use social media to support your business, it’s about building your community, or your fan club if you like. 

You don’t simply want to be telling your audience what you do but more how you can help them. 

You may initially think you don’t know how you can help, but if you’ve been in business for a while, I’m pretty sure you do.

If you’re in retail or hospitality, you’ll have a good idea about the people you are attracting into your physical business premises, and if you’re a service based business you’ll find there is a typical customer who comes to you.

If you have a complete mixture, it may be a good time to think about the messages you put out to see if you can narrow down the characteristics you notice in your ideal client.

You’ve probably heard this term before if you read anything to do with marketing; your ideal client is the person you would most like to serve, the person who is the most enjoyable to do business with, the person who is most likely to appreciate what you do for them, the person who is most likely to tell all their friends about the wonderful service you give without any prompting at all.

Is this nudging you into building up a picture of your ideal client? …..Not the one who makes you jump through hoops, and always wants you to do more for them without valuing your time.

Everyone during their time in business will have come across difficult clients or customers, so have a think about those who have drained your energy, those ones who don’t say thank you (it’s often the little things isn’t it?) and then start to narrow down and think about those lovely ideal clients who have been the best to work with and for.

Those are the ones you need to consider where they are, where they “hang out” so you can reach more of them.

So with this in mind, you’re taking your first steps in marketing. 

Where do they hang out? This is where social media plays such a big role. Most of your customers or clients will be on a social media platform (not all, but most) so which one or ones is it best to find your audience on?

A very simplistic way would be to look at your business sector: for example, retail and hospitality is generally using Facebook and Instagram whereas service-based industries like banking or legal are more likely on LinkedIn and/or Twitter, and if you’re in the creative or design sectors it may be that Pinterest is for you. This is a complete generalisation but a good place to start.

The next step is to spend a bit of time looking at your chosen social media platforms and research the existing activity on there. Check out your competition and see if they’re already on social media; look at what they’re posting, who they’re following and who follows them. It's a good starting point to get a feel for those actions and see those posts that do well and those that don’t do so well. I’m not saying copy, simply to establish a few of the ground rules - why waste time trying out different avenues when someone has gone before you and tried and tested already?

If you’ve chosen your platform(s) or even if you’re already on social media but not sure you’re reaching the right people, you want to start by getting your bio in order. You’ll be amazed at how many businesses overlook this vital step. I’ve outlined the bio content in a previous blog here (and I have a video here!).

Aim to speak to your ideal client in that bio, so that they know you are the perfect business for them. When you post, act as though you are speaking directly to them; like it’s a one-to-one conversation – you’ll find the results much more engaging. Top tip – think about posing questions to your audience rather than statements so that you get responses; it’s the all-important engagement that you are looking for.

Not forgetting that social media is a two-way street, ensure that you engage with content on your preferred social platform – why would you expect others to interact with you, if you don’t spend the time engaging with others? Use the law of reciprocity and treat others as you would like to be treated.

If you have some existing customers or clients on social media, ask them if they would write a review for you. This is gold in terms of social proof – how often do you check reviews before you buy a product or service? It’s so easy to find feedback now that it’s become quite common-place to check out what other people think before committing our hard earned pennies!

What we’ve seen is that social media marketing is about using the power of social media to reach a larger audience, but rather than getting lost in the crowd, you want to appeal to your ideal customer. 

Remember

• 1. Do your research on social media to see what works well in your sector

• 2. Update/write your social media bio with your ideal audience in mind 

• 3. Engage with complementary social media accounts 

• 4. Post engaging content to build your community online

• 5. Ask for reviews for social proof

And only after you’ve done all that can you start selling. Yes, it can be a slow burn but all good things come to those who persevere.

Imagine if you were following an account and every post was trying to sell you something, how would you feel?

Personally my inclination would be to unfollow, so bear that in mind when you post. A general rule of thumb would be 80% informative and entertaining posts and 20% making offers to your audience posts. Let me know in the comments if this blog resonates with you and what have you tried so far that works? It’s great to share our wins!!