Scrolling through your Facebook feed while your coffee gets cold isn’t social media marketing.
You’re supposed to be doing something to promote your business online, but all those videos of cats can be awfully distracting.
The next thing you know, 20 minutes of your life has slipped away, and you still haven’t done anything productive.
The scenario I just described is typical for small business owners succumbing to the pressure to get on social media.
The thing is, without a plan of attack, many small business owners don’t get very far online.
Instead they face:
- Overwhelm: all the new, shiny tools!
- Wasted time: mucking about, without a strategy
- A sinking feeling: they’re missing out on a world of opportunity.
The way to be effective on social media is to know your audience.
Imagine you sell cat beds.
Probably, sharing all those cat videos on social media would be a great idea, because your ideal customer likes cats.
That’s an obvious one, but if you can get into the mind of your target market and figure out who they are, you can then create and share content (videos, articles, images) that will be received well.
Content that is well received will:
- Generate likes, comments and shares (increasing your exposure)
- Drive traffic to your website (assuming you provide a link to your site)
- Teach your prospects something (building trust and positioning you as a thought leader)
How do you figure out who your target audience is?
Hint: Here’s a handy video that shows you just how to figure that out, easily.
Take out a pen and paper and imagine your ideal client. Start brainstorming the answers to questions like:
- What keeps them up at night?
- What problem do they want to solve?
- What are their hobbies and interests?
- Where else do they spend money?
- How do they see themselves?
- What do they stand for?
- What media do they consume?
- What are they ready for?
- What questions they ask before they buy what you sell?
The answers to these questions will give you an idea of what’s important to your target, and what types of content they would like to see.
Answer the questions you get asked every day in the form of a blog post.
Think about it.
You get asked the same questions over and over and over.
Obviously, the answers are important to your existing customers, so the odds are good the answers will be important to your prospective customers.
Why not answer that question, in depth in a blog post. This handy video will give you tips on how to get that done more quickly and easily than you thought possible.
A social media strategy that is based on what your target audience cares about is the most effective strategy.
But, knowing your target audience is just the first step
One of my clients said today “I thought going to social media camp I’d learn everything I’d need to know about social media and be done – HA! That didn’t happen”
He’s right.
Successfully marketing your business on social media can be complicated, if you try to figure it all out on your own.
Or you can grab a complimentary copy of my book Social in 17 – how to be successful on social media in just 17 minutes a day.
This is what people are saying about Social in 17:
Really! Social Media can be done in 17 minutes a day. Laurel gives you the structure, the tips, and the ideas. This book is quick and easy to read. She touches on all the major social media platforms but she isn’t short on details. I enjoyed Laurel’s clear and concise style. Well worth my time (and I teach courses on social media). Jeff Nelson, Calgary.
Grab your free copy, here: www.laurelannestark.com
