Want to know the best ways to leverage social media marketing for your business, especially in today’s business landscape?
The two main shortages of any business are that of resources and time. If, at any time, you have felt that limited funding or manpower has kept you from marketing your business on social media, then you will definitely want to read on. A little bit of clarity can take you a long way.
Not All Social Media Networks Are Created Equal
Truth be told, not all social platforms are the same. And not all audiences that frequent those networks are the same.
The bottom line is this: Behind every exceptional social media post lies a great strategy.
With that said, social media is all about connecting with your audience from an authentic place. It is all about joining the conversation that is already taking place between your customers or clients.
To do that effectively, you must understand who your current and potential customers or clients are, or who your target audience is. By distinguishing specific characteristics, such as age, gender, interest, and even income level, you begin to develop a picture of who it is you ultimately want to serve.
Once you have that picture in mind, then it becomes important to do your due diligence and determine the specific location that that person chooses to socialize in. Understand this: The audience on Facebook is not the same audience on Instagram (even though Facebook owns Instagram). In short, the primary age group on Facebook is 25 to 65, where the primary age group on Instagram is 15 to 24.
Paid Traffic vs. Organic Followers: The 80/20 Rule at Work
“No amount of paid media is going to turn bad creative into good content.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
According to Gary V, if you are a small business, with limited funding, your focus should be more on spending time creating and sharing content (and a lot of it), rather than creating little content and trying to push it with the limited funds you do have.
In other words, rather than trying to invest in paid advertising, you should, instead, channel those funds into creating quality content that your audience sees as valuable and deems shareable.
This is, in essence, the 80/20 rule at work. You see, 80% of the outcome you experience from your social media marketing efforts is based on the 20% of input you give to it.
Let me put it to you in another way: You may be able to buy acquaintances, but you certainly can’t buy true friends. In other words, paid advertising may put you in front of more people (quantity), but quality content will bring the kind of evangelist you want for your company’s message (quality).
Monthly Themes with a Collaborative Approach
Lastly, as a business owner, you are most certainly busy. So, how can you even think about amplifying your social media marketing efforts (creating and sharing more content) when you already have a million and one things to do on your to-do list?
Well, the answer to that is with monthly themes and a content curation strategy.
It was Stephen Covey who told us that we should “start with the end in mind”. Therefore, at the end of every month, you should take about an hour to plan out next month’s content calendar.
Look, you might spend an hour planning what you are going to create and share for next month, but that is certainly a better use of time than spending an hour a day trying to decide what to create and share for that moment. And coming up with themes is a great way to start doing that.
In other words, focus one month’s work of content based on a specific product or service you provide. For example, if you are a clothing retail store, let one month be about your fitness selection, and the next month be about your formal wear.
When you have these themes and/or elements in mind from the outset, it makes coming up with what you are going to create and share on socials that much more strategic.
Moreover, it was Michael Hyatt who said, “Blogging is communal, and those that participate in the community win.” In other words, no one ever said that you must create all the content that you share on social media. In fact, content curation can establish you as an authority just as much as content creation does.
In short, in today’s business and social landscape, growth and expansion are more about collaboration than they are about competition. This tip actually helps in the moments when you have limited time, but still need to share something to get your audience’s attention. Share a link to a piece of content that is similar to your own, that someone else created, and include your personality by stating your opinion about the piece.
At Empowered Pulse, we specialize in social media marketing within the style of today’s new business landscape. Learn more about our service and let us get started on creating you a customized social media marketing strategy that is designed for finding the right visitors for your message and converting them into customers through organic brand creation and engagement.