Whenyouareasmallbusinessowner,entrepreneurorfreelancer,youhavesomanythingstofocusonthatyoumayforgetaboutyoursocialmediamarketing.
Sowedecidedtoalsoasksomebusinessexpertsabouttheirbestsocialmediamarketingtips.
Herearetheiringeniousanswers.
Westartedbootstrappingourstartupwith$6,000,avision,andagorillamarketingstrategytomakeithappen.OurCashforPursesbusinesshasalmostafullchaptercasestudyinthe6theditionofTheNewRulesofMarketing&PR,byDavidMeermanScott,andWileyPublishing.
WeareoneofthefewcompaniesthathasmasteredthistotheextentofmainstreampressinoutletssuchasCNN,Fox,Bloomberg,WallStreetJournal,Forbesandmore,tothetuneofover20,000newclientsandover$2,500,000inrevenuefromfreeexposure.
Asaclothingbrand,wehaveaconsiderablenumberofcelebritieswhowearourclothes.Wehaveintegratedthisintooursocialmediabyincludingphotosofourcustomers,celebrityornot,wearingourclothes.
Wealsoincludeshotsoflocationsandmodelsthatreflectourbrandvalues,suchasclassicLondonstreetsorfashionshows.Thishelpsustohonourourroots–wewerefoundedinLondonandwereflectclassicLondonfashioninourclothingline.Again,thisappealstoatargetaudienceofpeoplewhoaspiretoacertainlifestyle.
Throughusinghashtags,theseimagesreachouttoourtargetaudienceandhelppeoplewhowouldbeinterestedinshoppingwithustocheckoutoursocialmediapages.SincejoiningTwitterin2009,ourfollowinghasgrowntothecurrentnumberof35.4k.
Everysmallbusinessneedstobuildintotheirplansagivebacktotheircommunityprogramandthendoitallyearlong.
Whenyourcustomersknowyouareengagedwithhelpingtheircommunity,theybecomemoreloyalandinsomecasesfeeltheobligationtogivebackthemselves,whichisawinwinforyou,yourcustomersandyourcommunity.
Ourstrongestgive-backeffortisthroughFacebook.Wehave248,000followers.Nowifweweremoviestars,thatisnotalot,butforaB2Bbusinessthatsells275,000generalmerchandiseproductsbythecaseatwholesaleandcloseoutpricestoentrepreneurs,smallbusinessesandnonprofitorganizations,thisisquiteafollowing.
Tocreatesuchafollowing,wegivebacktoourcommunitywithadifferentgiveawayeachmonth.InJanuaryitwasfornonprofitsthatsupportkids.InFebruaryitwasforvolunteersandvolunteerorganizations.Thismonthitisforplacesofworship.
Givingbacktoyourcustomerbaseisanotherwaytodosocialgoodthroughcausemarketing.Wehaveaprogramwhereanyofourcustomerscandesignate5%oftheirpurchasedollarstotheirfavoritecharity.
Wealsohavecreatedafreewishlistprogramfornonprofitstogetwhattheyneedasanotherwaywesupportcharitablecauses.Wesetthesewishlistssitesupfornonprofitsatnocosttothem.
Webelievethatgivingbackisawinforusincreatingaloyalfollowingwhileatthesametimehelpingtosupporttheircauses.
LinkedIngroupscanbeespeciallyeffectiveforhighlyspecializedB2Bcompaniesbecausetheyofferverytargeted,motivatedaudiences.Itisimportanttoengage,notjustpromote,whichenhancestheopportunitytobuildrelationshipsthatcanbemutuallybeneficial.
WeuseLinkedIngroupstoengageverytargetedaudiencesandtheresultsintrafficandsaleshavebeenmeasurableandimpressive.
Forexample,oneofourclientsmanufacturessomethingcalledan“ultrafast”laser—ahigh-precisionlaserformaterialprocessing(itdrillsfuelinjectornozzlesandcutscoronarystents).
ThereareLinkedIngroupsforeverything,includingLasersforMaterialProcessingandUltrafastLasersandApplications.Publishingourblogpostsandcontentoffershasresultedin:
Wehavealsobuiltrelationshipsthathaveledtoguestbloggingopportunitiesforourclient;andforexpertstoguestblogontheclient’ssite.
ManyentrepreneursfliptheGoLIVEbuttonandtalkabouttheirservices,butthatonlyintereststhem.
Myaudiencetunesin,shares,andinvestsinmybusinessoverandoveragain(allowingmetogainrepeatbusinessfromcurrentclients)becauseIappealtotheirbiggestpainpointsandprovideasolution.
Iencouragemyclientsandanyothercoaches,consultants,andinfluencerstogetreallyclearonwheretheiraudienceisonanemotionallevelfirst,thenfast-trackyourpathingettingthemtoinvestinyoursolutionsthroughlivestreaming.
ThatjourneyistheexactstoryyoushouldtellduringyourLivestream.
It’simportanttokeepinmind:yourcustomersareyourbestmarketers.
Takingthisonestepfurther,onourwebsitewe’veintegratedanInstagramfeedthatisconnectedtoourtwomainhashtags:#BioClarityand#NaturallyBetter.
NotonlyisourSocialMediaTeamactivelyengagingwiththesepostersonInstagram,we’reprovidingthempromotiononourwebsiteinfrontofthousandsofotherlike-mindedyoungadults.
BySharingtheSpotlightweencourageourcustomerstoshareourproductswiththeirfollowers,fans,andfriends,organicallyincreasingouramplificationandsocialmediapresence.
AtAlexisChateauPR,wetookanunconventionalapproachtosocialmediamarketing,byhiringacattohelpout.
ShadowthePRCatwasthebestsocialmediadecisionweevermade.
Thus,ourprimarysocialmediatiptoothersmallbusinessesistothinkoutsidethebox,andtogenuinelysupportacauseyourclientscanrelateto.Authenticityandcreativityisthebestcombination.
Inmyopinion,themostimportantthingamarketershouldknowisthatbeingusefultoyourfollowersiscrucialforengaginganaudience.
Manybusinesseshaveresortedtohiringoutsidewriters,whichIdon’tfeelistherightapproachbecauseyourin-housestaffwillbestbeabletocreatecontentthatisengagingtoyourcoreconsumerbase,aswellasappropriateforyourbrand.
Ourstaffhasreallysucceededwithbloggingforourwebsitewhichissuchadifficulttaskforanybusinesstostart,andmaintainovertime.Iaskedtwoofoursalesstaff,JessicaandAmy,toputtheirtalentstoworkfortheblog.
TheirblogpostssometimescomefromquestionssubmittedbyclientslikeintheAskAmysection,orareverycurrentandengagingtopicsaboutjewelry,fashionandwatches.
WhilenotallofthoseconvertandnotALLconversionsarefromsocial,thelessonisthesame:Bepreparedforyourtrafficandknowwhatyouwantthemtodowhentheyarriveonthepage.
Mycompany,SkyeHomes,flipsuglyhousesintheBayArea.Webuythesehousesdirectlyfromsellers.
Transparencyisimportanttoourclients.WebuildtrustandcredibilitybygivingpeoplealookinsideourbusinessthroughinexpensiveFacebook“boosts.”
Werecentlypostedapictureofan“ugly”houseweboughtandboostedittoourtargetmarketforfourdaysonly.Theorganicreachwas159people,butfora$13.00boostwereachedanother441people,resultingin57clicksandthreeleads.
Oneofthoseleadsconvertedandweboughttheperson’shouse.Itwillbringinover$15,000inrevenuewhenfinished,fromonly$13.00ofadspend.
Comparedtoourprimarymarketingmethodofdirectmailing,whereanaverageleadcostsover$2,500,Facebookboostshaveallowedustoeffectivelyandefficientlytargetourmarket.Wewillbeputtingconsiderablymoreresourcesbehindournext“insidelook”boost.
Oneofthemostignoredaspectsofsuccessfulsocialmediaandonlinemarketingishavingapositiveonlinereputation.It’ssurprisinghowmuchafewnegativereviewscanaffectabusiness’sbottomline.
HavingpositiveratingsonpopularreviewandsocialsiteswillgreatlyimproveGooglerankingsofthoseprofiles,leadingpotentialcustomersdirectlytoyoursiteandimprovingthelikelihoodthatthey’llconvert.
Ourgreatestsuccesswithonlinereputationmanagementwastakingamedicalpracticewith7reviewsanda2.1starratingto121reviewsanda4starrating.
Thisexponentialreputationboostincreasedrevenuesfromnewpatientsby386%.Youcanimaginehowmuchofaneffectthiswillhaveonthefutureofthispractice.
Itisoftenthatthesimplethingsareoverlookedwhiletryingtofindasolutiontoaproblem.
Forexample,ifyouopenaburgerrestaurant,youmightofferafreesodaforanyonewhofollowsyouonFacebookandpostsapositivestatusthattagsyourbusinessinit.
Peoplehavesmart-phones,theycandoitrighttherewhilestandinginline!Togetthemostoutofit,makesureyougoreplytoeverypostthatyouaretaggedinandthankthemforcomingin,andsetthemupforthenextvisit.
ThenpostapictureofthewinneronyourFacebook.Besuretoletpeopleknowthatthereisanincentivetofollowyou!
InrecentyearswehavebegunshowcasingthepropertieswehavefundedviaFacebookLiveandYouTube.
Forus,thesemethodsarerelevantbecausewecandocumentthekindsofpropertieswearefundingclientsfor,andgetotherclientsexcitedtoworkwithusandsecuretheirdreamhomeaswell.
Fromabusinessperspective,whenshowcasingyourproductorbusinessonsocialmediaingeneral,itismorebeneficialtoutilizevideosratherthanphotos.
Thisisduetothefactthatitismucheasiertoaccrue‘views’than‘likes’oncontent,soutilizingvideosisonesocialmediahackthatshouldbetakenadvantageof.Utilizingvideosallowsyoutogain300+views,forexample,andshowcasesthatastheprimarynumberonthecontent.
Videoshavealsobeenproventobemuchmoreengagingandshareableinrecentyearsthanjuststagnantphotos.
Byutilizingreal-timevideos,notonlyhavewebeensuccessfulindrivinggreatpublicitybacktoourbusiness,butwehavealsosecured20%moreclienteleduetothenewandexcitinginsightweareprovidingourclients.
Thecostofutilizingsocialmediamarketingisalsoextremelylow,makingitmorevaluableandeasytoexecute.
WehavefoundthemostsuccessthroughsharingourownoriginalphotographyonFacebook.
Typically,Facebookpostsfrombusinessesconsistofsharingindustry-relevantcontentfromothersources,whichwecertainlydo,butitshouldn’tbetheonlythingyoupost.
Sinceweoperateinthehouse-flippingspace,weoftendiversifyourpostsbysharingpicturesofourclients’completedprojects.
Thisisnotjustawaytoengagewithourfollowers,butalsoawaytoconvertleadsbyshowingthemexamplesofwhattheycouldaccomplishwithourfunding.
Ifwecouldonlymakeonesocialmediamarketingtip,itwouldbetousetextmessagestorequestonlinereviewsfromcustomers.
Ideallyitistheemployeewhohasthedirectrelationshipwiththecustomerwhoisaskingforthereviewandsendingthetextmessage,leveragingthepersonalrelationshipforamuchbetterresponseratethanagenericcompanyfollow-up.
Thesetupisprettysimple:
Asocialmarketingstrategythatwehaveimplementedistotargetinfluencesforourproduct.
HowwedidthatistotargetaverysmallinfluentialgroupofindividualsonFacebooklikerealtorsandpropertymangersthathavetheabilitytospreadthewordaboutourbusiness.
Wealsofollowupandsendoutanemailcampaigntoexplainthatwebuiltafeatureforthemspecifically,amultiplepropertiesfeature.
Customizingoursocialmediacampaignhasreallyhelpedourgrowth.Sinethelaunchofthiscampaign,wehaveseenan30%uptickinourmultiplepropertyfeatureandan10%growthonourthebottomline.
Oneinnovativethingamasscustomizationbusinessinthephotographyspacedidwasmarrysocialmediawithemail(which,insomecases,canbeasocialchannel).
TheytoldfollowersonInstagramandFacebookthatiftheysharedaspecificpostandemailedthemascreencaptureofit,they’dsendthemaspecialoffer.
Whilethatworkedwell,whatwasevenbetteristheykeptthoseemailsinaseparatelist,andusedittonotifythemofmoreopportunitiestosharetheircontent.
Inessence,theycreatedaverynaturalbrandambassadorprogram.
Wewereabletolowerthecostofacquiringcoldleadsinwomenages35-55bytargetingthisdemographiconPinterestthenretargetingthosewomenonFacebooktoturnthemintobuyers.
WhenweinitiallytargetedthemonFacebook,thecostperclickwas$1.59.WhenweswitchedplatformsandtargetedthemonPinterestwiththesameadvertisement,ourcoldleadcostperclickdroppedto$0.25.
About25%ofwomenjoinedourcoldsubscriberlistfromthePinterestad,andwewereabletoretargetwarmleadadstothemtoconvertthemtobuyersata25%successrate.
We’vebeenabletorepeatthispatternover12advertisingcampaigns.Ithasloweredtheoverallcostofconvertingcoldleadsintobuyers.
Webinarshaveprovedtobeaprimarysourceoftrafficandcustomersforusaswestartedpromotingthemonsocialmediainabigway.
Webinarsheldbyrelatedindustryexpertsofbusinessgarneredalotofaudiencefromsocialmedia,andmanyhaveconvertedintoasale.
Basedontheresponseweformedacommunitydealingwiththechallengesoftheindustryandhowourproductaddressesthose.Nowweinitiateeventswithinthisgroupandsendinvitationsforwebinarstothemembersofthisgroup.Ithasnotonlyhelpedusincreasereach,butwecandeliverourmessagetotherightaudience.
Thenextimportantwaythatweadoptedforsocialmediamarketingistolookforoldcontentthathashighviewsandreach.
Wealteredthecontenttypeandconvertedthearticlesandblogsintovideos/infographicsandpromotedthemondifferentsocialnetworks.Thisalsobroughtgreatresultsandincreasedourconversionratebyabout15%,exceedingourexpectations.
Theseinstancesmadeusrescheduletheoldcontentinnewformatsandpromotethemonsocialmediaasapartofourregularmarketingefforts.
Tappingmicro-influencersonsocialmediaisaveryeffectivemeansforsmallbusinessestoamplifytheircontent’sreachanddriveawarenessamongtheirtargetaudience.
Micro-influencersgenerateauthenticcontentthatleadstohigherengagementbecausetheyhaveapersonalconnectionwiththeiraudience.
Theyarealsoalotmoreaffordable.Withthesameamountofbudgetusedtohireahigh-endinfluencer,brandscanactuallycollaboratewith5-10micro-influencerstoreachdifferentdemographics,andevenregions,totestdifferentstrategiesandcompareresults.
Newautomatedinfluencermarketingplatformsofferado-it-yourselfagilesolutionthatdrasticallyreducestheamountofmanualworkrequiredtolaunchinfluencercampaigns.
Theseplatformsareacost-effectivemarketingtoolthatdeliversastrongROIwhileproducingscalablesocialcontent.
FacebookretargetingforourShopifysitehasbeenhuge.
90%ofourtrafficcomesfromGoogleshoppingads,andweuseFacebooktoreengagethem.Wehave2campaignssetupinFacebookads.
TheresultsofthisforoursmallLEDshoesitehasbeen$6,819insalesfromspendingonly$598onFB!Highlyrecommendedstrategy
Wehavealwaysusedsocialmediaasavaluablemarketingtoolforourclients.
Typicallyitisbestusedforexposureandbranding.WehadacasewheresocialmediabecameourclientsmainsaleschannelandprovidedanROIthatconsistentlyfluctuatedbetween800%-1000%oftheirmonthlyadspend.
OurmaintacticwastheusageofFacebookcarouselads,thiswasagreattoolforustoadvertiseherproducts.Ourteamattributesthehugesuccessofthiscampaigntotheplacement,thetargeting,aswellastheproductitself.
HaveyouusedanyofthesefantasticsocialmediamarketingtipsinyourbusinessLetusknowinthecommentsbelow!
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