 Many business owners reach out to me and book a consultation. The top services that they inquire about are social media management, online ads, and digital marketing audits.
Their challenges?
Once we get on a call, their frustration is clear. They feel that being online is a gamble. It doesn't work. Their valuable time is wasted. The only truth is that time is being wasted. And that's because they themselves or a team member is managing their brand's online presence which by the way isn't their zone of genius. Being online isn't a gamble. Being online works. Share a piece of content on LinkedIn and in 5 minutes it can result in 15 impressions (amount of times seen). Share a piece of content on Instagram and in 30 minutes your thoughts and images can be seen by hundreds of accounts. Imagine then adding structures and strategies while at the same time aligning your marketing to your top business goals. It's one thing to reach people, but how impactful would it be if your expertise was amplified in the direct feed of your target audience? Many who approach me obtain business through referrals and networking. Now they want to honour their time by working smarter, not harder. They want to do this by leveraging the online space. They've invested lots of dollars into their websites that isn’t doing the heavy lifting that was promised. They've invested money into online ads that didn't convert. They've put in so much time (which by the way is money) engaging on social media only to slip back into doing business the same way… Networking and relying on referrals and feeling burned out as they physically show up to reach people. It’s affirming when clients refer new business to you. Those recommendations are a testament to your expertise and experience. I truly believe in the power of networking and I'm thankful for the referrals. I also believe in moving my business forward by utilizing the world wide web. Relying on referrals alone is risky business. Many people found this to be true at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when lockdowns ensued. Networking and relying on referrals saw many become lazy about marketing. They barely put in the effort to promote their work consistently. The result? In-person networking was paused, cancelled or the organizers went out of business. The referral pipeline froze because just about everyone was blindsided, confused, and trying to figure out how to survive as their employment or business was negatively affected. Word of mouth can have powerful outcomes, but it’s also unpredictable. If you are in business then you always need to be marketing… because you always need profits. There’s no excuse for relying on referrals only… in this day and age. There are far more reliable client acquisition methods like Social Media, Paid Ads, Search Engine Optimization, and Email Marketing. Do you have to do all of these to be successful online? No, you don't. However the online tactics you decide to use have to be implemented strategically and consistently. Referrals normally happen within a specific social circle or peer-selected group of people. This creates a limited market niche for your product or service. If your only mode of marketing channel is referrals, you will have to work extra hard to satisfy the existing clients that will refer you to other people. Referral marketing means the whole process of obtaining new leads is unreliable. You cannot guarantee that all your clients will attempt to refer you to at least one person. There are many factors at play that depend primarily on the client. And referrals do not last forever. At some point, you will have to look for new clients by adopting other means of marketing. For growing businesses, referrals can only take you so far. The referrals you are used to getting are normally subjects of luck which leads to inconsistency in revenue. Hoping for or chasing referrals, shouldn’t be the top-of-the-list marketing strategy. A marketing strategy that converts to leads and customers can and should be planned. So how can you take action today? Ask yourself the following questions:
Then reach out to a certified digital marketing professional and be ready to spend more time working on your zone-of-genius as your brand reaches hundreds and thousands… something that you as one person cannot do consistently, physically in person. And remember that you are still the boss. Online marketing might be new to you and this way may have you feeling unsure… but you have to be kept in the loop, see and understand the results, and know that what is being shared about your brand is in alignment with you. By not relying solely on referrals and networking, you put yourself in control of who you reach out to, how, and when. You’re not waiting for others to remember how great you are.
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 So you’ve reviewed your Instagram content and realize that there are some posts that you want to get rid off. But wait, before you tap that delete icon try archiving your content instead.
Why? Because by deleting posts you’ll lose all of the important analytics linked to the post and you won’t be able to retrieve or restore it once it’s gone. So why archive posts at all? Here are some reasons why it’s a good habit to get into. 1. You Have Outdated Promotional Content Examples include old contests, promos, or giveaway posts that have expired and are no longer active. 2. Your Content No Longer Reflects Your Mission and Vision Perhaps you’ve made a lot of significant changes to your business and your brand, mission, and vision have pivoted or expanded. You might have outdated posts about products or services that you no longer provide. 3. For Legal and or PR Reasons You may have unintentionally posted something offensive or insensitive and it caused a flood of backlash. Your first instinct will be to delete it, but if you do, you'll lose the image, caption, and the comments from your audience. This is valuable feedback that can help you avoid repeating the same mistake so it’s best to archive it. 4. Your Aesthetics Have Changed You may have updated or improved your branding and the overall look of your Instagram grid. This could include a new logo, colours, and design elements which make everything look more consistent, cohesive, and professional. So there you have it, archiving is a better option than deleting posts. What are your thoughts? Are you team delete, or are you convinced to archive?  Creating your social media posts takes time and effort. You want content that will engage, entertain, educate, and ultimately convert to sales.
Much of this hinges on how you connect to your audience, however, if you take a moment to see things from their perspective you may realize that there are some noteworthy bits of info about your business that you haven’t shared. With that in mind, here are three things that might be missing from your social media posts. 1.Your Story Personal stories draw people in. If I see an ad to the effect of “Hey, buy my cookbook!” I probably won’t give it much attention, however, if I get a little background like “ I used to hate the idea of cooking, but a friend invited me to a cooking class, where I fell in love with the process, and now I’m hooked.” I’ll be interested to learn more and more likely to buy their book. 2. Who’s The Team Behind The Scenes? If you’re not a one-person operation, you’ve got a team who is working hard to make your business a success so show them off! What do they bring to the table? How do they make your days easier? What are they working on? The odd shout-out goes a long way. 2. Success Stories Maybe your business has grown and you need to expand and move into another location. Or, perhaps you recently hosted a successful event. Maybe your clients can’t stop telling you about the positive impact your product or service has had on them. Whatever it is, share the wins your business has been fortunate to have. Also remember to make it relevant to your audience by showing them how you solved a problem which benefited your client. We’d love to help you get your message across and connect to your dream clients. To get the most out of your social media presence, book your FREE consultation today! |
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