 Are you a service-based business looking to use social media to promote what you do? Instagram is a platform that helps you to create connections by delivering your brand story and providing value. What is even more awesome about Instagram is that you can easily find your audience. The one who will trust you and relate to you and of course do business with you. As a service-based business, it does take creativity to relay your message to your ideal client. Here are some tips to help you connect with your audience on Instagram: Content Mix To provide value, share your brand story and promote your service, you want to have good mix of content. This allows you to develop a good relationship with your followers and allows them to get to know you. It creates trust rather than pushing your services at them.  Example: @drlaurabelus shares health and wellness and shares empowering quotes Inspirational Quotes When a potential client comes to your business with a need, it is usually linked to a fear or a dream. For instance, I have a a great interest in physical fitness. I love to follow accounts that share empowering quotes about fitness. Take @drlaruabelus a naturopathic doctor who shares her business on Instagram. She talks health and wellness information and shares quotes that inspire. Her quotes take me to a place where I can envision what life would be like if I were healthier. I love them and I do follow accounts that consistently post this type of content. Tell Stories As a service-based business this is your opportunity to give people insights about what you bring to the table. Not just your services but your personality, behind the scenes and business ethics. Be honest, open and conversational. Write your captions as though you were writing to just one person a way that draws them to you and the services you provide. Invite your audience to engage, interact, and do business with you. Share Posts That Educate Share easy tips that help your ideal clients with their problems. When giving away helpful tips, you establish yourself as an authority as an expert in your field. When your followers need a service like yours, you will be the obvious choice. And do not be afraid that you are giving away too much information. Those who require your services will reach out to you for more context and how your service can help them directly. Be Humorous This can be very effective for businesses that might be considered boring and may not have an obvious visual element to them. Plan Posts That Sell Your Service Remember though that Instagram is a platform to showcase your brand. So especially for service-based businesses, you want to to develop a relationship before going in for the sell. Include Call To Actions Call to actions or small asks persuade your followers to interact with you (which leads them to take action on your bigger calls to action). Call to action range from double tap if you agree, to click to join the newsletter. By setting up a good content mix, great visual content, and writing captions that connect and convert, service-based businesses can reap the benefits of a strong presence on Instagram. Do you market your service-based business on Instagram with these tactics? What tips can you share? 
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 Normal Business Produces Normal Results What challenges do you face as you promote your company online?
Sadly, there is no room for small business owners wishing to be normal. Business as usual leads to mediocre results. So I ask you. What can you do to make your brand more distinct? Here are 3 tips to help your brand stand out: 1. Network Typically, we turn to others in our industry to find out what has worked for them. Financial professionals visiting an event regarding finances or photographers visiting an event for photography. And that is OK. Just not all the time. Being new to the world of networking, I have discovered the benefits of visiting events that involve small businesses professionals of various fields. A room of like minds with many ideas as well as the opportunity to make many connections. I have really been able to expand my own business while networking with individuals with unique businesses. As I learned more about my ideal customer's struggles, I have been able to tailor and expand my services. 2. Be Like The Big Companies Another way to step out of the norm is to watch what the big companies are doing. Have you shopped the Dollar store or the Bulk Barn? Notice that they are always prepared for national celebrations months in advance? In August a very small section will be dedicated to Halloween. By September, it's an entire row! December 24th, you will find a small section for Valentine's Day. Three weeks later it's Valentine's in 2 rows. What if you were that strategic in your planning? When I create online strategies for entrepreneurs, they are built around upcoming goals that allow a business to grow and see measurable results. For example, I am working with a professional DJ who would like to be booked for the spring. It's December and we are connecting his social media platforms to event planners while using hashtags such as #torontobride and #torontoweddings. 3. Find Out What Your Customers Want Be a step ahead by asking questions. Conduct surveys and find out from your current customers what their struggles are. What type of service would they like to see? My husband was shopping for a gift card for his neice. She LOVES Bubble Tea. He visited 5 different Bubble Tea franchises and asked if they carried gift cards. The answer was no, but they all totally thought that it would be an amazing idea. I wonder who will be the first to implement this service. Normal business produces normal results. This is your time to be creative and think outside of the box. The fact that you are an entrepreneur who runs their own business makes you awesome!   Digital Marketing: a term that includes the design of a website, online advertising, social media, SEO, email advertising and more. The entire concept of digital marketing can be quite overwhelming to the small business owner, especially if their focus is on what they know best. Their business. Here are some digital marketing Strategies to help bolster your business:  • Your Website- Since the majority of digital marketing is driving traffic to your site, it is important that your site is: - mobile friendly - has easy navigation - clickable contact information (from a mobile device one should be able to click on your phone number and be able to call you at that time) • Strategically Use Social Media- Social media is not for overloading your audience with promotions and ads. It's to engage with your followers and share relevant information that they will enjoy and learn from. Social media allows you to create a voice for your brand. You can build an audience who will not only follow you but can also sing your praises. That is code for free advertising. It also allows you to be close to your audience and address customer service concerns, and listen to what they love about your products and services. • Rich Answers- Address common questions that you tend to get from your customers. - What is the best Social Media platform to use? - How much does it cost to build a website - How much of a down payment is needed to purchase a home Answering Rich Questions on your site may have your website come up when one keys in these questions on Google • Email Marketing- this is an inexpensive way to communicate with your clients and potential customers. Once you have ones email address you are able to send them exclusive promo codes, sales and event information. Companies such as MailChimp and MailMunch have costs that start at free. Turn potential customers to booked clients by ensuring your website is mobile friendly, easy to navigate, and has fresh content. Then include digital marketing strategies that will drive traffic to your website. Do you use digital marketing strategies to drive traffic to your website? What has been the most effective ones for you?  |
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