Does social media marketing for your small business feel like a puzzle?
Today our host Molly shares 3 important tips you can implement right away to help you maximize the effectiveness of your social media strategy.
You are the guide for your audience
Marketing that resonates with audiences does more than sell a unique product or well-priced service.
It positions the audience as the hero of his/her own story and gives that person the power to improve their life or current situation. You as the business owner with the product or service that will help the hero, should position yourself as the guide. You have the wisdom and advice the hero needs to take action.
Think about it.
Farmer’s Insurance commercials feature the homeowner as hero who called insurance to rectify their accident, and the insurance agent is the guide who knew which policy/claim could help.
Or those Old Spice commercials from the late ‘00s…the hero wasn’t the deodorant stick. It was the man who could turn oysters into diamonds, rode horses shirtless, and had the ladies fawning all over him. Old Spice was just the guide/tool that helped him achieve these things.
When we put our audience in the position to be the hero, they are the winner and the empowered party. We as the business or brand offer wisdom and assistance to help them reach goals, which is even more powerful for establishing trust and developing business relationships in the future.
Be a storyteller, not a salesman (or woman)
Have you ever been invited to a work function, and you cringe at the thought of being seated next to *that guy* who always talks about the same things and only focuses on how great he is in each conversation?
It gets old really fast, and you find yourself avoiding that person at all costs.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s the person who always has the funniest stories. They take the most mundane topics and turn them into teachable lessons or side-splitting jokes that you love to hear more of.
In your online marketing you have the opportunity to be like person #2.
When sharing your products and services, don’t be the one-trick-pony repeating your sales pitch in each post.
Come up with creative videos, project features that span several days, interviews with team members, tutorials, and various formats that keep your audience on the edge of their seats and craving more of your content.
This approach keeps your audience engaged. And while every post may not directly lead to a sale, it creates a positive reputation for your brand and keeps you top of mind when someone needs what you have to sell.
Calls to Action are key
Never leave your audience hanging at the end of a post or piece of content. If you don’t tell your followers the next action to take, they won’t take any at all. So share with them what they can do next to feel empowered.
Calls to Action (CTAs) can be as simple as “like this post if you agree!” or more complex like “Dial 555-555-5555 to get on our winter schedule!” The call to action should tie in to the topic of your post and to your overall social media strategy for the day.
In Conclusion
None of these concepts are uniquely mine. I learned a lot of them by reading Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller in early 2018. But as I implemented his strategies over the years, I found out their effectiveness firsthand.
Less of this strategy has to do with what you do or make, and more of how you connect to the PEOPLE you do business with. People like to do business with people, people like to talk with real people, and people like to feel important and valued.
Social media should not be a corkboard where you post daily updates about how awesome you are. That will offput your followers.
Instead, think of social media platforms as your platform for telling stories and crafting touchpoints that help your audience relate to what you offer.
Then you will have a successful social media strategy that is engaging and effective for your small-town small business.
Biz Spotlight:
Gravel Grading & Excavating
For almost two decades, Gravel Grading & Excavating has provided a broad spectrum of residential, commercial and agricultural grading and excavating services to Cascade, Iowa, and surrounding area. From site preparation, to sewer and septic installation, to tile and drainage of farm fields, they can move the earth for you! Visit their website at www.gravelgradingx.com or follow them on Facebook to see examples of their projects and get in touch with their crew!
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Read the full show notes here: http://www.mollyknuthmedia.com/podcast
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Buy Molly’s favorite marketing book: Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
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