Before you bags that username on the social media platform that your ideal customer is on. Let’s take a one step back and have a good long think about why you want to have your brand + business be on social media. Saying that your competitors are on it, or Amanda told me to be on it is not going to cut it.
Once you have decided your why you want to be on social media, below are my top 5 reasons to be on social media.
1. It is a great relationship builder + connector
Social Media is a great tool to build relationships hence the name, Social Media. I need to make it very clear that this is not the platform to sell aggressively. I recommend doing subtle promotion and I do not recommend DM’ing people for your services. It needs to be done authentically and naturally. It’s like when you go into the store and the retail assistant bugs you “how can I help you?” once you entered the store. When promoting your service or product, it needs to be in a way that will benefit your ideal client.
2. It’s all about starting and maintaining intentional conversations
You might be asking, “what is this engagement I hear?”
How I would describe this concept to someone with no knowledge of marketing, engagement simply means, are people responding to your content. This covers likes and comments. Be wary of comments like great post and various emojis. Seeing these comments means one thing — a bot. You should be looking for intentional comments where you can see someone has taken the time to absorb your content and answer your question.
3. Social Proof
Social Media is another channel to build your presence + be on top of your customers mind when done right. The posts need to be intentional with well-thought out captions and reply to comments. At the end of the day, it needs to provide value for your customer.
By no means likes on Instagram and Facebook do not equate to sales or success of the business or brand.
4. Link back to your home base, your website
Have you heard of the saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” I see brands that focus all their energy in creating content and post on social media yet they do not have their own store front, a.k.a, their own website or have the bare minimum on their website.
It’s all about balance – put your efforts in your website and your social media channels.
5. Research tool
Did you know the average person consumes 11.4 pieces of content before making a purchase decision, according to Forrester. Now that’s a lot of content that the average person goes through to making a final decision! As you can see you need to be on social media for the long game not for short term gain.
As you can see there is a bit more to it in order to succeed and cut through in social media. Before you start posting your posts, get clear on your why, understanding this will be your guiding reason why you are on social media and not chasing the elusive followers.
