Having a tough time making social media work for your business? You’re not alone.
Most people underestimate the time and effort required for an effective social media marketing campaign. They give it a try only for it to fall flat, but it may not be your strategy that is at fault.
We need to address the root cause, the foundation, the mindset you have when approaching your campaigns. In this article, we will outline 3 mindset shifts you can make that can improve your results, and take your social game to the next level. With almost every marketer pushing social media down your throat, it’s no surprise that most business owners have given the social ‘golden goose’ a try – putting out a few posts, creating content to share on their social networks, and even engaging with their followers, only to have it fizzle out a few months down the line.
With ‘business as usual’ taking priority and to-do lists showing no sign of getting smaller, it leaves you questioning whether social media is a marketing avenue that’ll bring you positive ROI (return on investment)? And that, my friend, is where you need to make your first mindset shift…
1. Don’t focus on immediate ROI with your social media marketing efforts
Social media isn’t like other advertising mediums where you throw some money (or posts and links) at the wall and expect an immediate return. Remember, social media platforms are not designed for the business owner or marketer; it’s a place where your (potential) customers go for conversation, for opinions, for sharing…TO BE SOCIAL.
It’s important to engage and build trust, well before you ever advertise any of your goods. Play the long game. This is where most business owners fail. They try to work out what each Tweet, Facebook post or engagement will mean for them as ROI, which, as you can imagine is very difficult. They want instant results from a marketing medium that’s not designed to give instant results. It’s designed for collaboration, for sharing and for social interaction.
Put it this way, if you opened a traditional coffee shop would you bill the hours a waiter spent speaking to a customer about their day, or would you charge customers to go the extra mile, or be helpful? No. You’d provide friendly customer service to every customer that came through the door, even if they were to return or not (or pay you a tip or not!).
So what can you do with your social media marketing instead?
Use social media as an avenue to build a relationship with your target audience so they can know more about your brand, services and YOU. This results in trust and likability, which leads to them being open to your product or service offerings in the future.
Add value first, give information away for free, and be clear and honest when you DO put out monetary offers. This way your audience knows the boundaries of your free and paid offerings. They’ll respect you for your transparency and the value you give them with your free content.
2. Think of social media marketing as a necessity NOT supplementary
A few years ago, not having an online presence wasn’t such a big issue; you could get by without having a website. But nowadays it’s almost impossible to think of running a business without a web presence. The same goes for social media marketing.
Social media is here to stay, and that’s the second mind shift you need to make. No longer is it a fun addition to your business but an effective way to build a loyal customer base. Social media should be a standard piece of your business infrastructure. Once you accept this, it’ll be easier to integrate it into your daily routine. Posting and interacting with your customers and (potential) clients will become a breeze.
3. Be genuine and only use the channels that you’re comfortable with
One of the biggest mistakes we see business owners making is trying to get onto every social media network out there. Today there are so many different social media outlets that it’s almost impossible to have a presence on all, so you have to be selective.
More is not always effective. Instead, focus on quality rather than quantity. Don’t spread yourself too thin.
If Facebook and Pinterest comes to you naturally then stick to those platforms, if Twitter is your thing then go with that. The key is to stick to the platforms that you are most comfortable with. The more comfortable you are with the platform, the better you’ll be able to communicate and the more genuine you’ll be. It’ll also mean you will stick with it longer. Consistency is key to your social media marketing game.
It can get overwhelming to keep up with all the latest updates with social media and how and what to do to make it work for you. As long as you keep your mindset focussed on adding value to your audience and giving before expecting anything in return, you should be way ahead of your competition.
If you would like help with social media or your online marketing, get in touch with our friendly team, we’d be more than happy to have a chat.
