What do your customers – and everyone else – waste most of their time on? Hint: it’s an obvious answer.
You probably guessed it – social media. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…all these sites have us hooked. We spend a lot of our downtime scrolling through our feeds, living vicariously through our friends and family.
So if all your potential customers are on social media, wouldn’t it make sense for your business to market to them on social media? Of course! These three social media marketing strategies will help you drum up interest in your business and win more customers.
Run Social Media Ads
Ads are the number one way most businesses find new customers online. That’s because Facebook allows you to target people that fit the description of your ideal client. Marketing to middle-aged moms? You can tell Facebook to show your ads primarily to middle-aged moms in your area.
Compare that to your run-of-the-mill street billboard. For most small businesses, paying for a billboard is much more expensive than running Facebook ads. Even if you somehow manage to earn the same number of leads through a billboard campaign, those leads will likely be a lot less qualified – meaning a lot less likely to convert into a paying customer – than the leads you earn through a targeted Facebook campaign.
Fortunately, you don’t need to be a marketing guru to run successful ads. You can hire a marketing company, brief them on your mission and target audience, and let them optimize your ads for you. This is a great option for anyone who’s either too busy to manage an ad campaign themselves or who has no idea how to even start one.
One example? You can create an ad around a video piece. In the video, you could film a customer sharing how your products or services have positively impacted their life.
BONUS: Oftentimes, Facebook will give you free advertising credit when you start running ads on their platform. It’s a great way to try it out without having to invest a ton of money off the bat.
Promote Your…Promotions?
This is something you can do on all your social media accounts. Whenever your business is running a promotion or offering a discount, blast out the news to your social media followers. Make sure you encourage your followers to “like” and share the post as well.
Again, it’s common sense. Your potential customers are on social media – and your job is to grab their attention with your promotions. That’s why asking your followers to share these posts is so important; you’ll get the news out to their friends and family and potentially gain even more business.
Want a tip? Add an incentive to your promo blasts. Let’s say you own a small boutique downtown. You could announce that anyone who mentions the code “flower” at checkout will receive a 20% discount on their purchase. Include that the code is only being given out via social media; that way, they feel as if they need to redeem the offer ASAP.
Run Social Media Contests/Challenges
What do people love more than anything? Free stuff. So why not give away free products and services – especially if it results in new customers?
Here’s the formula: craft a social media post that challenges your followers to do something easy and engaging. Something like:
“Hey! Comment below and caption this picture! Best one receives a free hat.”
This accomplishes two things. First, you’re getting people to interact with your business, which means they’re not just mindlessly scrolling past your posts. Second, you’re giving them a chance to try out your products/services for free.
You can even give away a free item to anyone who comments as long as you have enough in stock. Just remember that you also have to factor in shipping costs whenever you give away free items.
One Last Thing…
Social media is a crowded place. How do you cut through the noise and post something people will pay attention to?
One word: personality.
Posts without personality are nothing more than bland announcements, and no one likes to read a bland announcement. On the flip side, posts with charm and character are almost always read and commented on, sometimes even when the subject matter itself is dry. Facebook
Whenever you post, ask yourself: “Does this post sound boring? Would I read this if I saw it on my own feed?” As they say, it’s not always about what you say, but rather how you say it.
Want us to help you market your business? Click here for more info on our in-house marketing agency, Qmedia!
