Often, new clients come to me seeking the perfect formula to achieving marketing success on social media. They see their competitors’ ads and want to achieve the same success and energy that they feel others are receiving.
Each social media channel has its own tips and tricks to being successful. Today, we will talk about engaging with customers. There are essentially two schools of thought in advertising: invest a ton of money to saturate every possible customer or strategically target the most likely customer. One is a favorite of the armchair quarterbacks of the marketing world, the other is what I advise my clients to choose. Can you guess which is which?
Blanketing all possible customers is very costly. It may seem to be working, and is “easy,” but it’s more expensive and often advertisers end up spending just as much as they make. At Be The Good Consulting, I come alongside my clients to help them strategically target their customers. This used to be very difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish. Thankfully, social media channels have created the perfect tools for targeting clients. This is welcome news to most marketers, as targeting saves money!
Build Relationships
So, that’s it — target the ideal audience, set an ad budget and let the platform do the work, right? Wrong. If all you ever do is advertise, you are not actually building relationships. The most successful salespeople know that the best way to sell a product and maintain success is to build a relationship with the customer. Likewise, if you are only screaming “Buy my product!” to your customers without also building relationships, you will not have lasting results. Sure, you may have some quick results, but most won’t last. It’s like going on a fasting diet and then gaining all the weight back as soon as you stop.
If you engage with past, current and future customers on social media through conversations and offering valued content and videos, your customers may eventually become your best marketing tool. This requires being present on the platforms consistently. Listening and responding. For example, if you own a cleaning business, post helpful hints on cleaning stubborn stains. Linking to already published articles is great, but linking to content you create is better. By sharing your content, and engaging with customers’ questions and comments, you will eventually be seen as an expert in your field.
Target Advertising
Once you have built a solid relationship with your followers, you can start targeted ads. Customers are much more savvy than they used to be. If a potential customer happens upon your ad, they will likely go to your page first to learn more. That is why having your presence built up with valuable content is so important. Some businesses need to do both steps at the same time. This can work, but it is important to have a solid social media editorial calendar in place to ensure you are constantly adding new content in addition to your ads. Your ads themselves should convey the same messaging as other posts on your page.
Social media can be a great marketing tool for your business if you are willing to do the work. Start with a solid, realistic plan and be consistent. If your advertising does not seem to working right away, don’t freak out. Lasting marketing takes time. The important part is identifying your audience, developing meaningful content and building relationships.
Not sure where to start or if you are targeting the right people? No clue how to pick between the endless advertising options that change by the minute? Let’s chat! I would be happy to help you develop and implement a winning social media marketing strategy.
Image by Thomas Ulrich from Pixabay
