Being an online entrepreneur means you need to know how to make the use your social media presence to promote your business (i.e products and services) without boring your friends and followers with those cheesy sales posts and without overwhelming yourself with too much to do.
Trust me, I know what it feels like. I hold my hand up and would say I did a couple of those cheesy sales posts. I thought it was a thing to do, I didn’t know any better but now I do and I’m here to share it with you!
First of all, you need a strategy. Secondly, you need to apply it and third, you need to be patient.
Have those three basic yet essential pillars and you are onto a winner.
But, Ola, how do I come up with a strategy?
I thought exactly the same when I was first starting, so I’ll break it down for you down here, nice and easy.
You just have to take one step at a time.
To create your online strategy you need to figure out three things:
1- Who is your target market?
2- What is the value related to your product that you can share with your target market?
3- The medium to share said value with your target market.
In other words, who is it you are trying to attract and work with? define that group. What is their age range, what do they do, how do they talk, what do they like, what do they want in their lives.
What can you help them with (also known as your value), what are you offering that they are missing out on?
What platform are you choosing to connect with them?
Not all platforms are the same, and not all would be suited for your ideal market nor your value. While some might work with email marketing, others might choose TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, or even a blog like this one here!
Have a think about what suits your products and services and where your ideal people would be and like to see the information.
Once you have written down your strategy. Yes do write it down, it doesn’t work the same when it’s all in your head.
Then apply it, and give it time.
Use the business tools provided on the different platforms to measure your progress and look at your account insights so you know what to do more of and what to do less of.
There is no quick fix and no quick results. You have to be patient, apply, review, learn and apply again.
P.s. you can do all of this for free. No need for hefty subscriptions nor ads. although nothing wrong at all with the latter.
This has been a very quick overview of using social media to promote your products and services covering the basic principles and starting points.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll dig deeper into each element and share with you the dos and don’ts that I have learned along the way.
In the meantime, feel free to drop me an email with your questions about this topic and I’ll be sure to get back to you.
I personally read my emails and make sure I reply to all of them.
Before I go I thought I’d just mention some myths about using social media to promote your business:
– Myth one: I need a huge following.
You dont need a huge following! have you heard of the concept of borrow an audience till you build one?
– Myth two: I need to pay for ads.
No, far off from the truth. You can if you want to but if you’re on a tight budget then you can use social media for free and build a business.
– Myth three: I don’t use social media!
Everyone does! Are you on Whatsapp? that’s a social medium. Are you on Email, that’s a social medium! Any mode of communication with other people is a social medium and you can use it to promote your business.