Social Media is designed to create relationships... not sell your stuff!
Before I begin, and my phone starts ringing off the hook from my SEO and Social Media guru's... let me explain. There is a big difference between Marketing on Social Media... and advertising on Social Media.
The largest complaint I get on Social Media is the return on investment (ROI) is very small. You pay a lot of money, do a lot of work for minuscule results. (I see your head nodding now)
What most of us forget is WHY people use Social Media.
We'll use Facebook as our example. (With over a billion users it's a great place to set up shop)
You have to ask yourself why people go to Facebook?
Mostly to get a no brainer laugh or two. See what they're friends are up to. Look at some silly videos... and whatever else catches their fancy. The last thing they want is to purchase anything from anyone.
Yet all day long they're bombarded with ads for just about anything they've ever wanted or looked at. Have you ever searched anything on Amazon or Ebay and all of a sudden... ads are popping up and down your timeline and crammed into your side bar.
That being said... Amazon and Ebay are large corporations with established trade marks and product recognition... I'll assume if you're here, you're a small or medium sized business looking to grow.
So our first assignment will be to gain the recognition the big boys have... and actually it's not that hard if you just get in the habit of forgetting what you sell... and begin giving people what they want. Confused yet?
Basically people are on Social Media to be entertained and perhaps look at relevant information on whatever they may desire now... or in the future. Let's give 'em a show!!!
My friend John owns a Luxury Cruise distributorship... how is he going to compete with all the big Cruise Companies and Travel Agents all advertising great sales and discounted trips to all those people on Facebook.
Simple actually...
He set up his Facebook Business Page and went to work. He rarely mentions discounts or vacations...
What he does is give daily advice on what to do and what to look for...
- Great Hotels
- Fun places around the world
- Great shopping districts
- The safest places to travel
- 30 second videos of people having fun in fun places.
His business page gives his contact information, what services he's supplied... no reason to repeat the obvious. But what John did was, in the mind of his audience, positioned him self as The Expert in the Transportation industry.
After a month or so, he started getting comments on his posts asking for information about anything to do with travelling... he was smart enough to answer them all. What he didn't know he found on Google.
Now John was ready to do some Social Media Advertising... he had an engaged audience He asked me if it was time.. I said 'Go For It!'
John then purchased a Facebook Ad... he spent a whopping $20 ($5 for 4 days) He targeted it to People who 'liked' his page and their friends. During this period, he sold a $3000 cruise to someone who had not only seen his Facebook posts... but checked him out on Google where they saw some of the pictures he had posted on his page.
John had never asked for a sale until he had an engaged audience.
Bottom line...
Slamming Facebook with a bunch of ads with no Social Media 'Credentials' will turn out to be very costly exercise in futility.
Next week we'll examine what content is best for reach, and creates the most engagement...
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