The Top 3 Social Media Marketing Skills for Your Small Business

Social media marketing has changed quite a bit year after year since its inception. It will continue to do so. However, there are some things that remain true no matter what algorithm changes happen. These social media skills will always be invaluable and necessary for successful results.

Communication

All marketing is really about communication between a brand and an audience. Social media is no exception. If you want to excel on social, you’ll need to improve your communication skills. In many ways, social media is the art of having an online conversation. Too many small businesses and brands stop at talking to their audience. That’s easy to do: share information, share promotional information, share cultural content, etc. A true social media expert knows that this was never meant to be a one-way convo. Every caption, every graphic, every post should be created and shared with the intention of having a conversation with your followers.

Relationship Building

I’ll keep saying it, but social media was always meant to be social. Are you looking for a quick sale or to build a relationship with an advocate that keeps coming back and tells other people how great your work is? That promotional post may accomplish the first but rarely helps with the second. If you are just going to post and walk away, then don’t be surprised when your reach is low and your posts have zero engagement. Remember that this is a conversation and that you are working on building a relationship with your audience. Ask questions, connect with others, participate in conversations, respond to your comments, and send time actively engaging with posts on your preferred social media network(s).

Creativity

This one can get tricky because not everyone is creative. Also, creativity isn’t something that shows up on demand all the time. While it’s important to be consistent online, the same repetitive posts do not encourage people to view or engage with your posts. It’s important to switch it up occasionally and allow yourself to be inspired when it comes to your own social media content.

If you are bored with your own online content, it’s a guarantee that your audience is as well. One of the best ways to avoid this is to use the app and pay attention to the content that moves you, gets you to like, comment, or share. Make it a point to get outside of your comfort zone and actively work on creating creative posts that your audience will love.

Regardless of what changes online, building your communication, relationship, and creativity skills will always be at the top of the list when it comes to social media marketing.

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

The Path to Social Media Marketing Success in 2022

While it’s true that social media marketing always appears to be changing, our many years of experience in this field has taught us that the basics really stay the same. While the popularity of certain platforms comes and goes, how to find success on social media is more about your approach than it is about adopting early technology.

Here is our best advice for unlocking social media marketing success in 2022: 

Saturation

It’s no longer the early days of social, which means that popular platforms are becoming more and more saturated with both brands and consumers. The larger the database, the harder it can be to stand out from the crowd. Plus, competition is growing fast. Marketers seem to have forgotten the days of marketing budgets and advertising and are putting a lot of effort into social media marketing hoping to get a BIG return for a small investment. 

While social media is becoming more valuable to both brands and users, getting found is more difficult than ever. If you want to reach your target audience on social, you have two options:

  1. Invest in social media advertising.
  2. Create outstanding and interesting content that your viewers actually want to interact and engage with

As you can imagine, only posting promotional information about your business is not going to attract the attention you need to be successful on social media in 2022. You’ll need to either step up your content marketing game or your marketing budget.

Personalization

Customers want to deal with real people. The emergence of social media marketing has proven that audiences want to connect and communicate with brands in real time. Today’s traditional customer service experience is broken. Long wait times, outsourced service people, and a lack of accountability have all contributed to an expectation that companies just don’t care about people anymore. That changed when people could go to social media apps, like Facebook and Twitter, and get in touch with someone directly – who cared about their problem and wanted to offer a solution. Everyone wants to know they are being heard – and that includes your customers. Spend time on social media this year showcasing that you value your audience and customers, letting them know that their voice matters, and working to uncover their needs.

Engagement

The biggest mistake we see brands do on social media is ignoring their audience. The best content in the world isn’t going to make an impact if your followers know you aren’t really there. Batch content every month as much as you like, but it’s imperative that when your audience engages with that content that you respond to them. Don’t just ‘post it and forget it’ by leaving your people hanging waiting on a response that will never arrive. Your community will quickly discover that you aren’t really there and they’ll seek the connection and validation they are looking for elsewhere.

Social media marketing may be changing but the fundamentals of connecting with people remain the same. If your only goal is to get conversions, we recommend sticking to an advertising plan instead of investing time and money into content creation and distribution. If your goal is to build a loyal community that will eagerly turn into brand advocates for your business, then social media marketing is where your focus should be. Social media is a brilliant way to connect with your customers, promote your brand, get feedback from your audience, and increase your sales – but it only works if you are in it to connect and nurture relationships with your followers.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

Social Media Marketing Topics for Your Next Event

Social media marketing has been a powerful tool for businesses for years, but there are still many people who aren’t using social media to its full potential.

Social media is an incredible opportunity to engage with your audience and build your brand. If you’re not using social media as part of your marketing strategy, you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities to reach customers and potential customers. But if you’re not sure how best to use social media, it can be difficult deciding which platforms to focus on or how best to use them.

If you are seeking a social media marketing speaker for your next event, conference, or trade show, then you’ll want to know what’s topical and important this year.

Here are the most engaging social media marketing topics for 2022:

  1. 1. How do I create content that resonates with my audience?

If you already have an audience, even a small one, it’s a smart idea to go to the source and ask your people what sort of content they enjoy consuming. It will be different for everyone but with enough of a pool, you’ll notice some answers that repeat and that will give you a place to start.

No audience yet? Don’t worry. We all start somewhere.

If you don’t have an audience yet, you’ll need to do some work on figuring out what type of person you’d like to work with so you can start creating and testing content for that sort of individual. Test different types of content and see what gets results, even small ones, because that’ll give you a place to start.

Remember, that you want to resonate with your audience. If all you ever do is talk about you, your company, and what you are selling – no one will pay attention. They won’t care about you until you give them an engaging, interesting, or compelling reason to do so. This means creating content FOR your audience, not just to grow your business.

  1. What are the best ways to increase engagement on my social channels?

Audience engagement is key because if your viewers on social media aren’t engaging with your content (by like, commenting, or sharing) then the content is not resonating with your audience.

  1. How do I connect with influencers in my industry?

As the social media channels and platforms get more flooded, connection will be the path to getting known and in front of people. Why spend time posting content into an empty void, when you can build relationships with other companies (and influencers) and partner up to grow together?

If these sound like the sort of social media marketing topics that would be valuable for your next marketing event, we have the right social media speaker for you!

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

What to Look for in a Social Media Speaker

You’ve decided to do an in-person or virtual event and need a social media speaker or trainer. You’ve found a great social media expert and you’re ready to book. But how do you know if this is the best person for your event? How can you make sure that they are going to be able to provide what your audience needs?

Here are some questions that you should ask:

Experience

Social media experts come and go. You want to make sure you hire a social media speaker that’s been around for awhile and has experience with the ups, downs, and twists of working in social media. When social media marketing was a fad, lots of business owners popped up claiming to be experts. However, we have personally seen many social media marketing businesses leave the industry as the sheen of popularity has waned. Some were never truly experts to begin with, they were simply riding the social media bandwagon and hoping to profit big for little effort.

Our team has over 15 years doing this work and no plans for throwing in the towel! We’ve seen the transitions and algorithm changes, and we understand what works over time in the social media marketing world and we can share those insights with your audience.

Current Events

Social media is a rapidly moving target. If you are in the industry, one of your jobs is simply to keep up!

We can, confidently, cover topics like:

  • The latest trends in social media marketing and how they affect your business.
  • How to use social media marketing to boost sales and increase brand awareness with proven strategies and tactics.
  • How to create a successful content strategy that builds relationships with customers while driving sales.
  • Social media crisis management: how to handle negative comments and bad reviews on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more.

Audience Engagement

We understand you want a speaker who can keep your audience engaged during your event. We also know that you need someone who can deliver on your objectives and goals. We are passionate about social media and will use our knowledge and experience to make your event a success.

A great speaker understands the audience he or she is speaking to and knows how to engage them. When you have an industry expert speak at your event, it creates interest in the audience and helps them relate to the topic being discussed.

Time on Stage

We understand that you want a speaker who has experience speaking at events, both in-person and virtual. We also know that you want an expert who can help your audience learn about social media.

A great social media speaker should be able to tell a story that is both engaging and useful for your audience. They should have real-life examples of how they use social media in their own business, as well as tips and tricks that can help you grow your brand.

We’ve worked a lot of stages, both in-person and virtually. Check out the speaker page of our website for more details on our speaking experience.

These are great areas to start digging when looking for your next social media trainer or speaker. If this is what you’re looking for, we’re the right fit for your event!

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

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