#GrowYourBusiness – How to Use Paid Ads to Generate Leads in Social Media

You may love your job but you aren’t just working for the fun of it. You also want to make money. Moreover, to make money, you need to get sales. To get sales, you need leads.

Until the last few years, you could rely on getting leads organically through your website and search strategies. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of these tools has been on the decline over the last few years. Nowadays, to make the most of using the web to generate leads you need to take advantage of social media advertising.

Of course, you want to make sure that you’re using your dollars effectively so before jumping in you need a plan. Here are six key steps to using paid ads to generate leads in social media:

  1. Set a Budget: When it comes to cost, social media advertising is relatively inexpensive when compared with traditional media. Best of all, you can set a target for how much you want to spend. Based on the results you can either increase or decrease the amount. You’ll need to be aware of the pricing structures for the various platforms and decide how you want to allocate your resources.
  2. Think About Your Targets: When you purchase social media advertising you select the target audience. Consider your audience carefully and make your selections based on who is most likely to need your products or services.
  3. Decide How To Measure Success: Unless you have goals and metrics established you have no way to determine if you’re getting your money’s worth. Is it hard sales, leads, clicks, shares or some other number that will determine if your campaign is working?
  4. Analyze Your Options: Study each platform carefully before launching. Each platform (Facebook versus Twitter, for example) has its own unique strengths and weaknesses.
  5. Develop Your Content: The exact type of content that will work best depends on a variety of factors. Your best bet is to use a balance of different media.
  6. Rinse and Repeat: It may take time to develop the right combinations of spending, platforms, and specific content. Evaluate your progress and make adjustments to your strategy.

To use social media paid advertising successfully you need to understand the basics as well as what makes each platform tick. The quickest, most effective way to do that is to consult with a professional.

The Social Media Advisor can help you jump-start your effort by helping you build a solid foundation. The Social Power Program will give you the tools you need to make sure that you are not spinning your wheels and wasting money. Best of all, for a limited time, you’ll receive a FREE Social Media Analysis with your Discovery Session.

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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.

#GrowYourBusiness – How to Build an Editorial Calendar for Your Social Media

Despite our best intentions, day-to-day responsibilities can push content creation to the bottom of the to-do list. Before you know it, you’re behind schedule and struggling to get caught up.

As if the stress from getting behind isn’t bad enough, an effective social media strategy requires not just top quality content, but also that it’s consistent. A good editorial calendar can help you plan your content and post the right amount at the right time.

When you break it all down, an editorial calendar is simply a way to organize your work. Sounds easy enough but how do you go about building a calendar that will help you get the job done? Here are six steps to building a great social media editorial calendar.

  • Think about your audience. The key to creating engaging content is knowing what’s right for your audience. If you don’t know your audience, then you should step back and learn.
  • Think about your goals. Different goals require different types of content. You’ll need a mix of content that is promotional, informational, and educational. What is most effective for you will depend on your business, your objectives, and your audience.
  • Budget time for planning: It’s not good enough to fit creating your calendar in where you can. Set aside time to create, monitor, and revise your plan. Whether it’s once a week, once a month, or once a year, treat your social media calendar with the same importance as financial planning.
  • Consider the requirements for each platform: Each platform has its own unique characteristics. What works best on Facebook may not work well on Pinterest or Twitter. That’s not to say that you have to create brand new content for each platform, but you will likely need to reformat it to fit the place where you are posting it. You should also keep the platform in mind when you decide how often to post.
  • Keep a master calendar: You don’t need a different calendar for each platform. In fact, keeping one calendar works best.
  • Put it in print: Once you have reviewed your goals, your audience, and the requirements of the platforms, put it in writing. Share your calendar with the other members of your team and stick to the plan.

In the long run, developing an editorial content system will make your job much easier. Not only will you have help if you get stuck for ideas, but you’ll also be able to assess what is working and what isn’t. To help you get started, take advantage of the FREE social media analysis that you’ll receive when you sign up for the Social Media Advisor’s Discovery Session. It will help you jump-start your effort and get you headed in the right direction.

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.

#SocialProof – What is Social Proof and How Do You Earn It?

If you’ve heard the term “social media influencer,” then you know what social proof is. Think about how you go about choosing a restaurant. How do you feel when you pull into the parking lot of an eatery and it’s empty? Chances are you keep on driving since you want to know that others are eating there. That is social proof.

How about testimonials and reviews? Yep – also types of social proof.

There are all sorts of scientific analysis that explore the meaning of the term, but we all know what it means. Social proof is simply following the lead of others.

While the term social proof is relatively new, the concept is not. Advertisers and marketers have been using it forever – think “Dentist recommended,” “AAA Rated,” as well as client lists. What’s new is the need for social marketers to pay attention to how they incorporate social proof in their overall strategy.

When you consider how difficult it can be to differentiate between all the different product offers that are available, it’s easy to understand why social proof is so important. Social proof, whether positive or negative, sets products and services apart.

Even search engines, with their heavy emphasis on engagement, demand that you take the concept seriously. Earning strong social proof will not only convince people to try your product or service, but it will also get you found in a sea of similar offerings.

Earning social proof is not easy. Think about it in terms of establishing a strong reputation: it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not enough to create great content; you have to package it, convince your community to share it, and get the word out. Chances are you are already employing social proof in your online content and on your social media. You just may not have thought about it in those terms.

But do you know exactly how you are using social proof and whether or not it’s effective?

Luckily, there is a way to find out.

The first step is to take advantage of the FREE social media analysis offered exclusively by The Social Media Advisor as part of our discovery session. You’ll learn how to improve your approach to social proof and what you can do to make sure that you are getting found. Let us help you make the most of your social proof and improve your SEO.

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.

#PlanYourBusiness – Including a Call to Action in Your Social Media Content

When you post something to social media, what’s your purpose? In other words, what do you want the person who is reading your content to do? If your answer to this question is that you don’t know or that you never think about wanting your audience to do something, then stop – do not pass Go!

Instead, go back to basics and think about why you’re posting. Unless you’re passing along something for information purposes (yes, that’s ok too), then you always need to have a clear call to action in your social media content.

Through your call to action, you let your audience know what you want them to do and how to do it. If you are trying to sell something then you want them to buy; if you want to add them to your database, then you want them to sign up. Or maybe you want them to comment or share your post. You get the picture. Everything you post should have a clear purpose, and your purpose defines your call to action.

5 Things You Need to Know About Calls to Action

  • CTAs should be straightforward – Your calls to action don’t have to be boring, but they do have to be simple enough to understand so that your community will get the point.
  • CTAs should be strategic – Before you post you should consider your objective. If you know what you hope the content will accomplish, then you’ll know how to frame the call to action.
  • CTAs can be creative – Your call to action can be funny, ironic, or different as long as it is true to your brand and clear enough to be understood.
  • CTAs should be consistent – Whether you choose to use a color theme, a button style, or some other element, your calls to action should be consistent with your other brand elements.
  • CTAs can (and should) be tested – It can pay to take the time to test your calls to action. Get a benchmark by trying it out to see if it converts. If not, try something else.

If you study the science of sales, then you know that a key tenet is that you have to ask for the sale. The same is true for your social media content. Your call to action is where you ask for the sale. Your CTA is your money shot. It lets your audience know what you want them to do and asks them to do it. So go ahead, don’t be shy. Ask for the sale.

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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