Tag: Social Media Management

When Should You Hire a Social Media Manager?

Social media marketing is not easy or simple or quick. It involves a lot of work from creating content – graphics and copywriting – to having a strategy and editorial calendar – to scheduling out all the posts – to optimizing hashtags and search – to taking the time to engage and nurture an audience.

If you are considering bringing a social media manager onto our team, but are uncertain if it’s the right time to do so – we have some insights for you below.

Success

There’s a time in a small business where you are the Everything CEO and you haven’t yet reached a point where you can invest in marketing or resources. However, once you start signing on projects or clients, your resources will improve but your time will become limited. What a lot of small businesses do at this phase is drop the ball on their marketing to focus on signing on clients and doing project work. You don’t want to do this. Because, at some point, you’ll need more clients or projects and if you have let your social media go to the wayside – it’ll be like starting over again. Instead, hire a social media manager to keep you consistent while you do your work so that your audience doesn’t feel abandoned and that you always have a relevant and effective place to go to promote your work.

Stagnation

If you’ve been doing your own social media marketing for awhile, but you’ve hit a plateau – it may be time to hire help. If you have an engaged audience, you’ll want to keep that going strong but, sometimes, accounts struggle to grow their audience sometimes. If your engagement has been steady but growth has slowed or stopped – it’s time to try something new. A social media manager can help you strategize the right direction to head in – whether it’s additional content, a new platform, or investing in social advertising.

Expansion

You really want to create an Instagram account but are struggling to consistently post on Facebook. Or you hear LinkedIn is hopping, but all your social media time is spent staying active on Twitter. If you are thinking about expanding your social media presence, but simply can’t imagine where to find the extra time in the day to make that work – it’s time to hire a social media manager to take some of the content creation, copywriting, and scheduling burden off your plate.

***** Is it becoming more difficult to create content for your small business to use in social media? Is there just not enough time in the day to be as consistent and present as you’d like to be online? The Social Media Advisor team can create a custom editorial calendar for your posts, create messaging and images that are aligned with your brand and culture, and schedule posts so you can take social media marketing off your very busy plate. Hire us to do the work so you don’t have to. *****

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.

 

Top 3 Reasons Professional Headshots Are Needed for Social Media Marketing

Top 3 Reasons Professional Headshots Are Needed for Social Media Marketing

You know that businesses that only seem to share quotes and the occasional promotional post on social media? Do you get excited about following them or engaging with their content online?

Yeah, me either.

Social media was always meant to be a social experience. If you want to be successful on social, you need to get comfortable in front of the camera. The most engaging content on social media are photos and videos where a small business owner shows up for their people and shares information, ideas, and opportunities that actually interest, engage, and excite their audience.

You can’t do that hiding behind a graphic you stole off of Google. 

Here are our top three reasons to invest in branded headshots for your social media channels:

Content

One of the struggles for any business on social media is the creative aspect of creating content that an audience will engage with. Getting 1-3 branded photo shoots done a year keeps your content fresh, interesting, and attractive. It helps you create content for your audience that will actually get attention and social engagement. 

Engagement

Your followers will be less likely to scroll past your content if they see your smiling face! If your followers are into you and what you do, seeing your photos will inspire them to like, comment, and share your posts! This engagement will showcase your content in more feeds, inspiring others to engage and will organically create the sort of attention you want for your social media posts. 

Professionalism

While the occasional selfie isn’t going to hurt you, it doesn’t make the same impact as professional, branded photography. It doesn’t matter how good your selfie game is, there are ways to demonstrate your company culture and brand personality that simply can’t be accomplished with a selfie. Branded photography tells the story of you and your company. It removes the veil that small business owners tend to hide behind and is the bridge between you and an engaged audience. 

Images of YOU are going to bring higher engagement than any stock image out there.  Plan to get a series of great photos done professionally that show your brand voice. What sort of brand images work well? Indoor, Outdoor, doing a fun activity you love, different times of year, they all work! Incorporate blank space in areas for adding quotes and tips to your images later. The key is to show your personality! These images are what people will resonate with and use to connect with you, follow you, and choose to do business with you.


Are you struggling with not knowing how to use social media for your business?  Not sure when to post, how to post, or what #Hashtags even are? Over three months, we will develop a roadmap of exactly how to use social media for your business in our Quarterly Roadmap Sessions.  We will work on ads, reporting, creating posts for higher engagement, and break through the fears and frustrations small businesses experience with social media marketing. Let’s chat.

 

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.

Top 3 Ways to Cultivate New Business with Social Media Marketing

Top 3 Ways to Cultivate New Business with Social Media Marketing

You’ve probably been told that your business should be on social media but you’ve just not taken the time to figure it out OR you’ve tried your hand at social but just couldn’t get it to work for you. Just know that you’re not alone. Finding new business on social media is very possible but you may need a guide and a cheerleader to show the way and cheer you on!

Here are our top three ways to find new business on social media:

Consistency

Consistency is the most common piece of advice from social media marketing experts and the one small business owners find the most difficult to follow. Because there is not always an immediate benefit to sharing something on social media, it can feel like your efforts aren’t valued and may be a waste of time. However, every new business on social media starts in the same place. You have to earn the right to have an engaged audience by showing up consistently and sharing content that your audience finds valuable. If you only post occasionally, or when you think about it, you are training people that you aren’t dependable or reliable. You aren’t giving them a reason to stick around. Invest in posting consistently for six months in a row. I promise you’ll see a major difference in your results!

Trust

Trust is the #1 reason people choose to work with any small business. Purchasing is an emotional experience. Recent studies have shown that no amount of logic will convince someone to pull out their credit card or sign the dotted line. There is always an emotional reason behind why we purchase anything. Emotions = vulnerability. This is why trust is so key to the conversion process.

Here are some things buyers may consider before buying:

  • Have I heard of this company before?
  • Has anyone recommended this company before?
  • How does their brand make me feel?
  • Do they make a social impact?
  • Are they trustworthy? What sort of reputation do they have?
  • What can I find out about them online?
  • Where can I find out what other buyers think about them?
  • Does their website and social media grab my attention and, if so, does what they share resonate with my values and what I believe in?
  • What am I going to get out of this exchange?
  • Are they going to make it worth my time to pay attention or purchase?
  • Do I trust them? Will they do what they promise? Will this be a good investment for me?

These are just some of the things buyers consider when they are trying to make a purchasing decision. All of them are rooted in trust. The more you show up, the more you share your brand messaging, the more you interact with others online, the more opportunities you have to showcase that you are a trustworthy brand.

Interest

One of the biggest social media marketing mistakes is when a small business talks about what they are interested in without giving any consideration to the interests of their audience. This is why posting too much promotional content is bad news: no one wants to engage with someone who’s clearly only there to get money out of the interaction. While we know that your marketing efforts are about converting followers into customers, it’s essential that what you share is interesting to the audience first and foremost. Otherwise, why should they stick around to see more of your posts? Be interesting, be present, share ideas and information that are valuable to our audience – these are the paths to building the trust necessary for someone to choose to do business with you.

Are you struggling with not knowing how to use social media for your business?  Not sure when to post, how to post, or what #Hashtags even are? Over three months, we will develop a roadmap of exactly how to use social media for your business in our Quarterly Roadmap Sessions.  We will work on ads, reporting, creating posts for higher engagement, and break through the fears and frustrations small businesses experience with social media marketing. Let’s chat.


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.

Top 3 Things to Know About Having a Business Page vs a Personal Page in Social Media

When it comes to social media, there’s two main components when it comes to visibility: personal visibility and professional visibility. Anyone with a social media account has some level of personal visibility on social media. While some small businesses use their personal feeds and accounts to market their business, most companies create a separate professional account or feed for their promotional posts. 

We are often asked: is it okay to post business content on our personal pages and do we really need a professional presence for our business on social media?

This is a good question. Here is our best advice.

No One Likes Spam

You are probably connected to a lot of people who have started a small business who use personal accounts to market their businesses products or services and who add you to groups (without notice), and private message you at random about their products wanting you to buy them based on the fact that “they have seen a result and you should buy because you trust them”. This is called spam. And no one likes spam.

Too many small businesses, especially MLM salespeople and network marketers, use their personal feeds to market their products and services. The idea behind this approach is many small businesses have a much bigger following on their personal pages than they do on their business feed (if they’ve set up a business feed at all). Plus, if you are selling for another company, there can be rules against representing yourself as more than just a salesperson for that business. 

While it’s a sound theory, it has some flaws. 

  • People, unless they are also trying to sell you something, don’t become your friend or follower on social media to get spammed by your advertising. This is an instant turn-off causing your followers to not engage with your posts and, therefore, teach the algorithm to not show them any of your content.
  • Just because they know you or are related to you, doesn’t mean that they are your target audience. You could be spending a lot of time and energy advertising to the wrong crowd.
  • Social media users are smart and they can see a salesperson a mile away. If you want to lose social media friends, start treating them like walking wallets.

You Don’t Own Your Audience

Facebook’s Terms of Service state clearly that you aren’t to use your personal profile for business purposes. If enough people report your posts to Facebook, they can shut down your entire account (and there goes your entire audience with it). 

Because you don’t own your audience, at any time, a social media account can change their algorithm, change their rules, or shut down completely – and your entire marketing list vanishes. There are popular social media channels that no longer exist today. 

It’s much better to provide value-added content that your audience enjoys and engages with and then convert those people to a platform you own – like your email marketing list.

At least with a business profile, you know those individuals want to hear what your business has to say and they are more likely to tolerate a few promotional posts or be tempted to join your email list than random folks on your personal feeds. 

What You Should Do Instead

Top 3 things you can do to build your professional social media audience the right way: 

  1. Network with people, actually get to know them and build trust through your relationships and knowing things about their lives. These are warm leads that will be more interested in what you have to offer. 
  2. Don’t add everyone to your FB groups, instead post about your group and ask people to join of they are interested.  You can even private message them, inviting them that way to join (but only ask once).  Give an incentive, offer a fundraiser to host your party or host an event with a collaborative partner to co-host something instead.  (P.S. – a Handwritten note or mailed invite goes a long way and is way better than spamming!)  
  3. Having a business page or profile will actually help you track numbers, sales, and engagement vs tossing spaghetti at a wall on your personal account to see what fits (and losing people you actually care about.)

Is it a struggle each month to create and post social media content for your business? Do you just not have enough time in the day to get it all done? The Social Media Advisor team are experts in helping you stay consistent online! We’ll work with you to create an editorial calendar, messaging, and branded images aligned with your culture and promoting your business so you don’t have to worry about it anymore! Find out more about our Monthly Social Media Support package on our website.

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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