Tag: social proof

How to Grow My Business Using Social Media

Small business owners know there is value to be in had in social media marketing. However, they either aren’t certain how to get started or the attempts they’ve made in the past just haven’t worked for their business. Often, this is because the approach used is no longer effective. Social media has evolved quite a bit since the early days of Facebook business pages and massive organic reach and it’s no longer a simple task of ‘post it and they will buy.’

The most effective companies on social media today are building community, telling amazing stories, connecting with their audience, and using their reputation and influence to make a bigger impact.

Here is our best advice for setting up your social media marketing for success:

The Power of Storytelling

“If your stories are all about your products and services, that’s not storytelling. It’s a brochure. Give yourself permission to make the story bigger.”
Jay Baer

People are so tired of being sold to 24/7. You can’t turn on a device or round a corner without a marketing message being pushed at you from somewhere. It’s not that marketing is the problem. We all have money and we are consumers. We spend that money with businesses we want to work with. The issue is most companies, especially smaller businesses, make their marketing about them – their company, their product or service, their features, their expertise and experience. And, honestly, that reads like a resume. It’s not inspiring nor does it grab anyone’s attention in a positive way.

Human beings are drawn to stories. Throughout the ages, we’ve used storytelling to craft our personal experiences. Stories will draw your audience in and keep them around. The biggest secret when it comes to using storytelling in marketing is… make the story about your customer. That’s bound to get them to pay attention.

Know, Like and Trust

“We don’t do business with companies. We do business with people.”
Simon Sinek

Unless you are already a large, well-known corporation, today’s modern consumer gravitates towards someone they can trust. There are rare, few businesses that offer a unique product or service that can’t be found anywhere else.

I bet that you have plenty of competitors in your area. How does a client or customer narrow down their choices?

It’s all about reputation, credibility, and trust.

A lead’s decision-making process often involves asking some of the following questions:

  • Who do I know that offers what I need?
  • How do I know them?
  • What are other people saying about them?
  • What do I already know about them?
  • What sort of relationship do I have with this company?
  • Can I trust them to provide quality work for an acceptable price?

When putting together a social media marketing strategy, it’s essential that you are addressing these questions. How do you reach your audience so they can get to know you? What content can you create that will grab their attention and encourage them to engage with you so they can grow to like you? What can you do to build the relationship and your professional credibility so they begin to trust you?

Social Proof & Influence

“When you say it, it’s marketing, when your customer says it, it’s social proof.”
Andy Crestodina

Social media is more than just a tool for marketing your products, services, and offerings. It’s also the place people go to vet influencers and businesses. They use it as a search engine and a research tool before deciding whether or not to sign up or sign the dotted line. There is also the ever-so powerful method of having conversations with others to help make a big decision – such as signing up for your program, service, or offer.

However, if your brand is nowhere to found on social media then leads can’t do that research, have those conversations, or make that decision to pick you over your competition. This is especially true if you have no website or a website that just isn’t robust enough to persuade and influence traffic. (That’s if you can get people to find your website at all!)

Social proof is more of an outcome than a process. The more visible you are online, the more social proof and influence you generate. This brand awareness and accessibility are important for staying top of mind, connecting with your leads and customers, and generating credibility for you and what you do.

As you can see, success on social media marketing is SO much more than simply posting your monthly special or sharing someone’s inspirational quote. Any business under-utilizing this amazing marketing tool often find they also experience under-whelming results for their efforts.

As a social media user, I bet you have noticed that people engage more with social media content when they relate to the post or resonate with the message. As a small business, are you ready to define your story and build a long-term relationship with a loyal audience? Sign up for a Discovery Session to see which social media marketing programs best fit your needs.

 

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 LinkedInFacebookTwitterBlogGoogle+YouTubePinterestInstagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media TrainingSpeaking and Strategy Consultations.

 

How You Build Social Proof as an Influencer in Your Industry Through Social Media

What is social proof and why is it relevant to your small business?

Social proof is the moment when a lead, observer, or potential client comes across your social media marketing efforts and decides that you are a relevant, legitimate, trusthworthy source of information for your industry. We don’t get social proof just by deciding to become a business owner. It’s not automatic or guaranteed. There are things we must do to convince people that we know what we are talking about and are worth following.

Here are our best tips for building social proof so that you can become an influencer through social media:

Be Consistent

Many social media experts will tell you that it’s better to have zero presence on social media than it is to have an outdated or inconsistent presence. Why is that?

Because inconsistency sends a message to your audience that you aren’t available, you aren’t present, and you aren’t concerned about your followers.

It also makes you less relevant. Why follow your brand on social media when there are so many others maintaining an active presence?

Plus, inconsistency sends a message to the algorithms. The quickest way to lose traction with the social media platforms is to train them that you aren’t around. This means that your content isn’t as valuable and your posts will be shared less frequently.

Show Up (Both Offline and Online) 

If you are attending trade shows, workshops, conferences, or networking events – you should be posting pictures of yourself at the event, yourself with other brands or influencers, and keeping your audience updated on what you are doing to stay relevant, educated, and a mover or shaker in your industry. These sorts of posts create instead credibility and authority as your followers live vicariously through your business adventures!

Actually Influence Your Audience

Your audience is following you because they value your expertise and opinions. This means you should show up frequently, video is most effective, with recommendations for products and/or services, advice, industry news, and opinions related to your area of experience.

Whether you are teaming up with a power partner, becoming an affiliate for a product or service, collaborating with online or offline events, or simply being generous with your knowledge – influencing people means you have to stand for something.

 

Building social proof is as simple as making it a priority to consistently show up and build your authority in your industry. This automatically makes you more legitimate on social media while improving your ability to influence others. Being present, with a heart towards generous service and helping your audience as much as you can, gives people a reason to follow you, engage with your posts, and share your information with others.

 

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 LinkedInFacebookTwitterBlogGoogle+YouTubePinterestInstagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media TrainingSpeaking and Strategy Consultations.

#RelationshipsMatter – How Does Social Proof Build Your Tribe?

When it comes to social media, there are lots of new and exciting terms out there. One relatively new term is social proof. You may not be familiar with the words, but you are familiar with the concept; think product endorsements, establishing authority, and word-of-mouth advertising. When it comes down to it, that’s all social proof is and it can help you build and expand your tribe. In fact, your tribe can also help you build your social proof.

Of course, people turn to you and what you post for a number of different reasons. For some, it’s about your product or services. For others, it’s about getting the opinion of a trusted authority. Also, there are those that it’s just because they like you or are your friend. While that all may sound pretty complicated, it really all boils down to social proof—people sharing information they like because it comes from someone they know and admire.

Marketers have known for a long time that having a good reputation and a strong brand can help you get sales. That’s why they depend heavily on product endorsements and positive customer reviews in advertising. The same is true for social media. When you gain a reputation for credibility and consistency, the people in your network come to trust you. Because they trust you, they trust your content, and they pass that content along to other people. And so it goes. That’s what engagement is, sharing, commenting, and reaching out.

So how can you use social proof to expand your reach and increase the number of people in your circle? There are lots of ways. Testimonials, case studies, personnel profiles, and telling stories can all work to improve your credibility and help people trust you. The same is true for the everyday interactions you have with the people in your social network world. The point is to involve the people you connect with in your everyday social media life. In short, strengthen your relationship with them. In turn, they will get the word out about you and your products and services.

When it comes to social media reach, you can never have too many people in your tribe. When you improve your social proof and cement your credibility, you’ll grow. The trouble is, it’s hard to do it on your own. The Social Media Advisor can help you get off on the right foot with a comprehensive social media analysis. They can help you grow both your tribe and the connections you have with the people who are already involved. Now is a great time to get started!

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 LinkedInFacebookTwitterBlogGoogle+YouTubePinterestInstagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media TrainingSpeaking and Strategy Consultations.

#RelationshipsMatter – How Your Tribe Influences Your Social Proof

When you think about how you use social media, do you think of it in terms of your social proof? Social proof is a concept that refers to the phenomena of people taking their lead from others. Social proof works the way it does because it’s human nature for us to assume that if other people approve of a product or service, then it’s probably OK for us too. That’s why testimonials and case studies are popular and effective marketing tools.

With that in mind, consider the influence the people in your own social media community have on getting the word out about you, your products, and your services. When it comes down to it, your community, or tribe as we like to call it, is pretty important when it comes to your social proof.

Your tribe includes all the people with whom you interact. Of course, that includes your customers. But it also includes your employees, your business partners, your vendors, and anyone else who is essential in contributing to your success. How effectively you engage with these groups of people is vital too in communicating to others that you are a trusted and credible source.

Effective use of social media is all about engagement, and engagement is essential in communicating that you are a trusted and credible source. That’s where your tribe comes in. When they give you their seal of approval, they are making an impact on your social proof.

There are many great ways to create content that will engage your community and help to strengthen your social proof. Reviews, employee profiles, testimonials, and how-to videos are great examples. But no matter what the content is, you should strive for it to be positive, consistent, and carry a message that is in line with your objectives for your brand.

If you are having trouble deciding where to start when it comes to using social media to enhance your social proof, a good first step is to take an audit of your content and view it from the perspective of the members of your community. What message does it send? Does it communicate your authority and credibility? How effective is it in getting actual engagement?

An even better way to get a quick start is to take advantage of The Social Media Advisor’s Social Media Analysis. You’ll get the benefits of an outside perspective from someone who knows the business and can offer cost-effective, actionable suggestions for how you can make both short and long-term improvements. So what are you waiting for? Let’s make the most of your social proof!

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 LinkedInFacebookTwitterBlogGoogle+YouTubePinterestInstagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media TrainingSpeaking and Strategy Consultations.


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