If you think your clients and customers aren’t on social media, think again. Statistics suggest otherwise (more about that later), but even if your clients aren’t social media savvy themselves, the people who influence them probably are. It’s very likely that these influencers, including employees, spouses, friends, associates and others, do spend significant time on social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, watching YouTube, checking out ‘Insta’ or listening to podcasts. And it’s important to realise that they are providing you with a trusted conduit to your ideal client.
Firstly, about those stats. There are more than 2.01 billion active monthly Facebook users worldwide with an incredible 15 million Australians accessing the popular channel. And yes, according to Social Media News, Aussies are prolific social media users. 60% of the country’s population are active on Facebook, with 50% of us logging in at least once a day. Around 15 million are on YouTube, 9 million on Instagram, 4.2 million on LinkedIn and 3 million on Twitter – every month!
While these very compelling figures indicate masses of potential new clients are waiting to hear from you, what you need to do to become ‘social’ is more likely to be your main concern.
Consistency and relevance are the key to all successful marketing activities, and this is especially true for your social media strategy. The advice we give our clients is this:
Understand that your business social media, is NOT your personal social media. Facebook is particularly strict when it comes to individuals using their personal pages for business purposes.
Stay current and post at least weekly. When you are starting out stick to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn until you get the hang of things.
Interact with your community – include links to helpful information and free downloads and ask if you can help.
Above all else, post relevant and genuine information, original content most of the time and shared content some of the time.
Okay, so that’s all well and good, but how do you do that?
#1. Use the 80/20 rule – dedicate 80% of your posting to original content and relevant shared information and the other 20% to posting and sharing what we describe as ‘warm ‘n fuzzy’ non-business stuff that will strike a chord with your ideal clients and followers.
#2. Focus on original content as it will identify you as a thought leader, which is central to differentiating what you offer clients from your competitors. Naturally, original content will link directly back to your website, blog and strategy papers as well as other key resources that can build your brand awareness and credibility.
#3. Share relevant content, particularly if it supports what you offer clients. This will keep your social channel interesting, but be mindful that sharing links from others (thought leaders in their own right) will mean your prospective clients and followers will click from you, to them.
#4. Claim your name-sake social accounts (even if you’re not ready to use them) because if you don’t, someone else probably will.
#5. Start now. To coin a financial planning saying ‘the best time to start was yesterday, but the next best time is now’. It doesn’t take long to build a reputable social media presence, and if you don’t have the time to do it yourself, talk to a service provider like us who can do it for you.
At Bold! we provide a Do-It-For-Me (DIFM) Social Media Service in conjunction with our DIFM marketing communication program which focuses on creating original thought leading content for enhancing brand awareness and credibility.
We establish, and regularly review your social media channels, attend to your administration and posting commitments in accordance with professional standards.
Want to know more? Please give us a call on 07 5477 0197 or email marketing@boldcorp.com.au
We help professionals and business owners to use marketing to grow their businesses.