Social media is a great place to find paying customers who will buy your products and services.
But the number one problem that I hear business owners complain about is that they don’t know where to start.
They also feel overwhelmed by the amount of work they would have to do to post on all the different social media platforms.
And this is why its really important to create a simple social media strategy and only use just one or two platforms in the beginning until you can grow a large enough audience that buys your stuff.
Because the honest truth is that you need to get your social media followers to buy from you otherwise you are just wasting your time.
This is not a popularity contest. There are plenty of social media accounts that have thousands of followers but aren’t making any money from it.
And you are busy, you have a life to live, a family or other plans for yourself and you don't have time to waste.
So I am going to make this VERY simple for you.
The one thing I want you to take away is this: Just start with 1 or 2 social media platforms.
And the second thing is, create a social media strategy that works for you, your personality, your schedule and your life.
How Do You Create a Social Media Strategy?
To create a social media marketing strategy you need to answer these questions:
Who is your target audience?
What are their problems? And how does your product or service solve their problems?
What type of content can you create to help them solve their problems (and that is related to what you are selling)?
Which social media platforms is your target audience hanging out on?
Now I am going to help you answer these questions. So keep reading…..
Who is Your Target Audience?
You need to write down who are you trying to sell to.
Are they primarily women or both men and women? Are they moms of toddlers, are they people who love to travel abroad?
Are they suffering from a health condition? What age range are they? What part of the world do they live in?
Make a list of your target audience’s demographic information, like age, gender, occupation, location, likes, dislikes, etc.
What are their problems? And how does your product or service solve their problems?
You need to convince these people that your products and services are going to help them.
That's the reason they'll buy from you and that’s also how you'll make money.
Once you know this, you can create interesting content on social media to get people interested in you and your brand.
So if you are selling natural beauty products like coconut oil, you need to understand why would someone even buy your products.
It could be that they have very dry skin and they need a product that’s natural to apply every day.
Or maybe this person has tried prescription medication and it had bad side effects.
You would then explain why coconut oil is better and doesn’t have any side effects.
So some example problems of this target audience could be the following:
They have dry skin.
They have tried prescription medication and suffered from bad side effects.
They are afraid to use the wrong products on their skin and hair because they have very sensitive skin.
They have eczema.
These are some examples of just a few problems that someone who is selling coconut oil products would want to list out about their target customer.
The people who will buy their specific products.
You need to think about what type of content can you create to help them solve their problems (and that is related to what you are selling)?
Now that you have a list of problems to help your customer solve, the next thing to do is think of creative content ideas that can provide a solution.
Someone selling coconut oil products can write a few blog posts on how to correctly apply coconut oil to skin and hair every day.
Or even write a blog post about why natural and organic coconut oil is better than synthetic medications for eczema.
By doing this you are helping your target audience solve their problems.
Then you can share your blog posts on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
You can record videos on Youtube and Instagram stories about the benefits of organic coconut oil.
You can create pictures on Instagram about natural beauty products with coconut oil. Show pictures of women who have “fabulous” looking hair after using a coconut oil hair product.
…..I can go on and on about this, but you get what I am saying.
And this is why creating a social media marketing plan is essential to get your ideas down on paper and to help you get organized about your posting strategy.
Which Platforms Is Your Target Audience Hanging Out On?
Now that you have listed out your content strategy for social media, you have to choose which social media platform you want to focus on.
I believe that you should only start out with two platforms and not overwhelm yourself.
Trust me, the last thing you want to do is be all over the place.
Think about where your audience hangs out.
If you are selling lifestyle products like hair products, makeup, fashion, food, etc use Instagram and Pinterest.
If your target audience are lawyers and doctors or business owners, you might want to focus on Linkedin instead as it’s more business focused.
Grow Your Social Media Followers
If you don’t have followers on social media, nobody will see your content when you post it. That’s why you need to focus on this first before worrying about what content to post.
You can grow your audience on Instagram and Twitter by posting with popular hashtags. This let’s other users find your content.
Engage with other influencers. Start engaging with other accounts by commenting and liking their content.
Share your social accounts everywhere. Make sure your social media links are listed on your home page and in your emails.
