Love it, or hate it, we all know that having a quality social media presence is one of the easiest ways to reach a bigger audience and grow our businesses, but let’s face it… it’s exhausting, confusing, not to mention time consuming. So in today’s episode of the Simply Standout Marketing Podcast I’m going to help you take the first step to simplify your social media marketing.
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Podcast Transcript
Love it or hate it, we all know that having a quality social media presence is one of the easiest ways to reach a bigger audience and grow our businesses. But let’s face it, it’s exhausting, confusing, not to mention time consuming. So today I’m going to help you take the first step to simplify your social media marketing.
Hello, it’s great to have you here for another episode of the Simply Standout Marketing podcast. Today’s episode is all about taking the first step to making your social media marketing simpler and saving you a heap of time in the process.
Having a social media presence on any or all of the platforms doesn’t guarantee success or that you’ll actually grow your business. In fact, it might be the one thing keeping you stuck. I understand that everyone’s telling you that you have to be on a number of these platforms and do it this way or you won’t grow.
But consider this. If it were true that success and growth comes from being on more platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and working harder on your social media, then everyone who was active on several social media platforms should be successful and be the number one in their space.
But most businesses nowadays are on several social media platforms and the majority are definitely not winning. So social media isn’t what’s going to make or break you. It’s good marketing that allows you to stand out and succeed.
Social media platform comparison
So let’s talk platforms for now. Chances are you heard that you need to be on every social network or at very least a handful. So you’ve got a Facebook page, you’ve created Instagram and Twitter accounts, and you might even have gone as far as connected on LinkedIn, filmed videos for YouTube or tried to work out Tik-Tok, Snapchat or the new Clubhouse platform.
But have you ever considered that maybe it’s doing more harm than good as you’re doing an average job on a lot, instead of putting all your energy into one or two? Have you ever considered that maybe you’re even on the wrong platform?
First up, I want you to think back to when you signed up for your social media accounts. Why did you choose to put your efforts into those social media platforms? Most business owners choose which platform to be active on because it’s the one they enjoy and that’s just human nature.
Sometimes this works out to be the right choice, with it also being the main place where your target audience hangs out for all the rest it might feel good to be on it, but chances are it’s actually a waste of time.
So if you want to stop wasting your time, you need to gain a really good understanding of what social media channels the majority of your target audience users. Do they love the sense of community that Facebook groups offer or the beautiful imagery of Instagram? Do they prefer video images, audio or text? Where do they connect online with friends, family and the brands that they love?
There’s no point in being on a social network. If your people aren’t active, there. Depending on your products and services we usually recommend you be active on one or two platforms and do them really, really well.
So which platform should you choose? There are actually hundreds of social media platforms, but the top eight for businesses are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tik-Tok and the brand new Clubhouse.
Clubhouse
Okay, so I’ve got to start with Clubhouse because everyone is talking about it and a whole lot of people are experiencing serious FOMO when they can’t get an invite. This is actually great marketing on the part of clubhouse. Clubhouse is an invite only audio chat style social media app that’s currently only available on iPhones.
I’ve got to admit, when I first heard about clubhouse, I thought it was all these Disney fans who were getting overexcited about a Disney social media channel and had something to do with Mickey Mouse. Well, I was seriously wrong.
Clubhouse is this dizzying and full on experience with rooms full of talkback radio style chats, panel discussions, conversations and more.
Before you go running off and spending days trying to get an invite (don’t worry, there’s plenty around, even I have a couple if you want one). And before you spend time learning a new social media platform that’s still in beta testing, I want to ask you to ask yourself two questions.
What will help you achieve your goals with the least effort and in the shortest time? Is it clubhouse or a different social media platform or is it email, in-person events or maybe even fixing your website? And the second question is this the main social media app you want to concentrate on because it’s where your target audience hang out and engage the most.
If it’s not step away from Clubhouse right now. It’s not going to solve all of your problems or any of your problems, but instead will cause more because you’ll end up wasting so much time and energy on it instead of concentrating on the things that will help you reach your goals sooner. Remember, you can’t do everything and you have to prioritize.
If you just can’t help yourself, then by all means join for the fun of it and enjoy it in your spare time. But don’t do it as part of your business.
Now it’s go over to Facebook, which is without a doubt the number one platform both bricks and mortar and online businesses use to promote their products and services.
Whether you’re looking to find new customers, engage with existing ones, or even build an email list, Facebook is often the easiest and fastest way to make it happen.
You can even create a small community for your followers by hosting your own private Facebook group.
The big downside is that despite its massive audience reach and good analytics, unless your differentiation, messaging and community engagement is exceptional, you’re unlikely to get much free airtime anymore, even with people who already follow you. Because like any social media network, they own the audience, not you. So they get to decide whether they’ll show your post to people based on their ever-changing algorithm.
Now, Facebook advertising can be costly if you don’t know what you’re doing, but it’s low cost to dip your toes in and try out any new marketing campaigns. But from an audience building social proof and trust building point of view, having a Facebook page is fantastic, if that’s where your audience is.
Now, who is this best for? It’s actually best for most businesses with an audience over the age of about 30, including local businesses, online businesses, nonprofits, business to business companies, education and professional services.
So over to Instagram, the next most popular. With over one billion users today, Instagram is an awesome platform to generate leads and increase your consumer connections. Because it’s a highly visual platform with a super easy interface users are starting to shop on Instagram more and more. So if you have a product based business whose audience is on Insta, it’s perfect.
And don’t forget about Insta stories and Instagram TV. The hugely popular Insta Stories is a feature that allows users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. This means that users can post easily and rapidly to their followers without worrying about overloading them. Also, compared to the polished rep of the Instagram aesthetic, the vibe is definitely a little rougher around the edges, which is good news for novices. The engagement boosting features on the stories is great for starting conversations and humanising your brand and getting real-Time feedback straight from your target audience. It’s best to really take some time to check it out and get used to the stickers and polls and fun filters that you can use.
Now, who is Instagram best for? Industries like food, fashion, travel, beauty, anything home and garden as well.
Twitter is for the under 50s and it’s predominantly used by individuals as well as it’s used by large businesses for marketing and customer service. Businesses in industries like media, politics, agriculture, hospitality, entertainment, retail. You see a lot of airlines on there as well. And technology.
Now using this platform can be really time consuming but if you have someone on your team who is savvy with social media and is willing to schedule a couple of posts every day, Twitter is a great option, if that’s where your audience is. The best way to get noticed is by constantly engaging with your audience and providing valuable content and insight to your followers and target audience.
You might think that Pinterest is just for women who scroll for sources of inspiration for the next DIY, for recipes or event planning, right? Wrong. Pinterest is really proving to be a heavyweight as a profitable advertising platform and for driving organic traffic to websites. Many people don’t realize that Pinterest actually drives three point eight times more sales than any other platform.
But you also need to consider the user group, which is 66 percent female, between the ages of 25 and 54. A recent survey conducted by Pinterest actually found that a whopping 93 percent of Pinners use Pinterest to plan their purchases.
Pinterest is kind of like Google. Search for a product and Pinterest leads you to several pins related to the search. Basically, it’s a search engine within a social media platform. When someone clicks on your pin, they will be directed to your website, which will help drive more traffic and sales to your business with less advertising costs.
Like Instagram, pinterest is a visual platform, so you need to have attractive eye-Catching graphics to get eyes on your content and ads and get people to pin and share your content. Now, who is this one best for? Pinterest is best for probably some of the bigger ones in fashion food, interior design, health and fitness, DIY craft, even auto, weddings, parenting and travel. But I don’t think it’s quite as good from a local business point of view. I wouldn’t be using Pinterest.
LinkedIn is all about networking and business opportunities. If you’re a personal brand, a business needing a professional to be part of your team, or you just wanting to network with like-minded professionals, then LinkedIn can be really great. It’s best for people wanting to do business to business, coaches and consultants, professional services, and technology.
YouTube
YouTube is undoubtedly the number one space for sharing videos and has been for quite a while. Aside from being a source of entertainment, it’s also a place where people go to when they want to learn something new. Think about all the things you’ve ever Googled. And at the top of the search you find these great videos which show you how to do minor repairs to the kids mountain bike you just bought, how to use a piece of software or that new blender.
It’s great for that after sale service or onboarding or to show off how your product or service works when words alone won’t do. If your business has a story to tell, a product to showcase or events to promote, YouTube will be the number one social media platform to promote it as a video. And the good thing with YouTube is there’s no time limit like there is on others.
By optimizing your videos for YouTube SEO, similar to, you know, Google SEO more people can find you organically when searching for products and services related to your business.
Now YouTube is best for product based businesses, education, how to businesses, technology, beauty, fashion, lifestyle, businesses where your audience prefer video and or they need video to see your product in action.
TikTok
OK, so here’s to our last one. TikTok is still having this crazy moment in the sun right now. It’s the platform the younger generation are totally nuts over and where they go to watch funny and entertaining videos. You may think it’s just full of silly dance videos, but recent trends have proven that Tiktok can be really useful to lots of businesses.
I’ve seen some great businesses on there, like Guess, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice and San Diego Zoo. For those not in the know, Tiktok is a video sharing app where users can shoot, edit and share 15 second videos jazzed up with filters, music, animation and special effects. One of the biggest benefits of Tiktok is that you don’t need to create highly polished videos. Just be authentic, pull out your smartphone and start filming. While fun videos are widely popular, don’t try to create content that’s, you know, out there if that’s not what your business is. Tiktok also isn’t the place for serious sales pitches. It’s used by the younger generation sort of think, teenagers and early 20s. So keep it quick, simple, lighthearted, humorous and creative. Now, interestingly, pets and children are one of the biggest sort of areas that go viral on Tiktok. They do really well.
So think of things like, you know, anyone in retail movies, media, artists. If you can be creative and make something fun, then Tiktok is probably really good for you, but only if that is your audience.
Okay. So there you have it. Eight social media platforms that serve very different audiences with different styles of content every minute of the day. Whether you’re looking to attract and engage more people for your local business or if you’re looking for a world wide audience, the opportunities are there to make it happen. So choose the right platform for your audience and then take the next vital step, which will mean the difference between having a growing and engaged audience and the sounds of silence, which you never want.
To make your social media a success you need to stand out, have messaging that really connects with your audience. You need to know your audience intimately and have goals and a strategy for how you’re going to reach those goals. Because you can post in the right place at the right time and at the right consistency and do all the right things that you’ve been told to do. But if you don’t get these elements right for your marketing, chances are you’ll be talking to no one.
I’ve got some great episodes coming up that will help you with your differentiation, with your messaging and connection. Plus interviews lined up with amazing small businesses and experts in things like Facebook ads, mindset, websites and more. So make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss out on a thing. Thanks so much for joining me today.
