I spend a lot of time telling businesses not to focus a whole lot on social media marketing. 

And there’s a good reason for that. The ROI just doesn’t hold water to other online marketing channels like email, or simply focusing on longterm SEO strategies. 

That being said, no company should totally ignore social media. It’s more about understanding your goals and investing the appropriate amount of time to reach those goals.

Here’s a quick infographic to steer you in the right direction based on how you personally interact with social media.

You Are a “Social Media Person”

You’re already investing time in social media. Now you just need to make sure you’re using it to support your business.

You can use social media as a way to build awareness of your business. Your goal is to get more people to even know that you exist. 

You can do this through being social on social media! 

Join groups where your target audience is among the members. Participate and find natural ways to mention what you do. 

For example, maybe someone asks for recommendations for a wedding venue, and you do hair for weddings. You can say something like, “I handled hair and makeup for a wedding at this really amazing resort — XYZ…” and then share useful info about the location. 

You’re slipping in what you do — but not in an obnoxious way.

Get recommended. 

That’s another way to be social. Don’t be shy about asking clients for a review. 

But better yet, see if you can find someone who is willing to shout your praises anytime someone asks for a recommendation related to your business. Maybe your best friend. Or a networking colleague who you can do the same for.

Let them know when you see a post where they might mention how great you are!

Comment, like, and share.

If you’re trying to build awareness on social media, you have to get on the hamster wheel of content creation. But that’s okay with you, right? Because you’re a social media person, so you’re already doing it!

But that’s not enough. You need to be active — don’t be shy about interacting in any way you can on your platform of choice.

Use posts to build a relationship.

When you are social on social media, people get a sense of who you are — and what your business will be like to interact with. 

If you’re constantly sharing promotional content with very little educational or entertainment value, you’re starting that relationship off on the wrong foot. 

Instead, focus on showing what makes you different from competitors. The reason you’re in business. And the people you work with and for.

You Are NOT a “Social Media Person”

This category fits the vast majority of business owners. After all, you have a business to run. Who has time for social media?

If that’s you, don’t fret. As previously mentioned, there are other, less time-consuming channels you can focus on. 

BUT you still want to maintain a presence on social.

Why? Because people research on social media channels. 

This is the consideration stage of marketing. Someone learns about you somewhere — maybe through a Google search or a friend’s recommendation. And now they want to know more.

One place they may turn is social media. They’ll be looking to verify your reputation and see if you feel like a fit for what they need.

If they head to social media and you haven’t published a post since before the pandemic… well, they’re going to wonder if you’re still around! And have questions about how professional your organization is.

If they see that you’re posting on a regular basis — even just once a month — you’ll come across as more trustworthy.

Here’s the good news: you can use a scheduling tool to create posts for the entire year. And then just set yourself a reminder to do it again next year. 

And you’re done! Breathe a sigh of relief knowing you’ve “done” your social media. You’re not expecting it to bring in new customers necessarily. Just help guide them on their journey to selecting you if they end up checking you out there.

Ads Make Sense for Your Audience.

Social media ads do NOT make sense for all audiences. 

What are the chances someone would make an impulse purchase on life insurance while browsing Tiktok videos? Pretty low.

But if you sell a product or service that is fun, unique, or emotional, you may be able to grab someone’s attention with ads. 

This strategy is focused on conversion. You want people to see what you offer and actually take action to make a purchase.

It’s important to note that, when starting a social media campaign, you are starting from the first stage: awareness. 

Your audience doesn’t know who you are. They are seeing you for the first time. So they’re not likely to jump into a purchase just yet. 

On average, they’ll need to interact with your brand 6-8 times before they finally take the leap.

So you cannot judge the success of a social media ad campaign by its first weeks — or even months. And boy, can that be nerve-wracking. Because there is no guarantee that it will pan out.

You want to watch for signs that people are taking an active interest. Are they staying on the page? Starting checkout? Adding an item to their cart?

When possible, have them join your email list, because getting them to conversion that way is much less expensive. 

And above all, ensure your profit margins can support the investment of waiting for those 6-8 touch points before the sale. 

Many brands that focus on social media ads as a main driver of revenue have high profit margins or focus on repeat purchases. 

That’s because social media ads aren’t cheap. To earn a profit, you need to plan accordingly and work with a professional.

Need Help?

At WR Digital Marketing, we help clients who fall into each of these buckets. 

Perhaps more importantly, we help companies figure out what bucket is best for them. Often, the lowest hanging fruit isn’t on social but on email or SEO instead. 

We’re focused on helping clients figure out how to make their marketing work — as opposed to just providing them with content.

If you’re feeling lost and overwhelmed by the “hamster wheel” of social media, schedule a free consultation.