If you’ve been hoping to grow your business, social media is a great place to start. With more than 49% of the global population currently using at least one social media platform, you’ll have access to a huge audience, some of which could end up being new clients.
With that said, if social media marketing isn’t your forte, you’re probably wondering where to begin. So, read on as Circle Hub shares some top tips for leveraging social media in a way that enables you to entice your dream clients.
Optimize Your Profile
Before you begin posting on social media, it’s important that you first spend some time making sure that your profiles accurately showcase your business and its identity. This is your chance to tell the world who you are and what you do, so make sure that you get it right!
Make sure that your “about” section is compelling and all branding is consistently attractive. Your profile should also provide ways in which potential clients can easily get in touch with you. If you work remotely, provide a few digital options, including email and social media chat platforms. If you run your business from a physical location, such as a coworking space, including its address, or at least your city/region, it will make you more appealing to local clients.
Create Video Content
Did you know that marketing your business using video content can create up to 66% more qualified leads each year? Video content is currently where it’s at and you need to be making the most of this.
Of course, in order for your video content to convert for you, you need to make sure that people actually watch it. Your videos need to provide value, ideally to your dream clients. Make each second count, crafting videos that tell a story while building the credibility of your business at the same time.
If you need somewhere to film your video content, check out Circle Hub’s video production spaces. With both indoor and outdoor spaces of various sizes, it’s a cost-effective way to give your videos a professional edge.
Provide No-Strings-Attached Content
Editorial credit: Thaspol Sangsee / Shutterstock.com
Has something ever caught your eye on social media, only for you to then find out that you need to subscribe in order to learn more? This is a common marketing tactic and there’s no denying that it can be an effective way to grow an email list.
However, there also needs to be a balance. After all, how many times do you actually click to subscribe versus closing that box down and moving on? That’s why this tactic can be a risky one. Ideally, in addition to exclusive content for subscribers, you should also be providing no-strings-attached content for everyone to benefit from. Not only will this help to increase your credibility and appeal but it will also draw in new clients who want more of what you have to give.
Showcase Your Best Work
While providing informational content is a great way to bring in new clients, you should also be using your social media platforms to showcase your best work. This will immediately appeal to potential clients who are seeking similar products or services.
Make sure that you use high-quality images and videos to display what you’ve been up to. After all, you want your work to be synonymous with quality.
Use Geotagging to Your Advantage
Looking for local clients? If so, geotagging can really work in your favor. This is the feature that enables you to attach geographical information to your post. It’s something that most social media platforms offer and it means that you can tag your post with a specific location.
Why would you want to do this? Because it will make it much easier for local clients to find you. Social media users often use geotags to find local content, making this a great way for them to discover yours.
Engage With Local Social Media Users
In addition to posting content for a local audience, it would also be a good idea to engage with local social media users as much as possible. Again, geotags will help you to find them. Strike up a conversation and not only will they be more likely to check out your profile but it will also mean that there’s more of a chance that they’ll recommend you to others.
With that said, you need to be careful about how you engage with others. You don’t want to come across as spammy! Instead, post a relevant comment, preferably one that makes them feel genuinely valued. Sharing local posts can be a good move too as this will help to encourage those users to share yours.
Respond to Enquiries Quickly and Efficiently
Social media has made it much easier and more convenient for consumers to reach out to businesses. Enquiring about a certain product or service is now as easy as sending a message, saving people from having to wait in long phone queues or fill out online forms.
The downside to this is that consumers now have high expectations when it comes to receiving a response from businesses that they contact on social media. Statistics show that 85% of consumers expect a response within six hours or, preferably, even sooner. Once your business is on social media, you’ll need to try to adhere to this as much as possible. Whether you’ve received a question, a negative comment, or anything else, try to respond sooner rather than later.
This is particularly important on Facebook, where a feature now displays an average response time for a business. If a potential client is weighing up whether to go with you or one of your competitors, seeing that your response time is shorter could be enough to persuade them that you should be the company of choice.
Post Consistently
When it comes to experiencing success on social media, consistency is key. Your goal should be to build up momentum and enthusiasm for your business and then keep that at a high. The only way to do this is to make sure that you’re regularly posting.
If you wait for a few weeks in between posts, people will start to lose interest. Sure, this may pick up once you do finally post but it won’t be long before it’s lost once again.
To help ensure consistency, try to develop a posting schedule that aligns with your workflow. If you still struggle to keep up with this, a social media management tool could be helpful. This will allow you to easily schedule your posts in advance on a variety of social media platforms, freeing up some time that you can then spend on personally engaging with users.
Invest in Social Ads
There’s no denying that building a social media presence can be a challenge for a new business. Even if you have fantastic content, it’s not always easy getting that content in front of the right eyes.
This is where social ads can be a game-changer. Sure, they require some financial investment on your part but, compared to traditional advertising channels, costs are very low. Play your cards right and you should see a return on your investment very quickly.
How should you use social ads? While some businesses turn to them as a way to advertise paid services, you’ll likely witness greater success if you use your ads to promote free content. Whether this may be an e-book you’ve written, a useful informational article, or anything else, this will help to build up your audience and bring you new followers/subscribers. Once you’ve developed this captive audience, you’ll then be able to drive future sales in a more organic way.
Set Up a Private Social Media Group
Building credibility is so important on social media. Not only will this help you to stand apart from your competition but it will also ensure that people recognize your value as a genuine business rather than confusing you for a scam.
While your own business profiles will help to establish your reputation, you can take this further by setting up a social media group that focuses on your niche. Say, for example, your business is selling pet goods/services. Setting up a private Facebook or LinkedIn group that’s centered around pets will not only give you a wider audience to advertise to but it will also make your business feel more personal and relatable. People will come to you with all sorts of queries and while many won’t be related to your business, you’ll be at the forefront of their minds when they do need to purchase the goods/services you’re offering, simply because of all the great advice you’ve dished out in the past!
Tag Away!
We’ve already talked about geotagging but social media also allows you to tag other people/businesses in your posts. This can be a surprisingly good way to increase your exposure.
How? Because whenever you tag someone, not only do you increase the chances of them reposting your content, but your post will also likely show up on their social network. This means that both their audience as well as your own will see that post.
Tagging a reputable business or person that you’ve worked with can also help to build trust and credibility in your own brand. If a potential client sees that you’ve worked with a business that they respect and admire, they’re much more likely to come to you when they need the products/services you’re offering.
Mastering the Art of Social Media
Figuring out how to attract your dream clients on social media isn’t a simple task. There are so many different directions that you can take, meaning that a large amount of thought and planning needs to go into this. This is why many businesses hire social media managers to take care of this for them.
While that may be the case, you don’t necessarily need that extra expense if you’re willing to put the time and effort into social media yourself. Sure, there may be a slight learning curve, especially if you’re new to some of the social media platforms you plan on utilizing, but you’ll soon get the hang of things! Give it some time and social media marketing will soon likely become something that you very much enjoy doing.
Need a base for your business? Click here to find out more about the coworking spaces available at Circle Hub.