Tag: social media plan

These 26 Social Media Tips Will Make You More Revenue

Post author By Jon Rognerud
Post date March 16, 2024

This post should probably have been called “Social Media Selling Secrets: 26 Strategies On How to Sell for ROI in Social Media”…

In any online business setting, there is simply no need for social media unless it converts (or you are running an awareness / branding campaign and not interested in making money!)

That means “a sale”, and/or that the visitor reaches a specific goal or event that you have outlined in your social media marketing strategy.

This level of planning will lead your prospects into a helpful, client / customer-focused funnel that informs, educates, inspires and CONVERTS.

It is no secret that social media services such as Twitter (x.com), Facebook (Meta), LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube are powerful promotional tools when used properly. YouTube Ads lead generation frameworks are great for scaling fast.

However, many businesses are promoting themselves on social media in entirely the wrong way.

You’ve probably seen more than a few businesses and influencers using social media like this:

…they contribute nothing to the community and never bother to broadcast updates unless they contain self-serving links, selfies or offers (and as affiliates).

Furthermore, they put as little effort as possible into building a viable social media presence and receive almost nothing in return – except for likes and comments – and that is their “measure of success”!

To promote your business successfully on social media, you need to realize that social media can help bring targeted leads to your sales funnel, but social media itself isn’t the funnel.

Social media also isn’t a self-piloting machine; while you can effectively promote your business on social media while spending almost no money, time and effort are required.

Use these tips to maximize your return on the time you invest.

And, don’t forget paid media.

1. Offer something to new followers.

People will rarely follow your business on social media simply because you ask.

To encourage people to follow you, offer something in return such as exclusive content or a discount on their next purchase.

2. Humanize your social media presence.

Social media is an opportunity to give your business a face and add a personal touch to the often impersonal world of business.

Let social media users know that following you creates an avenue through which they can obtain personalized help and support.

3. Funnel traffic from social media to your website.

Ultimately, the goal for your social media presence is to encourage your followers to visit your website.

Some of the ways in which you can do this include linking to your most recent blog posts and offering a free product such as an e-book.

4. Funnel traffic from your website to the desired action.

Once your social media followers reach your website, you should have an action that you want them to perform and a funnel designed to guide them toward that action. In the beginning, you can use the same sales funnel as the one you use for people who come to your website from search engines.

As you gain experience, consider setting up separate sales funnels that specifically target your social media followers.

Your followers are people who already know your company and have warmed up to your offers; be mindful of that fact when designing your social media sales funnel.

5. Make sure the funnel converts.

If your sales funnel doesn’t generate sales, your promotional efforts on social media will be unsuccessful.

Set up a system by which you can track the ratio of visitors to conversions and tweak as necessary. GA4 (Google Analytics 4 is a great starting place)

6. Post occasional “share bait.”

You can gain new social media followers by posting content that your existing followers enjoy and share.

Potential “share bait” may include a viral video or a massive list of resources (listicals) related to the field in which you do business.

7. Connect your website to social media.

People who find your website through search engines but don’t purchase immediately have potential value as social media followers.

Make sure they have a way to follow you quickly by clicking a button on your website.

8. Every social media update shouldn’t be an offer.

If you only post sales offers on social media services, you’ll lose followers as quickly as you gain them.

The majority of your posts should be pure information; sales offers should be the minority. One rule we often look to is the 80-20 rule: 80% info/education/entertainment, 20% offers.

9. Watch related hashtags.

If you use Twitter, follow the hashtags that are relevant to your business.

This puts your finger on the pulse of the people who are talking about your industry and the topics related to it.

10. Even non-buyers are valuable.

A social media follower doesn’t have to be a customer to be valuable to your promotional campaign.

Followers share content that they enjoy; every update that gets shared or re-tweeted can bring new followers into the fold.

11. Social media is more than a platform for broadcasting new blog posts.

People follow your business on social media because they want the personal touch.

If your social media profile has no purpose except to advertise your latest blog updates, you’re missing the point.

12. Serve others, too.

Every social media update doesn’t have to be self-serving. Post interesting content and offers occasionally even if you have nothing to gain.

This builds trust and makes your own offers that much more compelling.

13. Ask your followers for help.

If you engage your followers and make them feel valued, they’ll be there for you when you need evangelists.

If you need help getting the word out about an event or promotion, don’t be afraid to ask for it.

14. Be there for your followers after the sale.

If your followers use social media to contact you for support after they buy, do your best to provide help courteously and promptly.

15. Comment on trending topics.

If you have something of value to add to a topic generating a great deal of social media interest, do so.

Trending topics receive a great deal of attention on social media and a valuable comment could gain you new followers.

16. Add a photo to your profile.

Your social media profile should have a photo that projects the image you want your business to present.

17. Utilize the strengths of each social media service.

Every social media service is different. For example, Twitter is often utilized by mobile phone users who don’t have the time to read long blog posts on handheld devices.

Make sure that you play to the strengths of your chosen social media service.

18. Give your updates engaging headlines.

Think of each tweet or other social media update as a news headline; craft it carefully so it grabs your followers’ attention and makes them want to know more.

19. Follow the people who follow you. (with discretion)

When you gain new followers, follow them as well whenever possible.

Social media gives you an invaluable opportunity to learn about your customer base.

20. Manage your reputation carefully.

Content posted on the Internet lasts forever. Your business’s social media profile is not an appropriate place to post party photos and other potentially embarrassing content.

21. Stay relevant.

In most cases, people who follow your business on social media aren’t interested in your personal life. Stay on topic at all times.

22. Minimize links in social media updates.

Every update that you post on social media shouldn’t contain a link; some of it should be content for content’s sake.

23. Pictures and videos have value (more than you think).

Some of the most engaging content that you can post on social media includes media such as pictures and videos; utilize different media types whenever possible to keep your followers interested.

24. Break the ice with potential new leads.

If you spot a new follower who is involved in your industry or is highly likely to become a customer, don’t wait for him or her to come to you; break the ice and introduce yourself.

25. Time updates for when people will read them.

When people wake up in the morning and have dozens of updates or messages waiting to be read on their favorite social media service, they seldom read carefully.

Don’t send your social media updates at midnight; time them for when people will be most likely to read them.

26. Try new things frequently.

The landscape of social media changes quickly and this week’s “can’t miss” promotional strategy might be old news next week. Learn from people more experienced than yourself, but never be afraid to try your own new ideas.

ACTION STEP: If you want to learn more and how to build strategies for social media visibility and expansion, click here. (A free 20 minute session)

Tags conversion funnels social media, sales from social media, social media plan, social media tips

How To Build A High-Performance Social Media Team

Post author By Jon Rognerud
Post date October 17, 2013

Marketing a company’s logo and products on social media makes it easy and affordable to promote brands. Social Media Today reports that over 90 percent of all marketers use some type of social media for their business promotions.

This reflects the ease and convenience of social marketing, but also the changing demographics of social networks: more middle-aged consumers with greater purchasing power utilize these networks than do teenagers and young adults.

A company looking to capitalize on social media marketing can put together a “dream team” of professionals in order to get optimal results.

Social Management

Consider social marketing more than an offshoot of a marketing department. Think of it as its own branch of the company. Unless you can count the number of workers you employ on one hand, selecting a manager or coordinator for social marketing helps to keep every blogger, Tweeter, and Instagrammer on the same page.

A manager should understand both digital and physical communication, be capable of using Pinterest to display images while printing off hard copies and using a postage meter to send them through snail mail. Much of their time will be spent sending memos or letters through postage as the employees under them work online.

The UK-based business advisory group of SalesForce suggests that your manager have better organizational and project management skills than social media skills, since the latter can be found more easily than the former.

The Numbers Guy

Any company, no matter its size, has heard the term “ROI” so often that it may as well be tattooed into an owner’s forehead. This metric has great value because numbers do not lie about which departments and products pull their weight.

You need not hire a financial analyst to study minute changes to YouTube video viewership, but Mashable urges a company to include a person in their social media team that understands the statistics of social media and the value of measuring performance.

Seek out candidates, internally or externally, who combine business skills with digital acumen in order to determine the social media campaigns that need a shot in the arm and the ones that have been performing above expectations.

Visuals

If you believe that the Internet generation’s attention span has denigrated due to the instant availability of information, a picture in your social media circles can be worth much more than one thousand words (or 8.54 Tweets).

The images you produce and display on social media need to be much more polished and professional than the written content, since only a little bit of the written content will be consumed while the pictures become scrutinized.

Hiring a visual designer to work with photos and videos helps to maintain a strong image of company and products. Spark Growth Partners recommends that companies maintain no fewer than four separate visual-imagery social networks in order to quickly and easily market pictures.

This does not take into account video social media like YouTube and Flickr; choose a candidate with experience shooting and editing both still photos and video.

photo credit: francistoms | cc

Tags Social Media, social media plan

Social Media

4 Different Social Media Considerations for CEOs

Post author By Jon Rognerud
Post date August 16, 2013

Chief Executive Officers act as the faces of businesses, but some businesses are still murky about whether or not it’s a good idea to involve them in social media strategies.

Is social media a good use of a CEO’s time?
What value does it contribute to the business?
Should a CEO be involved in social media strategies?

These are the typical questions asked when any level of leadership begins to use new technology.

Here are some factors to consider:

1. Research – The Executives Chime In

In a 2013 survey by Weber Shandwick and KRC Research, nearly 90 percent of 630 executives from companies with revenues of at least $500 million stated they had one or more social media accounts. Those executives also supported the use of social media by CEOs. When asked what benefit social media brings to the company, they responded:

It gives the company a human face
It helps the CEO communicate with the company’s employees
It fosters a relationship with news media
It shows the use of innovation by the company
It has a positive impact on the business’ reputation
It enhances the CEO’s reputation as a good communicator

2. Knowledge – Expanding the CEO Role

CEOs are leaders in their industries, and know their business inside and out. This makes them the ideal spokespeople for companies in those industries, which we covered here in an earlier post. Innovation springs out of the minds of CEOs, and social media is one way to communicate some of the excitement that comes with those ideas. It can provide a glimpse into the future. Social media has proven itself to be a quick source of information across the globe.

The current CEO of Ernst & Young and former assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury for Tax Policy, Mark Weinberger, used Twitter to comment on his recent assignment as Ernst & Young Chairman and CEO. The value of this social media network is that it allows a brief message to be sent by a busy executive that may be viewed as critically important to their followers. In a time when it may be unthinkable for an executive to spend hours crafting a news release or article, tools such as Twitter provide ways to give the public greater access to a company’s direction.

3. Results – The Benefit to the CEOs

Social media is not only a good thing, but a necessary outlet for greater visibility. Companies that have adopted social media as a way to communicate with the public and news media are able to engage their customers and strengthen their connections. Companies that fall behind in this area may soon be questioned as to what they have to hide. The result will be a shift in market share to the companies who do embrace this way of connecting with people.

4. Crisis Management – The Risks to the CEO

CEOs are human, too, which means they can put their foot in their mouth like anyone else. That’s why some CEOs may hire their own PR people to make sure the right message is delivered. Others just take the risk of spreading messages themselves. The result can be something like the recent PR issues generated by statements made by Chick-fil-A and Netflix CEOs.

Within a matter of minutes, a poorly crafted message tweeted by a CEO can be seen by millions of people across the planet. The potential for great harm in using social media is just as strong as it’s potential for good.

Like all areas of communication, CEOs need to be educated about the proper use, timing and types of messages appropriate for social media. With that basis of understanding, social media can become another powerful communication tool for these business executives.

Do you think CEOs should use social media to promote their businesses? Tell us why or why not in the comments.

photo credit (Robert Scoble Picture): Thomas Hawk | cc

Tags ceo, social media plan

Social Media

8 Steps To Your New Social Media Plan For Business Owners

Post author By Jon Rognerud
Post date April 4, 2013

Since the emergence of the Internet, there has been thousands and thousands of social networking sites created because of high demand from the general public. It has also been a practice for businesses to use social media to generate more traffic, turn users into customers, and interact with their audience.

Simply put, social media serves as a big and effective marketing and customer service tool to cater to people’s needs and promote your business as well.

1. Importance of a Social Media Plan

Promotions have always been a staple for any business. They help grow awareness and create excitement around your products and services. Since people get almost all information they need using the Internet, a business without a social media marketing strategy is as good as dead.

Social networking sites are platforms where you can reach your audience in a more personal and affordable way, so use them as efficiently as you can. Planning is necessary and significant to come up with a unique approach that will carry your business to new heights. Here are some important points when planning your social media marketing strategy.

2. Setting Goals

What is your purpose behind doing this?

Having a certain reason and one specific goal in mind is the first vital step in planning. Understanding what you want to achieve will keep you focused and determined in reaching your desired milestone. Some of the most common (and precise) goals include building brand awareness, offering customer services, developing loyalty, and driving sales.

If you are just starting, you may want to focus on building product awareness first. People only share and talk about interesting and impressive stuff, so building up your products or services should be your first goal.

3. Channel Generation

Now that you know what your purpose is, it’s time to act on it. Don’t be afraid to be a newbie. It’s okay to seek guidance and learn from others. Look for current social media trends, consider them as your guide, and use them in a way that you think would benefit your business most.

You should have a keen eye to discern which trends and tools will help you reach your goal. Brainstorm with your social media or marketing team and encourage them to speak up if they have any ideas for your strategy.

4. Managing Platforms

There are so many social media platforms, but for starters, you must focus managing just one. The decision doesn’t depend upon the platform you enjoy using most, but the platform where your target customers spend their time on. Only move beyond this limit once you know that you can handle them well.

5. Partnerships

You can’t do everything alone. A start-up campaign coupled with big name partners is an easy way to get the attention you need. The online connections you make will give you the source of your results.

Search for people who talk about relevant topics to your business and contact them to start a partnership. Add them to your networks and follow up your progress. Partnerships will add new people to your network every day, the product of which is more customers.

6. Time & Schedule

Your social media plan should have a time-frame Failing to do so will make you too complacent to accomplish excellent results. Develop a routine to achieve your goal at a specific time. The best way to reach your deadline is to be committed to your plans.

Once you decide to jump in, the only way to see results is to keep your activity level high and ongoing. Make online communication a daily habit for it to pay off. This way, you can move on from one goal to another and still maintain an effective timeline.

7. Measuring Returns

Set an expected return on your investment. You know your purpose, so you must also know your desired outcome over a period of time. You must measure the effectiveness of every project and strategy you use by evaluating how much contribution they have in reaching your goal. Every marketing activity needs results, so look for efficient tools to measure them.

Keep the strategies that worked and exceeded your expectations and find ways to develop and carry them out even further. If there is a method that failed, assess why it fell short and decide if you will alter it to give it another try or drop it from your strategies.

8. Building Your Own Home

Once your social media marketing strategy becomes really effective, people will begin looking for more things you have to offer. Don’t waste this public interest you’ve worked hard to attain—be ready for people to come running after you. An impressive website must have the elements of a gorgeous web design, remarkable content, and complete business and product details. It must be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and engaging.

An impressive social media presence followed by a strong, proactive business website is the perfect combination to catch the harvest and make them want to stay with you.

Learn more from our Marketing and Business Resources Library (free downloads).

Tags social media plan