SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE RESCUE

With the devastating effect that COVID 19 has had on businesses, can social media help shine a spotlight on your brand and help save you from going under?

Having worked in the Digital space for over ten years now, not much changed with the way that I conduct business when worldwide lockdowns were enforced. I’ve worked from home for over three years now, and my clients are scattered around the globe. But not everyone is like me. Prior to COVID 19, many businesses hadn’t ever had to do business online. But almost overnight, things have had to change.

With Schools, fitness studios, corporations and other businesses suddenly jumping online, it might feel like competition is fiercer than ever, but If you’re not prepared to get out on that playing field, then your business isn’t going to be around to see the end of this pandemic.

Now is the time to be online. It’s more important than ever to have a solid social media strategy in place. Contrary to what some people believe, social media is much more than just a way to be noticed online. It allows you the opportunity to grow your brand, connect with your current customers, and when done correctly, you can generate real leads for your business. And what’s even better is that social media lead generation is actually very cost-effective. There probably isn’t a more powerful sales tool on the internet than social media.

Of course, if you’re new to the world of social media from a brand perspective, then how do you get started? The first step would be to choose and nurture the social platforms that work best for your business so that you don’t spread yourself too thin. A lot of small businesses tend to join every single social media platform that there is, without knowing how to use them properly first.

My advice would be that you choose your social media platforms carefully. For example, if you’re in financial services, then your primary social network shouldn’t be Instagram or TikTok, it should be LinkedIn instead. LinkedIn lets you connect with other industry people, share thought leadership articles and infographics, and will establish you as a leader in your field. If however, you were a fashion blogger, or someone selling services or products to do with image, then Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook are for you. I’m not saying that you cant be on all of the platforms, but I am saying that you need to know which platform would suit you best, and where your content would receive the most engagement.

Here are some more tips on how you can get started:

1. RESEARCH: One of the positives of the current lockdown situation is that you might have more time on your hands to learn something new. Spend time learning about social media and how it can help your business. There are so many different platforms and things that you can do. Spend some time exploring and discovering everything available to you.

2. REACH OUT TO YOUR DATABASE: Perhaps your clients and customers don't know that you’re still around and doing business currently. Reach out to them in an email and ask if there’s anything that you can help them with. Staying top of mind is more important than you know.

3. PROVIDE VALUE & FREE CONTENT: Times are tough for everyone right now, and so the more content you produce and the more value you offer to others, the better! Pay it forward. Share your expert advice. Offer your opinion online. Not only will it feel good to do good, but you’ll also build a following of potential clients by doing this.

4. ASK QUESTIONS: Ask your audience questions that are relevant to the product or service that you sell. This will work as research for you, and your audience will also be more interested in engaging with your content.

5. TARGET: Make sure that you know your target market, and tailor your content to suit their needs and wants.