Are you using Social Media for business? Are you using it well?
Every second person is trying to grow their business using Social Media right now and it’s either working wonders for you, or it’s not working at all.
I have had many conversations lately about using social media to grow business online and I’ve realised a lot of these conversations have been similar so I thought I would write a blog post sharing some of my tips, proven methods and top 3 brand building resources because if you’re not already using them, you need to be – pronto!
Growing your Business using Social
Is there room for improvement with what you’re currently doing? Then keep reading!
If you already have a Facebook business page or an Instagram account for your business, I want you to go and have a look at it and ask yourself – from a prospective clients point of view, is this enticing? Because if it’s not, you’ve got work to do!
Now because there are so many different platforms of social you need to work out which ones are going to be best suited for your type of business. I can only share what I know and what has been working for myself and my business. I’m currently using Facebook, Instagram, YouTube & Pinterest. You might not need to use all of these or you may want to use more.
I love using Facebook and Instagram to engage with my audience daily either through posting or through stories. Personally I like Facebook and Instagram for sharing videos, demonstrating my product and sharing quick and easy beauty tips and tricks. Facebook live works really well for me as well.
Facebook and Instagram Story is a whole other blog post – coming soon!
I like using YouTube for training purposes and especially when I know that my content can be useful again, I’ll upload a video and share it over and over again. I probably use YouTube weekly.
Pinterest is where I like to share my latest blog posts whilst also searching for inspiration for future content. I try to create my own pins and share content on here weekly – I’m kind of new to Pinterest business but let me tell you, I’m loving it! Creating boards on Pinterest is super addictive – for business and pleasure!
Here’s a few questions to get the ball rolling;
What online platforms are you using?
What is your message?
How do you want to deliver your message?
What platforms are best for your business?
You’ve established what platforms you want to use, or maybe you’re already using them, so here’s the million dollar question;
The question is – why is social media working so well for some and not so well for you? I say you because if you were absolutely killing it you probably wouldn’t still be reading this.
The answer is – social media is working wonders for those who are selling themselves using their chosen social media platforms. Now, I say selling because we’ve all heard the saying ‘people buy you‘ and that has not changed especially when it comes to selling your business online. Now it doesn’t matter whether you’re trying to sell a product, a service or an idea it all comes back to you and how well you sell yourself.
The opportunity you have right now with different online social media platforms is the opportunity you have been waiting for to grow or take your business to the next level. So what are you waiting for?
Tell me, what’s the secret?
Build your Personal Brand.
Whether you’re in business for yourself or not, the same rules apply, to set yourself out from the crowd you need to be building your personal brand. Your personal brand is what’s going to set you aside from everyone else. It’s what’s going to make you stand out like a needle in a haystack! You discover your personal brand when you start asking yourself questions like;
What are my core values?
What are my strengths?
Why are people drawn to me?
What are my business goals?
How do I want to represent my business?
What am I passionate about?
You definitely need to sit down with a cuppa and have a good old pen to paper brainstorm – get those juices flowing.
“Be authentic, be you”
This is the most important part of your strategy, be YOU. There is absolutely no point trying to be like someone else, you need to fully embrace yourself and your personal strengths so you can attract your ideal customers/clients and have the most impact.
Build your Personal Brand with consistent creative content!
Once you’ve worked out which platforms you want to run with and started to brainstorm about what’s going to define your personal brand, it’s time to make a plan – this is what we call your ‘content strategy’.
Consistency is the key and content planning needs to become a thing for you (if it’s not already). I would suggest mapping out at least a one month calendar and you can also download my content calendar at the end of this blog post. Note this is a calendar I’ve used in my business and with my team, it’s relevant to the beauty industry so just adjust to suit your business.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to social media. Where to start, what platforms to use, how to build your brand. You can even pay for all kinds of services from brand and logo design, to social media creation and management. If you have the funds though and you’re happy to pay for these services go for it. But, the question is, do you really need all of this?
So if you’re wanting to get started and DIY, here are my top 3 resources that I am currently loving for all-things-creation and planning. I should also mention that these are mostly free, which is great especially if you’re just starting out.
Remember consistent, creative content is what’s going to get you seen!
Inspiration
Whilst Pinterest is a Social Media platform itself, it’s my go-to for inspiration. Think google with pictures. You can create boards (public or private) to help you brainstorm inspiration for whatever it is you’re searching for. In this case, building your personal brand – you can search for inspiration that aligns with your business model, quotes and images (even for your own content) and you can do a whole lot of stalking!
Remember I warned you, Pinterest is addictive.
Canva
Image & Content Creation
You know all those perfect images you see on your Instagram & Facebook? Well now you know where to get them!
Canva is a graphic design website where you can make visual content for your marketing strategy.
From logo design to creating a theme across your social media platforms, you’ve got to check out Canva.
With over one million photos, graphics and design templates for everything. Design posts for Instagram, Instagram story, Facebook, Facebook covers, Pinterest graphics and so much more. You can also design your own logo and brand your own stationary. You can create images with text – perfect for sharing quotes and things that relate to your business.
The best thing about Canva is that it’s either free or inexpensive. You can use Canva on your desktop, phone or tablet.
Do you like the images I created for this blog post? All done with Canva!
Plann
Plan & Schedule your Content
Amen to that! If you’re currently posting on your social media ‘only when you remember’ you need to download PLANN onto your phone! I couldn’t live without this app. Here is where you can store all of your amazing content for future Instagram posting. Now even though Plann is for Instagram you can actually link your business Instagram account to your Facebook business page and share the content on both platforms. Remember though, you want to make sure you share your content relevant to the platform. For example on Instagram your profile is called your bio and inbox is referred to as DM, so just make sure you use the correct social-language for each account.
Analytics
Feedback. Honest, as good as it gets feedback. Get onto your analytics. Facebook Pages Manager is another great app for your phone and I love it because you can literally track your insights and engagement on absolutely everything you post.
If you’re using an Instagram or Pinterest account for business you can also keep track of analytics. This is all free and will basically tell you what to keep posting and what not to post!
Conclusion
Key points to remember when using Social Media to grow your business.
- Get on social – Find the right platforms for your business.
- Create your Personal Brand – What makes you stand out?
- Consistent Content Creation – Download Social Calendar
- Plan – Create a strategy
- Resources – Pinterest for inspiration. Canva & Plann for content creation & planning.
- Analytics – Feedback
Until next time,
Get Social Girl,
Danielle xx
