Build an audience
If you are hoping to grow your training company or promote events, marketing your business on social media should be part of your overall marketing strategy. Before you try to advertise a workshop or webinar, it is helpful to do some groundwork first.
When you have already built a solid foundation of connections and your audience has become familiar with you and your brand, you are much more likely to be able to sell tickets to your event.
Increase your reach
Advertising your business on social media channels is free and the reach can be global. Thanks to technology, business opportunities are no longer restricted by geographical location. At the moment, my nearest client is 90 miles away.
“It’s incredible how connected we can be in today’s digital world, so take advantage of that connection. With it comes the opportunity for greater impact and contribution.” Jason Capital, bestselling author, high-income coach, online marketing expert, and founder of High Status.
Have a strategy
If you have decided to use social media for your business, where do you start? There are so many platforms to choose from, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, it can be very overwhelming.
My advice would be to start small, pick a platform that suits your business and is the most likely place for your ideal client to hang out.
If you’re not sure, find out from existing clients which platforms they use and why and have a look at what your competitors are doing.
Search hashtags and keywords related to your business, look for a platform that has relevant and engaged with content, check if your prospects have accounts there.
Managing social media accounts can be very time-consuming. Don’t spread yourself too thin. It’s impossible in my opinion to do a great job on multiple platforms AND do your day job. Choose one, get to know how to use the platform well, spend time on it and learn from others how to use it.
What should you post?
Social media is as it says, social! Generally speaking, people aren’t on social media to buy, they want to network. It’s unlikely that someone will work with you or buy your product the first time they come across you online.
Focus on building relationships with relevant contacts and communicate how you can help prospective clients. Allow people to get to know you, be yourself and don’t be afraid to show your personality.
“Business networking is all about making, and leveraging, connections to build relationships that can create or respond to business opportunities. Many business people (me included) believe that good networking is a more cost-effective way of building awareness, and generating new business, than paid-for advertising efforts.” Luan Wise, marketing consultancy owner and trainer, online marketing expert and bestselling author.
Being consistently present on social media, not only raises brand awareness and builds trust, but it will also direct traffic to your website. So if you catch someone’s attention with a post, they might just hop over to your website where you will have lot’s more information about what you do and how you do it.
Showcase your expertise
Look out for questions that your connections or prospects are asking, reply and be helpful. By having a conversation, you can learn more about your audience, find out what they need help with and improve your offering.
Promote the articles and blogs you have written and make sure you share any great testimonials you have received.
Measure your efforts
Many platforms provide their own metrics, so take a look at these to measure which strategies are working.
Keep an eye on the number of likes, comments and views your posts are getting. Which posts were most popular, what was the content? If a post does well, it could be a subject that your audience is interested in, so try producing more of the same.
You can use Google Analytics to find out how many visitors have come to your website via social media. Google Analytics provides useful and very detailed stats and is a great tool to have.
In summary, almost everyone has a mobile phone and most people are online at some point in the day, so social media is a great way to attract your ideal client or customer.
However, it isn’t an overnight process. It can take a while to figure out what works for your business and there is an element of trial and error, don’t be afraid to try new things.
It takes time to establish your expertise, authority and trustworthiness, so approach online marketing as a marathon, not a sprint.
In my next blog, I’m going to be talking about having a strategy for generating content.
If you'd like to be notified about my next blog, or you'd like to receive regular tips on marketing courses and workshops, why not subscribe to my newsletter here?
You can also follow me on social media, the links to my accounts are at the bottom of the page. I look forward to chatting with you!
#socialmedia #smallbusinessmarketing #socialmediamarketing #digitalmarketing #workshops #coaching #facilitation #contentmarketing #onlinemarketing #coursemarketing