Do you want to save time during your work day? Do you wish you had an extra 18 hours to accomplish everything on your to do list? Most people would answer, “Heck yeah!” to those questions because a small business owner's' to do list is never really finished, especially if you don’t have any support staff. Automating certain tasks, like social media, is one way to gain some time back in your day but that task still requires you to interact with your followers.
Social media schedulers, such as HootSuite and Buffer, are convenient and budget-friendly. Simply log in, schedule which posts should publish on which platform, and hit the save button. Voila. Done.
Some platforms, like Meet Edgar, are more powerful because they continue to share your evergreen social media posts into the future, thus saving you even more time from creating and scheduling. This all sounds wonderful and who doesn’t want to have more free time! But do these platforms eliminate the ‘social’ from social media?
The answer to that is: only if you allow it. Using schedulers is a wonderful thing and is a task that a capable assistant or Social Media Manager can take over. But you still need to be aware of what’s happening in your social media world. If followers are asking for your opinion, you need to be there in a timely fashion giving your opinion. If customers are asking specific questions about a product or course, you need to be on the ball answering those questions; otherwise you’ll be getting refund requests because your customers feel neglected.
Also, be active in your social media world in terms of connecting with others online. Yes, it’s wonderful when people in your tribe find you but you should put in equal effort to connect with your ideal customer. Passive marketing (or hope marketing, as I’ve heard it called) puts too much power into the hands of your ideal audience. Don’t wait and hope that they find you; make them want to CHOOSE you. Show them how you can help solve their problems. To do this successfully, you need to have a personal presence online instead of allowing a social media manager or third-party scheduler to be in charge.
Dig deeper into your business and develop your own unique social media plan with the Social Media Planner from Next Level U. Using our planner, you will get a step by step process for creating a social media strategy for your small business. Work at your own pace, implement your plan, and expect big results in your audience growth and your engagement! Take your social media (and your business) to the next level! BUY IT HERE.
To your success!
Laura
P.S. If you are a small business owner (or want to be one), whether you are just starting out, or have been in business for awhile, I hope you will become part of the Next Level family. Visit our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/NextLevelAd) for tips, tools, and resources to help grow your business. We now have a Facebook Group, Next Level U, for those who are interested in joining a private community of small business owners and marketers.
Some of the links in this publication are Affiliate Links, meaning that – at no additional cost to you – Next Level Advertising may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Please know that when you see an Affiliate link from Next Level Marketing it is for a product or service that we use ourselves or that we have thoroughly researched and reviewed!
Laura Olson-Oxley is an entrepreneur, coach, speaker, marketing and business consultant, and sales professional. She has over 25 years experience working with small businesses in a variety of industries, focusing on strategic business growth through effective marketing and advertising. Also a strategist, numbers nut, project manager, and life-long learner, Laura looks at the big picture to analyze and recommend the most effective tools to take businesses to the Next Level.
Join My List
Join My Group
Do you ever feel like you’re spinning in circles with too many goals? Are most of them conflicting? Most likely you have too many goals - too many things you are trying to accomplish at the same time. The good news is, you’re not the only one who feels that way. It's very common, and you can solve the problem.
Effective goals help you focus on what’s important - your desired result/achievement. Consider this: When you have goals you are achieving. When you have no goals you are merely operating.
A Growth Mindset is the foundation for all change. Without it, you’ll have difficulty adopting other positive mindsets. If you have a growth mindset, you tend to believe that your talents, intelligence, and skills can be developed through a combination of hard work, effective practice, and guidance from others.
Do you want to become the go-to source of expertise for your audience in your niche? There are many marketing strategies you can employ to do this, but the most effective and efficient is word-of-mouth marketing.
One of my favorite low cost marketing strategies is to find other small businesses who work with the same target audience and find ways that we can work together to promote each others' businesses.
Businesses commonly rely on advertising to sell their products or services. But did you know that there's a more powerful, cost-effective way to generate leads and make sales? Businesses of any size that can get customers talking about their brand and sharing with others achieve more while spending less. Word-of-Mouth Marketing is a powerful - […]
A strong brand identity isn't just for big companies. Small businesses need it as well if they plan to grow and compete in an ever changing business environment. Keep your brand consistent in these 5 areas to build strong relationships with customers and prospects.
When you have distinguished your business through branding, your marketing efforts will bring increased return on investment - more leads, more conversations, more sales. Developing your brand takes time and effort, but it is critical to your long term success.
Business planning for future success is all about data. You can work most efficiently and spend your time and money most effectively if you know exactly where you are starting from. By recording data, you can start to see what’s working, what isn’t, and what trends are starting to play out. And it all starts with recording where you’re at right now.
Effective planning is they key to success for marketing your small business. It is the bridge to where you are and where you want to be. Here are some reasons why you should make planning a priority.
