How to use Social Media to Promote your Business

Have you ever sat in front of the computer and wondered what the best way to use social media to attract more clients, business partners, and opportunities without wasting money in advertising that doesn’t really yield results is?

And if you are like most business owners, you are probably still struggling with what the best ways to use social media today for promoting your business are. Things in the online world are changing and developing every single day, and for most business owners it’s difficult to keep up.

Today every person is a media channel, transmitting information 24/7 about what they think, what they are doing, what they like and what they don’t like. Fortunately, you can learn to use this to your advantage because you are a media channel too. Due to this shift and the transparency that social media and the internet is giving, the way people make decisions to purchase has changed compared to just a few years ago.

So how do you utilize this new and fast-changing social media environment to build a powerful brand that will naturally attract the right people, clients and opportunities to you?

I’d like to share with you 3 main tips on how to promote your business on social media in today’s market in the most effective way.

1. FOCUS ON RELATIONSHIPS. 

Social media is all about building relationships and not about how many ‘likes’ and followers you get. Focus on the quality of connections, not the quantity and don’t expect immediate gratification from each connection. Don’t expect people to make a decision to buy something from you on the first or second or even third interaction. Take time to build authentic relationships, interact, have conversations, reply to comments without expecting immediate results, and people will respond when it’s the right time for them.

2. PUT OUT A LOT OF VALUABLE CONTENT IN YOUR AREA OF EXPERTISE OR YOUR PRODUCT NICHE. 

Content can be in the form of advice, tips, knowledge, stories, and examples of success. It has to be on topics that your customers usually have questions or issues to resolve.

You can give this content in the form of articles, video, images, e-books, and speaking at live events, which today can be online and without any cost to you because of Periscope, Facebook, and Youtube live and so many other platforms that are available for transmitting your content live to your audience. One tip I would give for content, is to make sure you do great video content with a purpose. Good video content that tells a story and engages people works better than anything else on social media today in every market niche.

When you give value to people in the form of great content without directly selling, they will respond to you, and the more value you provide, the less selling you will need to do. The formula is to give, give, give and give again and then ask. Sell by giving. If your social media profile is full of promotions, this will put people off. Build great content in your area of focus that people are interested in and adjust it to each platform.

3. BUILD A MARKETING FUNNEL.

The marketing funnel is a very important online marketing system that you need to put together if you are promoting anything on the social media platforms. You need to set up an online marketing process that allows you to attract people to your social media profiles and then your website and mailing list by giving value to them for free. As a result of building relationships with potential customers through consistently providing them with valuable content, you will eventually convert them into clients. This might sound too technical if you don’t have online marketing background and knowledge, so you might need the support of an expert to put this together or get training yourself at specialized seminars and trainings.