Where do you begin?
Congratulations! You’re exploring the options on getting your product noticed by the people out there! You know out there…on social media. The place where people spend most of their time searching for things on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, the list goes on. You have even noticed the advertising on social media as well, so why not be part of it?
But where to begin? That was my first question. I have some social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, however I did not have a clue how to start using these social media platforms to get information out about our products. After several hours of research on the internet and inquiring from colleagues who do business in these fields, I am going to relate everything I found out to make it much easier for you.
Step 1 – Who is your target audience?
Now that you have decided to start advertising on social media, you need to find out who would be the type of people using the product or service. This means age group, type of user, and where they are from. If you are in Canada, there is no use selling life insurance to someone who is under the age of 18 or is living in India. You won’t make any sales. Just start thinking who the “ideal” client would be.
Step 2 – Learn what is meant by SEO, or Search Engine Optimization.
This is a huge piece of the puzzle, and social media advertising will mean nothing unless you can wrap your mind around this. In short, SEO refers to using key words used by potential buyers when trying to search for your product/service online.
Next week’s blog will be dedicated to this specific area. Our special guest, Nerissa McNaughton, will be discussing this area given her exceptional work history in this field.
Step 3 – What type of social media platforms will work for you?
In following weeks, we will talk more about how to use:
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
CorePro8 has used these platforms for content and building brand reputation. However, best practice would be to hire someone or attend seminars on how to better use these platforms. The above platforms will be discussed in the up coming weeks by experts in that field.
So how well did social media work for us since we launched in February?
LinkedIn was used to create connections between like-minded individuals. There was no paid advertising on this.
On Facebook, a company page was built to push content for new business owners. Has this been successful? Let’s just say advertising was attempted, but honestly, this was a failure because of no knowledge on SEO and how to properly advertise on the site.
Instagram seems to be the place for posting pictures on articles CorePro8 has written. Followers have increased but no leads to sales, so we are still unsure about this platform.
Twitter has been a great connection point for users and followers, re-posting of material and sharing of CorePro8 information.
The greatest challenge out there is to get through all the noise from other advertising. It also would have been great to receive guidance on how to properly use social media for advertising before we started, and prior knowledge on SEO strategies. A lot has been learned, and we hope blogs posted this month will help guide you.
Step 3- Attend events for Social media knowledge.
If there is any advice to give, it would be to attend events or hire someone who specializes in these social media platforms. Each social media platform has its benefits but it needs to be directed at the people you are trying to reach.
For events or gatherings near you, check out EventBrite. You will find out about events for business gatherings from local businesses. You may have to pay a fee, but it will be worth it.
This wraps up this week’s intro to Social Media Advertising. Next week, SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, for Social Media Content.
