FAST FACT: Getting started is the hardest thing. It’s the biggest content marketing hurdle facing most small businesses.
If you’re a small business owner new to business (or thinking about leaving the 9-5 grind) or you are established but without an online presence … this guide will help you overcome the confusion of getting started.
Ironically, the sea of content out on the net and socials, can leave people feeling even more at a loss – and when we feel overwhelmed, we simply stop, and nine times out of 10 do nothing.
This is a terrible place to be, considering 88 per cent of Australians use the internet every day and spend an average of 10 hours on an internet-connected device (ABS) … how many of those are your ideal clients?
Can you really afford not to have an online presence?
But not just any online presence … a WOW online profile and presence that captivates people, turns them into an active audience and has an impact on their life.
This is what happens when you have an amazing online presence … other rewards start to happen before your very eyes such as more clients, opportunities and sales.
But before all of that … where do you actually start?
If you don’t have a website, start with your social media accounts.
1. Facebook platforms (2 billion users) – get your share
Personal account and business page:
Use your Facebook personal account and Facebook business page, and I would also add a Facebook group. Business pages are designed to work really well if you have an advertising spend. If you don’t it’s very hard to get engagement or even be seen. Research suggests only one per cent of your followers will see you in their feeds.
Saying that, it’s still important to have a page and post regularly, especially if you’re considering advertising (at least you will have some content built up). However, without spending on advertising, it will be slow growth.
To overcome this and be found online, you can use your personal page to showcase your life, including what you get up to each day, and that is your business.
Please remember this is social media, so you will need to be social, tread lightly and share casually about your business.
Starting a page:
When you start a Facebook page, use your name , business name or the “name” you are known for. For example, my Facebook page is:
- Elizabeth Campbell – The Word Stylist
- Small Business Mob – Bree James and Andrew Griffiths
- Anna Perdriau – The Speaking Stylist
Before themes were cool in Facebook groups, we were all theming our Facebook business pages!
To do this successfully, think about what you are going to do for each day of the week and get a mini formula in place.
Monday – motivation memes
Tuesday – tips
Wednesday – wins
Thursday – promotion of products
Friday – funny cat videos
Weekend – socials/events
Feel free to use this formula, or come up with your own that speaks to your business besties and relates back to your business.
Your WOW mission: Set up (or re-style) your FB page and start posting on it every day (or at the very least, a couple of times a week).
2. Facebook Groups – get on the bandwagon
Groups are where the engagement is, more so than a business page. And internet marketers are encouraging us as business owners to have groups.
Long before social media, there were forums and that’s basically what a group represents these days.
Groups have been a massive trend this year, so get on the bandwagon and start growing yours.
When you start a group, you need to carefully consider the name … what it’s about and what will the topics be based around? Who is it for? Why are you starting one?
They are very easy to set up, just follow the prompts. Remember to be courteous and let people know if you are adding them. All of my clients go into my groups. I let them know this at various times throughout their journey with me.
I have six groups and they all have different purposes.
Things to think about …
The purpose – how are you going to help people?
Your vision – (what do you want to see happen, what type of people do you want in there, how many people do you want?).
Your group statement – put all of the above into words!
You can also have themes in your group like your Facebook page, And you can invite people to promote in your group…or not.
Have a look at some Facebook groups and see what others are doing to engage and grow their groups.
Your next step:
You must think about your strategy too if you are going to have a group.
What does the funnel look like? When you start a group, you want to attract potential clients.
Then think about how you will get them from your group to your website and list (how will you capture their details?).
You can set a question/s in the group when they join to ask for their email address.
If you don’t want to do this … what else will you do? Events, free download, blog, newsletter, and so on.
TIP: Find images at Pixabay or Adobe Stock and use Canva or Word Swag to style them.
HOTTER TIP: Use the same professionally-taken headshot across all of your social media platforms so you maintain consistency and people recognise your lovely face!
3. Other Socials you need to look at
While you are at it, set up your LinkedIn account. It’s the fastest-growing platform for 2018! If you don’t have a website this will be a great starting point for your blog tht you can post weekly on LinkedIn.
You can set up your Instagram too if your business besties are hanging out there (and Insta Stories are so much fun!). The same goes for Twitter.
Be sure to create and curate (plus you can cross-promote your content from other platforms) on social media. To do this successfully, you must know what your business besties want from you and then just use your words to deliver!
That should keep you going for a while … if you’re not just starting your content journey, I’d encourage you to go back and look at all of the above and update everything!
Meanwhile, if content is an area you need help with, because you’re not getting engagement or just really don’t know what to do or who to talk to, we have you covered.
>>> Check out The Story Shift online mini training talking everything social media and stories. It will be the best $97 you spend on your content!
