The Magic of Social Marketing

by Becca Blake and Saralee Rhoads

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. Too much time contemplating Google Analytics makes my hair fall out. Let’s face it. I was not born with a phone in my hand. Can you relate? At all? Yet I know that social media is where we drive our businesses, so I enlisted the help of our own guru of the invisible, Becca Blake, to help us all out. Read her responses two or three times and then think about ways you might implement her suggestions.

• How often should I post on social media to build my business?
  • It depends on your marketing strategy, but generally 3-5 times a week. My number one rule is quality over quantity. We should always have a purpose for posting, and not fall into the trap of just posting to appear busy. It depends on your marketing strategy, but generally 3-5 times a week. My number one rule is quality over quantity. We should always have a purpose for posting, and not fall into the trap of just posting to appear busy.

• ShouldI have an outline or just fly by the seat of my pants?
  • Definitely an outline! You will be moresuccessful on social media if you have a game plan and a purpose behind thecontent you’re sharing. In my experience, flying by the seat of my pants hasled to stress and frustration. But if I take the time to plan my content inadvance, I’m less likely to fall off the wagon so to speak. I also feel moreconfident in the value I’m providing my audience.

• Isone platform better than another?
  • I wouldn’t say one is better than another,rather that they are different. Each platform has a specific strength, so it’simportant to choose the platform(s) that will be the most likely to reach yourtarget audience and best compliment your marketing strategy.

• Whatabout analytics if I don’t speak Google?
  • Each platform has its own analytics or insightswhich are really helpful in determining if you are in fact reaching your idealaudience and how engaged they are. You don’t have to be a wizard at them, butthey can be quite insightful when it comes to the best days & times topost, the type of content that resonates most with your audience and even thekind of content that doesn’t perform so well. Knowing these things can help youtailor your content to your what your audience wants and likes, so that you canserve them even better.

• Isit worth outsourcing this service?
  • It depends! As business owners, we wear a lot ofhats, and it’s not always possible for one person to do it all.  If social media is something you enjoy doingand you value having the close connection to your audience, it’s worthinvesting the time to do it yourself because no one knows your business betterthan you do. But if you get completely stressed out by trying to keep up withit or just simply don’t have the time, it’s definitely better to outsource thanto not do it at all. The key to social media is consistency, so when it comesto posting yourself versus outsourcing, do what you know will serve your businessbest and help move the needle forward.

I hope this is helpful to you. Today’s advertising is not your parent’s way of building a business. Becca’s bottom line is simple. Be consistent. Be present. Have a plan. Happy posting, all!