Companies that don’t have products to sell still need marketing solutions. In fact, I would argue, service-based businesses need online marketing tools and support more than any other segment. With a product-based company, a customer can simply return an item they are not satisfied with. With a service-based company, customers need to know up front whether it is a smart investment.
When your company has a strong social media personality and offers informative content, there is a certain degree of trust that is being built. Customers need to be able to feel confident when choosing a service provider and trust that they are getting the best information and advice out there. Therefore, having a solid online presence will ultimately help you add high-quality leads in your sales funnel. Not to mention, search engines love social when crawling for keywords! Here are a few tips to get started.
Content and Profile Creation
Social media marketing starts with creating an effective, fully optimized (with keywords) profile and using compelling content to get noticed. You need to provide information and insight based on your industry and ensure that you are providing your customers with the resources they need. You should take a moment to consider what type of content you can offer that would benefit your customers. All companies should consider adding a blog to their website. Article marketing and white papers are additional options that people can promote through social media marketing.
If you are uncomfortable writing blog posts and creating content offers, there are many online content providers that can at the very least help you get started.
Content is king when it comes to social media marketing. – Tweet this
Personas Are Key
Once you decide on content, you’ll need to ensure that you create a persona or voice that reaches your audience. People aren’t automatically going to follow your blog or re-tweet your comments. They need incentive and they need to know they’re getting something out of it. Make a personable, friendly voice that still maintains a sense of authority so that people can see that you are trustworthy and reputable in your industry for the things that you do. It will increase your success in many different ways.
Understanding your buyers is a key starting point for social media success. – Tweet this
The Secrets of Social Media
Try not to listen to companies and people who claim to have “exclusive” secrets and insight about social media marketing. It’s all common sense, for the most part. There is no magic bullet that is going to drive profits through the roof in a short amount of time. Utilize analysis tools so that you can figure out what works and what doesn’t FOR YOU, and expect to use trial and error to figure out where you’re going. Get to know the best social media websites and tools so that you can capitalize on them for your marketing strategy.
Learn how each social media platform can benefit your small business. –Tweet this.
You should be utilizing Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Quora, and Google+ at the very least, and you should understand what each platform is best for. Twitter might be great for quick tips and posts, for example, while LinkedIn connects you with colleagues and associates in your industry and others. Facebook gives you a place to become “friends” with your customers. Every social network has a place and that’s the start of your social media marketing campaign to realize that and put these tools to use.
What challenges are you having getting your service-based business on social networks? Click the image below to request a free social media audit. I’d love to help you out.
“Thanks for the amazingly helpful consultation!! You ROCK!! I appreciate your time and expertise!!” – Laurie Chin Sayres, Labragirl Pictures
What is quora? Will have to google. Social Media is a moving target. Your post is a good reminder. ..put the work in.
Hi Bob,
Thank you for reading my post. Quora is basically a Q&A site. I have seen great traffic from my profile there! Experts like yourself can go in to answer questions in your field and that will drive traffic back to your site. I also oftentimes answer questions with links to my blog posts.
Good luck!
Susan