For solopreneurs and small business owners, it is becoming increasingly important to use social media as an amplification tool. Marketing on social media definitely works when done right. What happens when you are not actively marketing? What is your brand portraying to the world?
Applying the 80/20 principle, you should be actively promoting your products or services on social media only 20% of the time. The rest of the 80% of the time you should be providing immense value to your audience. That’s the magical time when they get to know you - the owner, your brand promise, your brand values. Use that time on social media to bring out your true personality that your audience starts to trust.
Social media is about being social. It’s ultimately not about your brand, it’s about you. Perhaps you own a small diner today and in a few months you launch a farm to table. You wouldn’t want to lose your audience and followers just because “the brand” has changed. You would hope that your audience follows you to the new restaurant and embraces your choices because they know, like and trust you.
Social media is a very authentic way to connect with your audience. Use the power of social media not just for marketing but more importantly for connecting with your audience, for creating a meaningful relationship with your loyal followers.
Bring out your personality
One time I was working with an owner of a cake shop. She is an introvert and only wanted to spend time creating gorgeous cakes that were too pretty to eat. Her stance on social media was to take pictures and post. Sure, that worked a little. People admired her art and would buy the expensive cakes. But eventually her growth plateaued. Not because her artistry diminished, in fact quite the opposite. Confronted with a plethora of options, the customers would choose the store they had a relationship with. Here, in this store they placed an order with an employee, came and collected the cake and the transaction was over.
Slowly we started incorporating the “social” part of social media into her business. Posts were written by the owner with fun filled facts about the cakes. Her customers would see her creating the elaborate cakes in the messy back kitchen with fondant on her forehead.
Her introverted personality slowly became known to her customers which became endearing. Her customers now ask for her when they walk into the store so that they could talk to her and take a picture with her.
Your personality is what sets you apart from others. Build trust with your customers by bringing out your personality.
Get out of your comfort zone
Many times as solopreneurs and business owners we tend to hesitate about what to write on social media. I have been there myself. The sterilized posts seem cut and dry. What will people think of me? Will they ignore my brand because they don’t like my point of view?
If you want to stand out, you have to get out of your comfort zone. Putting yourself out there can be discomforting, but then again if we have decided to walk the path of entrepreneurship, we have taken decisions in the past that have been uncomfortable.
Own your conversations and one of the easiest way to do this is by treating your audience not as passive onlookers but as active participants. Use social media as a dialogue where your customers will tell you what matters to them. That, in turn allows you to get out of your comfort zone and yet not feel too exposed because you are able to provide real value to your audience.
You are the media
No matter what kind of business you own, continually deliver something your audience finds valuable. Become the go-to expert in your space by not only producing content but also curating from other credible sources.
Being top of mind is essential. Become the media center where people with similar interests gravitate toward you for their education and entertainment needs, that is a powerful place to be in. Build out your social media plan carefully and deliberately so that you are able to provide relevant content that matters.
The difference between traditional media and social media is being yourself. The more authentic your brand is, the more engagement you will get. And although authentic is an overused word, it is an important aspect of your brand that is truly you which can be amplified using social media.