How do you get people to buy your products and services and refer you?

News Flash - People Don’t Want to be Sold To

Think about it….Do you watch commercials on TV?  Do you read bill boards?  Do you read your junk mail?  Probably not.  You probably don’t even listen to commercials on the radio anymore because you’re listening to your own playlist or Pandora.

Then when people need a product or service, what do they do?  Probably like the rest of us, they go back to the person who has given them good service in the past or ask their best friends or neighbors for recommendations.  Or they may even ask on Social Media.

So as a business owner trying to market your business, how do you reach your target market?  For the purpose of this article, let’s talk about social media and your business Facebook page.

·        You must have an audience - How many people ‘Like’ your Facebook business page?  Did you know that only about 5% of the people who ‘Like’ your page see what you post?  So, say you have 100 people who like your page, only about 20 are going to see what you post.  So, you must build your audience.  Suggestions to get more ‘Likes’ to your page is to ask ALL your friends, family, neighbors, etc. to ‘Like’ your page.  Send them an invitation right from your business Facebook page. 

·        You need some champions.  Other ways to get more people to see what you post, is to get ‘Likes,’ ‘Shares,’ and comments on your posts.  Facebook sees that as ‘engagement’ and then will show the posts to more people.  So, you need to ask your best buds, employees, family, etc. to be your ‘Champions.’  Ask them to Like, share, and comment on your posts.  That way, their Facebook friends see what they are Liking, Sharing, and commenting on and it builds from there. 

·        Don’t Sell to People.  People don’t want to be sold to.  Read the first to paragraphs again.  It doesn’t matter if you have the best deal in town, if no one sees the offer.  If you haven’t built any trust, then you’re wasting your time.  So, what do you post you ask.  Social Media, particularly Facebook is just that - for socializing.  Think about the last party you went to.  What did you talk about?  Current events?  Your favorite team winning or losing?  Ask questions?  ‘Did you know……blah, blah,?’  You were socializing not trying to sell your products or service.  That’s what you do on social media. 

o   Let people get to know you.  Post about you, photos, likes, dislikes, hobbies, interests, etc.

o   Use current events.  What holiday is it?  I did 8 posts last Friday the 13^th for 8 different small businesses and used the theme of Friday the 13^th.  Everything from haunted ships, real estate numbers, to Friday the 13^th reading list.

o   Provide information.  What type of service/product do you offer?  What makes it different from others that are out there?  Provide industry information.  Seasonal information.  For example, a realtor might provide information on fire safety since last week was fire safety week.  I call this ‘Infotainment.’  Provide information and entertain your followers.  Talk from your experience and point of view, i.e. your expertise and why you care.  As the saying goes – ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.’

o   Don’t be so serious all the time.  Laugh at yourself.  Post a cartoon.  Tell about getting lost.  You’re human.  People can relate.  Let people get to know you. 

o   Are you involved in the community?  What is your favorite charity?  Again, this is a way to help people to get to know you.

·        Post videos.  Learn to use Facebook Live.  Show before and after photos and videos.  Videos are a great way to let people know you do a good job. 

·        Get Reviews.  When people brag on your work, ask them to write a review on your Facebook page and on Google (if you are listed on Google).

·        Learn what people like.  Check out the ‘Insights’ section of your Facebook page or look at the bottom of each post.  It will show you how many people the post reached.  The posts that reached the most people – is what you need to post more of.

·        Boost your posts.  This is another way to reach a larger audience, but there are a few things to know before you throw money at this one.

o   Get very specific as to who exactly is your target market, i.e. household income, zip codes, cities, age groups, etc.  Think about who are your best clients, what is their average household income (guesstimate), where do they live, what is their approximate age, etc.  You’ll come closer to getting some additional followers if you can figure this one out and target your boost.

o   Do this intermittently and not on a regular basis.  Yes, you want to post regularly and consistently on your Facebook page, but you don’t want to be regular and consistent on boosting your posts.  Why is this, you ask?  Again, Facebook is a social platform and even though Facebook is making money on your boosted posts, they see your boosted posts as ‘selling’ and won’t show them to the larger audience you seek, if you boost to often.

These are just a few tips for using Social Media to market your business.  You can search my blog site for more articles about Social Media.  If you’re still feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, contact us.  We can teach you how or do it for you.

Your comments and feedback are welcomed and appreciated.

Happy Posting,

Annette

Painted Lady Enterprises