How do you use social media to grow your business?

Make sure you know yourself and why you are in business providing the products and services to the types of clients (whether to consumers or businesses ) that you do in the first place. Your strengths, your interests, even your weaknesses and challenges so who you are will come through and that will help communicate your value to a community that wants to know who they are working with, what you can do to help solve a problem or save or make money.

I think it all depends on what you are using social media for. As an entrepreneur, you will have social media for your brand, but will also have your own. I think your personal brand is more important now than it was a few years ago. Therefore, entrepreneurs have to show up on social media as themselves and let their audience know what kind of person they are. So, your audience will be very different for your personal social media. It can be less defined if you're just looking to build authority, but you need to think about the type of people you're most likely to deal with. Is it investors? Is it other entrepreneurs? Or the same as the customers for your brand? Whoever it is, you need to get to know them and tailor your content.

Identifying your target audience is a key to grow your business, you can do that by: - Market research - Interviews and surveys - Buying pattern of your target segment - Social Media usage pattern of your target segment (whether they prefer Instagram or LinkedIn)

Don't make it too complicated. There are only a few big social media channels, so just blast away on them like so many people are doing. But, don't fool yourself. Being found on Google with your web site will deliver more than all social media channels together. And when you build your website the mentioned marketing points are relevant.

Again, this will be very different for your personal brand compared to the social media for your business. Your personal objectives could be to position yourself as an expert in your industry, to bust industry myths, to bring awareness of latest trends and news etc. Whatever they are, you must clearly define them so you can work clearly towards these goals, making your social media strategy much more effective. Your social media strategy should go hand-in-hand with your overall marketing and sales goals for your company though, so there is a clear correlation and one can help the other.

Be very specific with your objectives as it is key to building a great following. You can do that by: - What you want from your audience? - What you want your audience to do when they visit you? - How do you want them to feel while scrolling through your profile? - Are there any discounts or rewards for them?

LinkedIn isn't what you think it is. Here's a useful way to view content on LinkedIn: Platforms, like LinkedIn, are your savings accounts. Content is money put into these accounts. Over time, you earn interest in your accounts. The amount of money you'll make 6 months from now is a result of the content you post today. Now, here's something important... The quality of your content is like a dollar or a penny. The more ?????????????? content you put in, the more you earn out. LinkedIn is more like a savings account for entrepreneurs and professionals growing their personal brands. Your content compounds. Your value will increase if you treat is as such.

Having a strong a content game is essential to build a following of your target audience. It can be done by: - Creating 4 content pillars - Jotting down ideas for reels, posts and stories for all social platforms - Creating multiple creatives to test audience response - Using a strong CTA and number in your title

A content plan can absolutely help you stay focused and help you achieve your goals. It also helps you to stay consistent, as you map out what you want to do ahead of time and it helps you save time. However, sometimes a content plan can leave you quite rigid. Social media is also about reacting to hot topics and news articles that are relevant to you. So, you don't want to only create content ahead of time as you will miss out on these key moments and the chance to engage in timely and interesting conversations.

In creating your content plan, consider these 5Cs: - Your existing and potential Customers - who are they and what are they looking to achieve? - Your Competitors - what sort of content are your peers sharing and how will yours stand out? - Key Channels - where do your ideal customers hang out? LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram? If your customers are there, you don’t need to be. - Drive Conversations - does your content encourage conversation or is it one-way? Use content to listen to your market. - Build Community - Are you gathering a unique group of loyal followers? Aim to create community as the lifeblood of your brand.

Many people just post on social media and think that all you need to do is show up, post content and grow. But why would people interact with you if they're not getting any response back? Yes, celebrities get thousands of engagement per post, but that's still because each person is desperately hoping for a reply! The top creators can get away with not replying to every single comment, but when you're starting out, you absolutely need to. Plus, each engagement is a way to show off more of your personality and your knowledge. So, just think of them as additional content you're putting out there. This is how you build up relationships and build up a loyal following.

I understand that outbound engagement (commenting, liking, etc.) can actually be pretty intimidating. There can be pressure commenting on influencers posts or that of folks you don’t really know. Not to mention wondering if your post is robust enough, especially if you’re trying to grow. A great place to start is by making a short list of folks you’ve personally connected with on socials and prioritize commenting on their content. This will lessen the nerves around quality of comments and likely open you up to connections of connections as you engage with them and their audiences.

Engaging with followers brings a personal touch into the digital space. Responding to comments and joining discussions isn't just brand visibility—it's a pathway to understanding my audience better. This mutual exchange refines my services to suit my customers' needs. Let's keep the conversation flowing! ??

Social media ads are absolutely not for everyone. Most entrepreneurs wouldn't use social media ads as part of their personal branding strategy, as it's definitely too salesy. However, social media ads are a great way to increase reach and brand awareness. So, it may be a good strategy when you're trying to promote your brand/service/product. But you need to use social media ads wisely. It's very easy to spend a lot of money without a cohesive strategy. It sounds easy to just "boost" a post and reach more money, but you will have very poor ROI. I would advise speaking to a social media ads expert before doing this.

Based on my experience as a LinkedIn coach and creator of an online program that empowers freelancers, I firmly believe in the power of data-driven decision-making on social media. Constantly analyzing and optimizing your LinkedIn strategy based on user engagement and trends can significantly increase your visibility and effectively attract potential clients. Your personal brand on LinkedIn is your gateway to new opportunities, and making informed strategic choices is the key to unlock those opportunities.

Again, don't be too complicated and waste all that time on that. It won't be worth all the trouble. Just post whatever you want and let it ride.

**Collaborate with Influencers:** Working with relevant influencers can help you reach a larger audience. The endorsement of a trusted figure can boost your brand's credibility and increase your exposure. **Implement Social Media Customer Service:** Ensure prompt responses to queries, complaints, or comments on your social media platforms. This fosters a good relationship with your audience and shows potential customers that you are attentive to their needs. **Promote User-Generated Content:** Encourage your followers to share their own content involving your products or services. It not only generates a sense of community but also provides you with free marketing materials.

**Use Hashtags Strategically:** Effective use of hashtags can enhance your visibility in your audience's feed. This includes trending hashtags and branded hashtags specific to your business. **Conduct Contests or Giveaways:** Running competitions or giveaways can stimulate engagement and increase followers. They can also incentivize customers to share your content, leading to greater visibility.

If I do everything as described above, I won't have time to do my job. Social media channels can be useful, but their benefits are limited. Most contacts you make on them are trying to sell you their stuff. They're not even looking at yours!