What Kinds Of Content Should Legacy Businesses Use To Market On Social Media?

By Kathryn Roberts, Principal – Roberts Statistical & Consulting Services, Los Angeles

Once you’ve established your business’ website as your organization’s home in the online space, it’s time to branch out and start marketing on social media. ( You can learn more on how to establish your business’ expertise through blog content on your website in this post. )

As we’ve pointed out in previous RobertsSCS posts : while learning how to market your business on social media is a must, that doesn’t mean you have to go in on every single social media platform all at once, and you especially don’t have to use social media platforms that you feel won’t benefit your business in the long run.

The first step is to determine which social media platform or platforms are the best fit for your business.?

For example, if you’re not marketing to Gen-Z-aged customers and clients, then you don’t have to get on TikTok and make your President or CEO master the latest dance trend right now.

And you can always start with one platform, then expand to others as you grow.

Which social media platform should you start with?

Social media marketing is far from one-size fits all.

The key is to ask yourself where your current customer base spends time online.

Starting with the people you already work with makes your life easier because you already know them, and likely already have strong relationships with them from all your years of work together.

For many organizations, the answer of which platform to start with is going to be right here, on LinkedIn. With a user base of just under 800 million (per Statista) in 2021, LinkedIn is one of the least saturated markets in the social media space, especially compared to Facebook (2.9 billion users) and Instagram (approx. 1 billion users).

And while Twitter has a user base at approximately 330 million monthly active users (significantly lower than the rest), the life span of one piece of content on Twitter is only 18 minutes, the shortest lifespan of all social media platforms. Compare that to an average of 48 hours on Instagram, 24 hours on LinkedIn, 6 hours on Facebook, and 2 years on a blog (see why we like blog content so much?)

So if you do choose to create content for Twitter, understand that it is a significant undertaking that doesn’t always have the highest ROI, especially if you don’t have a large and engaged audience.

So, once you’ve picked your platform, it’s time to create your content plan.

(A Bonus Tip: Look within your own organization, and see which of your employees also have active social media profiles. Those employees can make for great opportunities to potentially leverage their audiences to expand your own, and vice versa.)

What kinds of content should you create for your business’ social media profile?

One question we get often when we speak to our clients about social media marketing is, “What in the world are we supposed to share on social media?”

Traditionally, social media has been used to share fun and exciting updates about our personal lives—what we did on vacation, things we’ve accomplished, or even what our friends and family are up to. As people started using social media to market their businesses in the last 10 years or so, things have begun to shift.

So, social media content for business is a whole other beast than from personal use.?

The point of social media marketing for business is to show how you and your organization are the experts at what you do, and how you can help your customers and clients.

You can do this in three ways:

• Educational content, sharing information on a topic or industry trend that you know in great detail
• Actionable content, telling your potential clients and customers what they need to do in order to find the success that your organization has mastered (the ‘what’ factor is critical here. You’re sharing WHAT they need to do, now how they should do it)
• Humanized content, which is content that allows your audience to see that you’re a person-first organization. You’re owned by people, run by people, and supported by people.

People want to work with people.

That humanized content is especially key for legacy businesses, companies that want to maintain that personalized touch that you don’t share with those massive entities that are probably trying to swallow up the entirety of your market share.

Showing your customers and potential clients the benefits of your human touch is key to you standing out and starting those conversations with new clients.

Remember the point of social media marketing

Like all marketing, the point of marketing your legacy business on social media is to get new clients and customers.

When you’re crafting your marketing plan, you have to understand your endgame.

What is the point of each and every piece of content?

Yes, you’re educating, providing something actionable, showing off your business’ humanity—sometimes just one thing at a time, and maybe also even all of the above, you’re allowed to and encouraged to be creative—but you’re also leading your potential customers to do something.

As we’ve referenced before, when we at RobertsSCS are working with our clients on their marketing plan, we ask them, “What do you want your potential customers to do after they see your content?”

And once you know what you want your potential customers to do, you get to tell them exactly what action you want them to take–to start a conversation with them.

Do you want them to:

• Book a call with your sales team?
• Request a quote?
• Sign up for an upcoming event?

Whatever it is you want the potential customers in your audience to do, you always have to make sure that your content is telling them exactly that.

For those of you who have social media profiles, active or not, take a look at your last 9 posts. How many times have you explicitly asked your reader to do something after they’ve taken in your post?

What action have you called for them to take?

And if you haven’t included any calls to action in your marketing content, reach out to us so we can help you develop an effective social media strategy.

Remember, the point of social media is to generate leads, and in order to have the best chances to do that, you have to actually tell the potential customers in your audience what to do.

Take your marketing efforts to the next level with ease

Want to really make your business’ social media into your business’ next major lead generator?

Give your audience something they can take home, so to speak, and take action on.

They have a lot of names in the industry: an incentive, a lead magnet, an opt-in.

(We at RobertsSCS use opt-in, and we can help you develop yours too.)

These are simple digital downloads that a potential customer can get in exchange for their email address—read: giving you access right to a potential leads’s inbox, where they’re significantly more likely to see your content and get to know you, your organization, and why you’re right for them.

These digital assets can be anything from:

• A simple checklist
• A workbook or tracker
• An Excel template (those are very popular)
• A multi-step guide

You can even get even fancier and create:

• A video series
• An audio training
• A webinar or masterclass (live or recorded)

Whatever you create, the key is to offer it in exchange for their email address, a more effective way for you to get in touch with them.

A key to note here: what an opt-in not, is a straight up brochure about your organization. You want to give your potential customers something that they can use, something that shows your expertise in your industry, and something that they can get a quick and easy win from that brings them back to you for more.

These opt-ins are easy to create, because you’re not giving away the kitchen sink. You’re telling your potential customers what to do, and then giving them an opportunity to work with you to get it done with your expertise and support.

Lean in on you and what you do best

Standing out on social media means leaning on what makes your company unique.

Think back to its founding.

Why did you (or your founders) start your business?

What pressing need did you feel your organization must meet?

How are you able to do what you do the best, the fastest, and the most economically.

And, quite frankly, why are you better than your competition?

Don’t forget to brag.

You’re allowed to brag.?

Your job is to shout to the rooftops why you’re amazing at what you do. Tell people you are, and let them find your way to you so you.

Does your company need a business plan? Is your existing business plan due for a refresh? Has your company lost focus and you are looking to re-energize it? RobertsSCS is here to work with you to bring your business processes into focus. Call us today at (310) 972-8243 or reach out to us at [email protected]

About RobertsSCS:

Roberts Statistical & Consulting Services ─ RobertsSCS ─ offers results-oriented strategies, mentoring, and insights to optimize operations for legacy companies looking for 21st Century upgrades to improve profitability, increase sales growth, and future-proof systems for sustainability.

Using 30-plus years of operating and management experience, RobertsSCS works with businesses with $1-30 million in revenue to create better efficiency, synergy, and outreach.?We provide developmental, strategic, and executable plans of action at multiple levels: wholesale, retail, B2B, and B2C for organizations desiring to maximize industry market share.

Knowing the market environment and the status of each business we work with allows us to provide customized insights on growth and profit opportunities at the local, regional, and/or national market level.