Rolling Sands Consulting

The Social Dilemma – Where, oh where should I go?

Splendid! You’ve decided to allocate resources to Social Media Marketing. Your next big question is the inevitable: “What platform should I use?”

My answer is, once again, “It depends.”

Which platform(s) do your clients / prospects use?
Which platform(s) suit your marketing content?

I suggest starting with just ONE platform to get a feel for social media as a business. Even if you are familiar with platforms as a general social media user, managing a business profile is different. There is added pressure to respond quickly.^†

Dipping your toe into the Facebook pool is a great place to start. Because of its incredible reach, it’s likely that a good chunk of your customers are there. Most businesses have a Facebook account for this reason. (Be sure to set up your company’s Facebook page as a business. There will be extra features available to you.)

If you know that your customers are more active on another platform or your content is more suited to another channel, go for it! For example, a dance studio might choose YouTube or Tik Tok as their main social media venue. If you are selling professional services, LinkedIn might be a great platform for you if you have the time to build a following organically or you have lots of money to buy LinkedIn marketing services.^‡

Are you are having some success and thinking of expanding to other platforms? Before you do so, ask yourself one very important question:

Do I have the resources (person-hours and/or budget) available to keep up with another social media platform?

You may not know the answer until you have more experience, but know that you DO NOT need to be everywhere. One social platform done well is worth MUCH more to your business than several platforms done poorly.

Do you have cautionary tale or a morsel of winning advice for your fellow business owners? Please share!

^†Define what a “timely response” will be for your business and manage your followers expectations based on that benchmark.
^‡IF your business is suited to LinkedIn, ads can be very effective and worth the cost of advertising but it’s not for the faint-of-heart or the financially-challenged!

Social Media can be scary!

There is such a dazzling array options that many small business owners feel overwhelmed (as do I at times). Several have asked me, “Should I be on social media?”

My answer is always, “It depends.”

Reason #1 – A social media (SM) account can function as a home page in the absence of a website. A popular choice for small businesses short on cash and time. Quick & easy!

Reason #2 – Expand your reach with SM marketing. To do this, you must be willing to allocate resources. If no one is tasked with creating and responding to posts, the SM ball will be dropped. Followers can be hard won and easily lost. Celebrate the small wins. Building a following can be slow at first. Be persistent, consistent, and respond in a timely manner and your efforts will bear fruit.

To attract and keep followers you must also add value. Give your prospects / customers a reason to follow your SM feed. For example:

Once-a-month Q&A with your Technical team
Discounts available via your social platform only
Tips and tricks of your trade

BEST PRACTICE – Create a calendar for your upcoming SM posts and keep it up to date. I like having a 3-month rolling schedule (minimum) of content creation and/or publication. I also write down and keep a list of content ideas that come to me at random so I have a source of inspiration to fall back on.

Any words of advice for fellow small and scaling business owners? Please share in the comments!

Job Searching in the Time of Covid-19

Job searching is a stressful endeavour at the best of times, and these are not those. Today, I found out that I didn’t get a job that I was excited about. I needed some extra self-care and positive self-talk after getting the news.

How do I…

…stay motivated? – I know what I want to do…marketing! I love strategy, collaboration, creating, mentoring, and trying new things.

…stay hopeful? – I’m deciding that the roles I’ve applied for so far must not have been right for me. The right one at the right company will come along.

…stay confident? – I’m a unique, well-rounded, and experienced marketing professional with great references (and awards) to prove it!

…stay on my game? – I read articles, chat with friends and colleagues, watch webinars, and take online courses…and I decided to build a website. 😀

…deal with being in shared spaces again? – I stay home 95% of the time. Wear a double mask, wash my hands, and keep my distance when I absolutely have to go to the grocery store. That’s all any of us can and should do.

What keeps you motivated and moving forward in these strange times?