The Skinny on Using Social Media to Promote Your Business

This post isn't about 'how to effectively promote yourself on social media' but rather snipits of why you should be grateful for the platforms that allow you to promote yourself for free, how to use the platforms to get traffic to your website, and how to keep yourself from giving up when your latest post didn't bring in hundreds of sales.

Let's start by time traveling back to 1985.

If you were a business in 1985, how would you promote yourself?

You would get some business cards and pass them out to all your family and friends. You might join a local networking group or association to make new contacts. You would pay the phone company to be in the yellow pages. You might consider an advertisement in the local newspaper, a display ad in a local magazine or even a billboard ad on the highway. The best advertising for a business in 1985 was word-of-mouth and referrals. It's reliable, genuine, and free. (still true today)

Today in 2023, promoting a business is easier than ever but also harder than ever.

We have social media! We should show some gratitude for that... it's free and easy.

If you open a business and promote it to your friends on any social platform, you have saved yourself time and money. The time it would take to hand out all your business cards to family and friends in person, as well as the money spent to buy those cards. And while that is fantastic, the downside is that EVERYONE is doing it. And honestly, you may have a couple loyal supportive family members but most friends won't rejoice in your success. Sad but a very true statement. I've lived it for years.

While we will remain grateful for social platforms that allow us free business advertising, it's NOT the end-all of getting traffic to your website. It's ONE avenue of many. You are depleting yourself of valuable energy when you post on social media and expect your business to get instant sales. The disappointment of that is enough to take a once inspired business owner to the level of giving up. So let go of that expectation today.

Also note that when you post about your latest blog on social media, please create an intriguing and enticing caption with the photo used in your blog post to get readers to be so excited about it that they CLICK TO YOUR WEBSITE to read it. The whole point of social media is using it as one of the avenues to get traffic to your website. If you post the whole blog onto social media, they have no reason to visit your site. So then why did you create a website.

When your website is optimized for search engines and has excellent branding, flow and product/service photography... then it is time to elevate your social media presence by starting your journey with paid advertising. If you have a high performing post that your followers liked, boost it. Start with just $20 and see what happens.

If your website is not ready, please don't waste your dollars. There is a science to websites that convert. It's not magic and it's not deceitful - it's an authentic way for visitors to understand your product and your brand - which instills trust, which creates sales.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post! I hope you found value in it.

If you want my eBook on 'How to Drive Traffic to your Website', subscribe to my list and it's yours free. If you need a website upgrade, shoot me a message and let's chat.