In this weeks series of daily videos, Nicola covers the answers to some of the biggest questions she gets asked about social media marketing for business. From why you should be thinking about social media marketing in the first place, through to how to tell if your social media marketing is working.

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Clicks And Leads is a “tongue in cheek” digital marketing Vzine by entrepreneur, author, podcaster, speaker, Nicola Cairncross.

Mentioned In The Vzine

• Stoupa
• Own It! The Podcast
• NicolaCairncross.com/blog

On the blog

• Core Needs
• When Email Dies
• Different Buckets
• Core Values
• Go To Give
• Your Emergency Fund
• Kolbe A Index
• Own It! 210 | Replacing Your Trusted VA
• Own It! 209 | 2019: Planning for a New Year
• Vzine 84 | Living With Uncertainty
• Vzine 83 | Self Awareness

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Hi, Nicola here and I just wanted to show you that I was back in Stoupa and what the beach looks like with no sunbeds at all. It’s all very strangely empty. But it’s lovely and sunny, it’s the middle of January and I’ve just spent the whole last hour or so sitting outside in the sunshine, which is why I’m probably looking a bit pink.

But anyway I wanted to welcome you back and let’s get on with the show, shall we.

The first question that I see a lot is what is social media marketing?

It’s a way of getting closer to your customers. It’s a way of building a relationship with your customers or your potential future customers indeed. It’s a way of people getting to know, like and trust you, over your competition. And it’s a way of attracting people to you that like your style. It’s a way of sharing information about your business that makes your business more relatable, less business-like, more personable.

In conclusion, social media marketing is a lot of different things, but essentially it’s a way of creating a relationship with your potential future customers. It’s a way of maintaining your relationship with your existing customers and it’s a way of hopefully attracting back your previous customers.

Why use social media marketing at all?

The Millennial generation are growing up without having any interest in using email whatsoever. So you’ve got to find a way to get in front of that huge potential market, before they get to the age where they’re the main buyers. And that’s only a few years away.

If they don’t use email, and they don’t respond to advertising and they don’t look at magazines, and if they get all their news from YouTube and Facebook, you’ve got to find a way of getting your business in front of them in a natural, non-pushy way.

So as you can see, it’s really crucial that you learn how to use social media marketing, so that when your potential future market reaches the age when they become the biggest buying group, your business isn’t invisible to them. And there are lots of easy, inexpensive, fun ways of doing that. You’ve just got to get your head around it.

People ask me, which social media platform should I use?

It all depends on which social media platform you use yourself. It depends on which social media platform your potential future customers will use. And it depends which one lends itself better to the kind of social media marketing you’re going to be doing.

You’ve got to keep flexible and you’ve got to keep trying the new platforms as they come out. Some will resonate with your more than others. I concentrated much more on Facebook and on YouTube, never been really into Pinterest, so I think you’ve got to actually be using some of these platforms yourself as a human being, but don’t discount a social media platform just because you don’t like using it, if you hear about other people using it.

You don’t want to be left behind, do you.

What format should you use?

Should you be using pictures, should you be using long form written format, should you be using video? The whole world seems to be going video crazy right now. And there’s no denying that it’s the most efficient way to produce content.

From video you can easily spin off audio, and then you can get that transcribed and turned into written content. If you, like me, have got a face for radio, and you’re not great on video, or you feel very uncomfortable talking to a blank camera, and you can’t imagine your ideal future customer down the end of it, then perhaps you want to get someone else in your company to handle the video side of things.

Or you can turn it around completely and focus on your customers, or your staff, or tell the story of your business in video format. Whatever you do, do try to work video into your social media marketing, because it’s highly engaging, and it’s really very efficient.

How to create a social media marketing strategy, or a plan.

I would sit down and I would think to yourself, what’s the outcome that you want from your social media activities. Is it more brand awareness, is it more leads? The outcome that you desire is going to affect how you go about your social media marketing.

But if you’re looking to build leads then it’s a completely different thing, you’re going to have a strong call to action in every piece of content, and you’re going to have a link next in the description of every piece of content so that people can go and take some action on your website.

You won’t be making sales directly from social media marketing, I’m telling you that now. But what you can be doing is building leads, building brand awareness, and bringing people to your website so that they have a really good idea of what your offer is.

In fact, I would say, no matter whether you’re brand building or lead generating, or just going for reach and awareness of your business, you should always have a call to action in your description, if not your content.

When shouldn’t you do social media marketing?

If you’re a grump, and you don’t believe that social media marketing has any value at all, then I would suggest that you don’t do it yourself. Because that attitude is going to come across loud and clear on camera.

In your social media postings, for example, you’ve got to be enthusiastic about social media in order to be a good social media manager, or a good marketing person working with social media. You have to enjoy it yourself. You have to find it fun and not think it’s the spawn of the devil. ‘Cause you’re not going to get very far with that attitude.

If you don’t use social media yourself, then bring someone onto your team who does, who absolutely revels in it, who loves it, who keeps up to date with all the new things, and they can help you and advise you. And for heaven’s sake, don’t do a Donald Trump. Don’t get onto social media when you’ve had a few glasses too many, spill your guts, damage your brand online, that would be absolutely tragic.

It is a little bit tricky to tell how well your social media marketing is working.

You can actually put tracking links in a lot of your calls to action. But there are ways to tell. First of all, take a snapshot of how well your business is doing anyway, go to your Google Analytics and see how much traffic every month you’re generating from the various social media platforms.

If you take a snapshot of where you are today and then look next month after you’ve had a whole month of social media marketing activity, you’re going to be able to tell whether you’re making a difference.

The other way you can tell if it’s working is by having a strong, clear call to action in your description. For example, I invite people to come and download my book, How to Market Any Business Online. And I’ve found that downloads of my book, which means new leads coming into my mailing list, has increased dramatically since I’ve started doing these one minute videos.

It isn’t as daunting, or as scary, or as difficult as you might believe. And you can track the results quite easily. So do think about if for your business, because it’ll make a tremendous difference.

So what’s on the blog on the podcast this week

On the blog, there is the latest episode of the Vzine, which is Episode 84, which is all about living with uncertainty and how to cope with change. And on the podcast this week on ownitthepodcast.com, we’re talking about how I’m trying to replace my trusted VA, Sarah, who’s been looking after me for several years now and how I’m interviewing and looking for how to get new people started, how to define them, test them, and then get them started and them how to do a smooth transition. Especially in view of the fact that they’ll be looking after not only me, but my clients as well. So go and check it out at nicolacairncross.com/blog and we’ll be back next week with another episode of the Vzine. See ya later.

Creative Direction & Video Editing
Phoebe Soremekun

Intro Music
Pool Cosby

Incidental Music
Chill & Relaxing Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Instrumental – Warm Nights // No Copyright Music
[No Copyright Music] Chill Lofi Hip Hop Instrumental (Copyright Free) Music – Watching The Clouds

Drone footage of The Mani
Georgios Ser-Aouas

Drone Footage of Shoreham by Sea
Scott Wright Photography

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