** Please note, this article was written in 2016 **
A few months ago you may remember your Instagram feed being flooded with posts letting you know that Instagram was changing and advising the best way to stay in touch. This was due to a mass panic regarding Instagram’s new algorithm.
People started panicking, what if the new changes make it hard to reach our followers, what if we lose fans, how are we going to get enough post engagement … Through the social media wheel I heard it all and yes the panic even got to me … a little bit.
What we didn’t know was this was only a false alarm. The next day Instagram released a statement advising that no changes have been applied to the popular photo based app. There was a sigh of relief and the world went on.
Once the dust settled and the hype was over, it had me thinking … how many businesses have a strategy behind their social media. Would this false alarm and early notification enable people to prepare for when a change does happen. Our world has evolved so much through technology, we have so many channels online and offline to reach our consumers, why are we relying so heavily on social media?
Social Media is a great asset to your marketing strategy but it shouldn’t be the only one. When it comes to your business, what channels will reach the right people? What channels will give you the biggest bang for your buck? Don’t just rely on social media to get your customers. Where else are your customers hiding …
After I read articles from Gary Vaynerchuck and Jon Loomer (the social guru gods) explaining stats and understanding Instagram’s reason to evolve and change. It occurred to me that these two men didn’t panic. They didn’t panic because they don’t only count on social media to reach their audience. They have multiple strategies in place that will enable them to still communicate to their fans.
These strategies consisted of online and offline methods plus incentives and action plans that would keep their fans engaged and wanting more. Once I started talking to small business owners, I realised that most people hadn’t thought of a back up plan.
If you are just starting out, or need a back up plan to reach your customers, here are a few ideas that may help you out.
Email Marketing:
What better way to connect with your customers and prospects then to appear in their inbox. Yes you may get a few unsubscribers but there is no algorithm, which means almost everyone will see your email arrive. If you were to organically post an update to Facebook, only around 5% of your fans would even have a chance of it appearing in their newsfeed.
Blog Site/ Website:
No matter what business, product or service you are offering, being an expert in that field can give you alot credibility. By writing fresh content about what you specialise in, generates great seo, giving you a higher ranking on Google and keeps your website, blog site updated with fresh content.
SEO / Google Ad Words:
Imagine appearing on the first page of Google, how much traffic would that generate to your business. Imagine someone typing in your product and your brand/business is the first thing they found and imagine how much traffic and calls your business and website would receive. SEO and Google Adwords are a key marketing strategy for getting more people to your business.
Offline marketing:
This can be a variety of things, such as promotional flyers, networking events and even direct mail. Attending networking events can do wonders for your business. Not only do you gain more knowledge but you could meet certain people who may become a customer/client, business partner or a referral. Promotional flyers and direct mail, may not work for everyone but it is a great way to get your business / brand out there, and offering a fantastic promotion is a great way to stay affront of the consumers mind.
So while social media is a powerful tool to have for your business, it is a great idea to have other strategies in place. I wrote this post as a helpful tool for those that have just started up a small business and trying to navigate their way through the business and marketing world.
If you have any more idea’s I would love to hear them, feel free to comment below or drop me a line anytime.
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