By Faith Wachter
Is this YOU?
Do you find yourself at a loss for “what to post”, so you just post something that you *know* will get lots of likes or engagement — like cute pics of your cat?
Because social media is all about the Likes, right? WRONG.
Here’s why this approach doesn’t serve you or your business goals. Ask yourself these questions:
- How does this attract my ideal customers to my business?
- Why will my ideal customers care about this?
- Will this content increase conversions or store traffic?
- How does this address my customers’ pain points?
Social media marketing is more than about post likes. It should be about positioning your business as THE solution to your ideal customer’s problems. There’s an art to doing this well on social media, and it’s a real challenge for most small businesses.
A great place to start is knowing WHO your ideal customer is. You need to build in-depth knowledge of your ideal customer at a very granular level. Right down to specifics that can include demographics like:
- Are they married?
- Do they have children?
- Are they homeowners?
- What level of education do they have?
- Where do they live?
- Do they like to travel?
- Do they shop online?
- What problem are they trying to solve?
When you have this depth of understanding of your customer, then it’s much easier to create content that will resonate with them. You now have a crystal-clear vision of what makes your ideal customer tick. You also now know how your business’ product or service would appeal to your ideal customer.
If you’re an accountant that specializes in small business accounting and payroll, your ideal customer is likely a small business owner that’s rapidly expanding and needs someone to manage their books and payroll. You should be using your social media accounts to post content that will speak to that small business owner who’s had a great year and needs help paying all the new employees that they’ve hired. Examples could include:
- Posts that describe how you’ve helped your clients free up their time to focus on their business; not their bookkeeping
- 5 signs that mean you’re ready to hire an accountant
- Share how a new law might impact your business’ payroll practices
If you sell custom-made charcuterie boards out of a storefront in the downtown area, your ideal customer is likely someone within driving distance that likes to entertain with style or needs corporate gifting ideas. They likely have a larger budget to spend. Maybe charcuterie boards are a small part of a larger menu of catering offerings. Your social posts should position your product as a stylish, trendy solution for the upcoming holiday season. Examples could include:
- Detailed product descriptions & pictures of different charcuterie boards you’ve created for clients
- Sharp photos of your boards “seen in the wild” at a local event on a beautiful catering spread
- Testimonials from your past happy clients
All of these examples show an understanding of your client’s wants and needs. They position your product or service as THE solution to their problems. Your content literally “speaks” to them. This is how you use your social media content to attract your next customers.
Unless you offer products or services related to cats, refrain from posting those adorable pictures of your fluffy friend. Sure, cute cats are, well, cute in any scenario, but cat content won’t add any value to your business or customers. Next time you post, consider your audience, and you’re much more likely to get better results.
About the Author of January’s BWN Spotlight
Faith Wachter Consulting • Faith Wachter
Faith Wachter has been in the social media space since 2007. After 20+ years in the corporate & nonprofit world, she founded Faith Wachter Consulting, LLC in 2015 and has since grown her solopreneur business into a boutique social media marketing agency. She has been a member of BWN since 2016 and served on the BWN Board from 2017-2021. She holds degrees from Skidmore College and Columbia University. Faith lives in New Market, MD and enjoys the empty nester life with her husband, indulging in foodie-driven travels all around the world.