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Social Media Marketing; A No BS Guide For Small Business Owners – Black Hills AVP

Ok, I get it, you’re busy! You have a Facebook business page and you try to add some pictures here and there. That’s enough right? No! Actually…not even close! The solution is all about business smarts, local content, and creativity!What you should NOT do!Use automated posting systems like Grasshopper! If you are using this platform you are posting the same thing as most of your competition….this gives you no ROI…maybe a little professionalism, but that’s about it.What you SHOULD do!You need to be filming, taking pictures, and creating blogs about your products and services and how they solve problems, or answer questions for your specific niche locally.We at Black Hills AVP offer a subscription for Social Media Marketing in Rapid City, South Dakota. Most smaller businesses can’t afford a full time marketing employee and that’s completely understandable. However, at the bare minimum, if you DO have a full time marketing employee or team, make sure they are smart with the topics I will be teaching. It will pay huge dividends in the long run.If you need help after you have read this article and decide that it’s time to do Social Media correctly, just give us a call!Ok, let’s jump in!The following information will be 5 key strategies that will help your sales and brand awareness EXPONENTIALLY.1. WordPress BlogI can’t stress how important a WordPress blog is. You can litterally build this entire platform around every component of your business, it’s free, and delivers organic LOCAL traffic! Especially when paired with a Google Business Profile.You can get a free wordpress blog but I would recommend the entrepreneur site. It’s $99 USD per year, you get your own .com, and there are way more options for growth.Ok, your wordpress site is created! Now what?There are a few things to learn before you start creating blog posts. You will need to learn about online trends and find out what people are searching for on Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc…The key here is to create LOCAL content in the form of videos using YouTube as your platform. You will then add the video to a blog post. This is where a LOT of people miss the mark. Photos are ok as well, but they don’t come close to videos. Videos are great…but don’t come close to Facebook Live!The point is to create a video, or snap a photo….then write a blog post about it on your WordPress site using targeted keywords that people are searching for locally.The competition is far less. When trying to compete nationally, big name corporations are spending millions of dollars for the same keywords. You won’t win against them! However, you will CRUSH your competition locally. Most of them are using automated social media posts which are virtually ineffective aside from brand awareness. Check out this post and pay close attention to number 4 to see why I’m saying automated posting is ineffective!Ok…how the heck is it possible to find what people are searching for online? Your niche is incredibly small….that will be impossible right? Nope! People are searching online for litterally EVERYTHING! Just read the “video stats” link below and you will see what I mean.To find out what people are searching online, use tools like Google Trends, Google Ads, Answer The Public, etc… These sites are essentially large data mining sites that enable you to add the correct keywords, or tags to the content you are creating.Just remember, this needs to be accomplished BEFORE you start writing your blog post, before you film the video, or before you take the picture that will accompany said blog post. Be smart and do your research before you create the content! You will get the best bang for your buck.Pro Tip: Find low competition keywords and blog locally! You’re in business to solve peoples problems so you will need to create content that answers their questions using your products or services. When you start adding local keywords Google does an awesome job of getting your content front and center!2. Create and Continuously Update Your Google My Business Page!Holy moly! Words can’t describe how important this is. Google is by far the most used search engine on the planet and when I say that Google prefers to boost its own platforms, I’m not lying!Here is what you should do:After creating your WordPress Blog post…simply copy a small section from the beginning, add even more local keywords while using a hook and create a post on your Google Business page. Add a picture, then add the “learn more” button that links to your website and…boom! You have a funnel!Not only do you have a funnel, you also have more content locally that people are actually searching for. You are therefore solving their problems by giving them the answer within mere seconds right there on the interwebs! THIS is brand awareness! Cool right?!

3. You NEED a YouTube Account!No…seriously, create a YouTube account. You’ve done this right? No?! “GAASSP”

Did you know that videos on a landing page can increase conversions by up to 80 percent?! If that isn’t enough, do yourself, and your business a favor and check out these video stats! You won’t be sorry and your YouTube channel will make MUCH more sense.

YouTube is where you will be hosting all of your videos that were created for your blog posts. It will be the platform in which you share your content to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, all other Social Media Channels. Will it be the end all, be all for your presence? No. But like an engine, it takes all components to operate efficiently to ensure a smooth operation. Your online presence is no different. The YouTube account is a crucial piece to your online “engine”.

You can also boost your videos to your target niche for pennies on the dollar compared to traditional advertising methods. This alone is worth the opportunity cost investment of YouTube.

4. Your Facebook Business PageYour Facebook Business page is a crucial link in your Social Media Strategy. The first thing you need to do is to conduct a deep dive into your settings and ensure that your page is optimized correctly.

Things you need to do are to ensure your bio is written strategically. Make sure you have all of your products and services listed with a detailed description of each one, including local keywords. This helps when people are searching for said products and services on Facebook. Make sure you have added all of the appropriate tags that fit your niche the best. Link your page to an Instagram account! Turn on the Similar Page Suggestions in settings. Make sure EVERYTHING is optimized within your page info section!

Once you have completed the above your page will be off to a great start! Then it’s time for content creation, live streaming your products and services, as well as reaching out and networking with people on a personal level! Never spam someone! Just be real. Have a genuine conversation and create a long term connection.

5. Serve a greater purpose in your area!Every business should serve a greater purpose than soley increasing shareholder profits. You might be a successful business owner, but how are you contributing to your local community?Find two to three reasons why your business truly exists. Yes, you make great products, but what are your products, employees, or overall strategy doing to serve the greater good? Once you have this figured out….make it your missions statement! Then….seek out opportunities to conduct philanthropic duties and capture eveything you are doing on video, or through photos. Create blog posts about it….then follow the rules above. In the long run you will make more connections, present your business in a professional/positive light, and ultimately increase your sales through referrals and organic traffic. A LOT of small businesses lean heavily on word of mouth advertising and the connections you will make while serving your community will be genuine!

Summary

If you follow the above steps, within 6 mo ths to a year you will be CRUSHING it locally!!! This strategy takes hard work and dedication and you will get out what you put in. It is one of the MOST effective digital marketing strategies to date because it’s genuine, local, and truly solving your clients needs.

As with most posts I write, there is a little philosophy intertwined. Things I have picked up over my 16 years in the United States Air Force. So….I hope you enjoyed the article, but more importantly….I hope you take ACTION!

Keith Heimericks

Black Hills AVP

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