I know some of you are just starting out in business and simply don’t have the funds to hire me yet.
Don’t worry, there’s no shame in that. We all start somewhere.
With that said, if you don’t have the money then you’re left with this reality:
You have to do it.
Again, there’s no shame. When I first started out I worked my ass off. I did everything myself. I worked literally 7 days a week for at least 10 hours a day.
I was young and thankfully didn’t have a family to care for at the time. Said another way, I was able to devote so much to my business back then.
So here’s your very own social media plan to grow your leads:
(this is dedicated to businesses that sell to consumers – not other businesses – that’s a whole other strategy!):
1) Pick 1 or 2 social media places where your target market hangs out. Don’t worry about mastering all the social media places. Just pick 1 or 2 and go all in.
2) Going “all in” means creating daily (sometimes twice a day) quality content that helps your readers. You’ll need to brainstorm these ideas, write the actual content, and get an image or video that helps round out the post.
3) Not only do you need to post, but you MUST respond to every single comment. It’s a must.
And here’s a pro tip: even if someone just “likes” your post, make a comment that says something like “hey, (tag their name) thanks for liking my post! All likes and comments help my little local business grow!”
4) Use social media to its fullest. Example, if you’re on Facebook then join local groups in your area. You already know not to spam these groups. But find questions from members that you can assist with. Or ask a question that folks can respond to.
Pro tip: Ask a question that requires empathy. Example: “Hi, all. I have a personal training studio in the area and I’m working 1-on1 with a new client. She wants some ideas for quick and healthy dinners for her family (she has 3 kids under 10 and her and her husband work full-time). I can give her lots of ideas, but I’m not in this position myself and wanted to get your thoughts. Anyone in the same boat and have suggestions that I can share with her”?
5) Now those that respond, friend them. Don’t do anything else. Just friend them. Then 2 days later DM them and personally thank them for their help (use the audio feature in the DM’s!). End the message by offering to help them in any way that you can.
Pro tip: as a way of really driving home your thanks… offer them something insane (this varies by business but an example could be: a free week of 1-on-1 personal training (insane!), or make it a free week of semi-private training for them and a friend (get 2 leads instead of 1). In order to deliver that, ask for their email address and/or physical address. Add this to your CRM and then deliver/mail a gift card or certificate or whatever you chose to give them.
6) Now they are part of your email list. So while you’re doing all of the above, you must simultaneously (thankful for spellcheck on that word!) be emailing your list to build that relationship with your leads. This is called “nurturing” them to a sale.
I’m sure you heard that it takes at least 7 “touches” before a lead will consider contacting you. A “touch” means exposure to your business. So it will take time for someone to move through your nurture phase.
As mentioned above, you’ll want to research your target market’s issues, frustrations, and interests so you know what to write about. Good research will let you write good content for your emails. This all takes time, but when growing a business is the goal – you either have to hire out for this stuff or do it on your own.
Pro tip: use a mix of story-based emails, direct pitch emails, and high value emails to nurture your list. This email is an example of a “high value” email.
7) Always include a clear call-to-action in your emails. Your call to action is most likely to schedule a physical interaction with you. It is NOT to get them to buy something. That’s not how selling a service works. You sell your service during the physical interaction.
For a lot of you, the next step is scheduling a phone call or in-person appointment with you for a (free consultation, free assessment, free strategy plan, etc).
Pro tip: they’re already on your list so don’t make them opt in for more things. Just give it to them.
8) I’m not a sales expert so I’m going to jump to the part where they do not buy. That’s ok. You’ll get better at sales and in the meantime they’re still on your list. So keep going with #6 above and perhaps they’ll reach out again when they’re ready.
Pro tip: you can segment your list and send follow up directly to those that you met with and did not purchase. This will increase the chances of them coming back around or deciding they’ll never be interested and opting out.
Here’s My Call-to-Action for You:
Some of you reading this are cash strapped. Use the above plan to grow your business.
Some of you want to invest in your business and understand that you simply cannot afford to spend all of your time researching and writing social posts, responding to interactions, writing consistent and catchy emails, etc.
So here’s my offer to you: contact me and let me know a few days and times that you are free to talk over the phone. I’ll provide a free assessment of your existing online set up (website, social accounts, tech stack, etc), help answer any questions you have, and if you want to partner up and use my services then we’ll talk next steps.
No pressure. But one of us has to manage your online presence.
Who’s it going to be?
I vote “me” 🙂
