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If you're one of the 18 million Australians that use social media every single day, you've undoubtedly seen the changes, updates and shifts made to your favourite social media channels over the past few years [and you're likely really over it too].
The social media overlords regularly like to remind us that they hold power to pull the plug on us at any given moment, with no mercy. Surely I don't need to remind you about the day Facebook removed all of our access to news outlets with the snap of their fingers. It was big Thanos energy.
So what does this rather grim start to my blog have to do with your business? Well, it's a reminder that we do not own social media. In fact, we have the privilege of sharing our personal and professional lives on these worldwide platforms and without any notice, these tech giants can pull the rug from underneath us.
That's why, a solid marketing strategy for any business, should be made up of more than simply social media.
By no means am I telling you to break up with social media - it's an incredible marketing tool! Instead, look at ways you can be adding new strategies into the mix that nurture your existing and potential customers.
Grow your email marketing audience
This is something you can actually own! If you're not already utilising email marketing, jump onto platforms such as MailChimp and check out how you can be promoting your specials, news and updates with simple drag and drop templates. Ensure obtaining email addresses is part of your client intake process so you can be building up these audiences.
Invest in your website and blog
When was the last time you updated your website or blog? Utilise the power of search and website engagement by investing in the quality of your site. Updating your branding and imagery, ensuring you've got a mobile-friendly layout and updating your site with engaging copy are just a few tweaks you can make to ensure the process from search, engage to booking is a seamless experience for your customers.
If you're not already blogging, it's time to take all of that incredible knowledge from your brain and start sharing it with your audience. Regular blog posts not only add incredible value to your overall marketing strategy [think email marketing features, seamless Instagram posts and client education resources] but it will give your website a delicious SEO boost too! Know the phrases your customers are using to find a business like yours and craft value-adding content around it. These don't need to be Harry Potter story length but rather engaging, well-written and quality insights into your products and services.
Review your brand touchpoints
Don't forget about the offline world! Branding touchpoints are all around us, not just when we pick up our phone or laptop. From the moment your customer walks through your door, you have the opportunity to engage them in your referral programs, loyalty offers and get them signing up to your email marketing lists.
Consider where your customer is going when they're not visiting your business and how they can learn about your services. This could include flyers or brochures at your local gym, a special offer for Bootcamp challengers, a flyer on your local day-care news board or even a special skin treatment offer for clients of a local hairstylist [and vice versa]. Whilst many of our clients will search for us before they book us, there's nothing like speeding up that process with value-adding information that they can physically touch and read.
Tech giants will forever keep us on our toes and it's up to us to ensure that when they flick those switches, our marketing strategy doesn't come crashing down. Embrace your social media audience, keep producing incredible content but make sure that once they put their phone down, they can still engage with your brand.
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