Social media and the web have become the new word of mouth. It’s the primary way prospective clients find out about you and your practice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Did you know that over 70% of prospects are more likely to do business with someone referred or mentioned through social media? Here’s your chance to be seen as a trusted expert. Allow your unique value to shine and attract the right clients as you explore the infinite possibilities of ethical social media marketing.
1. Post pictures with your content. Industry experts at Constant Contact have discovered that pictures create 53% more likes and104% more comments. This is significant, especially on Facebook because the formula used for displaying your content gives higher visibility to posts with the most likes and shares. When a friend likes your post, it also becomes visible to friends connected with the person who clicked “like” which exponentially expands the reach of the post. Pictures grab attention.
2. Ask open-ended questions. People enjoy responding to posts and also seeing how others answer. Have fun creating questions that might have something to do with your practice or specialty to encourage engaged conversation.
3. Serve your connections with valuable content. Be a hero and an expert by posting articles, ideas and tips to solve common problems or challenges. Humor, short videos, audios and human-interest stories can be valuable content too. You can also answer questions that are frequently asked.
4. Use the 30/70 rule. Make the majority of your posts informational and valuable. Allow no more than 3 out of every 10 posts to involve obvious selling or promotion of your business, product or service.
5. Interact positively with fans, friends and followers to humanize your brand. Dedicate some of your time online to liking, commenting, sharing, re-tweeting and thanking people for their comments. Engagement is very much like going to a party, starting a conversation, then listening and interacting. People enjoy knowing you and also revealing their personalities. Encourage that and make sure to be polite and professional, which includes monitoring the conversation you start.
6. Participate DAILY. If you post sporadically, you can miss a lot and you also send the message that you don’t take social media seriously. It may take you awhile to feel comfortable while learning and making time for this new routine. Block out at least 10 minutes each day to post and interact. If you don’t know what to post, pick industry experts you admire and share their posts with a personal comment. One idea could include sharing posts from ACEP, while also liking and commenting on ACEP’s pages. That ensures good content and helps expand awareness of Energy Psychology.
7. Don’t be a narcissist! If it’s all about you, it may become very lonely out there. Connection is key. Test a variety of posts and you will soon learn what your friends and followers like most. You don’t have to be perfect. You simply need to care.
Need some help with more ideas to market your business? Join me for a 6 week tele class series that begins June 16. Learn more at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e99yivur2854767e&llr=j75wdwbab
