Give something really good, but give it away.
There are a few things any successful marketer needs to do in order to get people to look your way: teach people, build trust, and make them an offer they can’t refuse. According to Dan Bedell, EVP of Innovation at Scorpion, these are some of the best tools you can use today to take your social media marketing to the next level.
Join us as we discuss:
- YouTube integration into your existing social media
- Capturing the one thing more valuable than your customer’s money - their attention
- How to stand out in a sea of content on social media
YouTube integration into your existing social media
5 years ago, if you had a good website and ran Google PPC, you could get as many jobs as you wanted, according to Dan. But all good things must come to an end. With Google being an auction platform, leads became more expensive over time.
Not only did those leads become more expensive, they started to come from different channels — Instead of a consumer needing a plumber and searching on Google, that consumer might’ve already seen an ad for a plumber on a social media page.
The benefits of social media
The consumer is stuck between two plumbers: One with 4 stars on Google and another with 4 stars on Facebook. The person ends up going with the Facebook plumber. Why? Those ratings came from mutual friends — People the consumer trusts significantly more than the strangers posting on Google.
The importance of social media of today for businesses cannot be overstated. But what are some top strategies a business can take on to stand out from the rest? Dan shares what he’s seen fail and work:
What’s failed:
- Standard holiday posts: When every business posts for the same holidays, they tend to blend together for the customer.
- Installations from home service companies: Seeing a new condenser installed isn’t the most compelling post for your audience
What’s worked:
- Content that solves problems: People are on social media or a search engine to solve problems most of the time.
- Social media offers: Used to augment your traditional advertising budget.
“If you have content that lives on social media, that actually helps people solve problems, you're getting engagement for things that are really helpful. And, more importantly, you're building trust with that audience.” — Dan Bedell
Capturing the one thing more valuable than your customer’s money - their attention
Creating content for your social media is a great step to take if you’re looking to get more engagement from your audience. But a lot of businesses get lost along the way…
The biggest reason — money.
If every video doesn’t have a call to action, you’re missing out on profit, right? Wrong.
Put out a how-to video to help people and only that. While a lot of businesses think that creating a video telling a potential customer how to do something is a good way to lose business, it’s the opposite.
The odds of a consumer actually solving a profitable problem on their own are slim. The real reason you’re creating these videos is to build trust.
“People go onto social media, whether it's YouTube or just a general Google Search to solve problems; and content that winds up becoming engaging is stuff that teaches people how to solve a problem.” — Dan Bedell
Think of a person who just watched one of your how-to videos and was able to solve a simple problem because of it. They now look at your business as competent and trustworthy. So, when a bigger problem comes about, you’re top of mind for them.
Added bonus
Once you’ve created that how-to content, it’s only the beginning of what it can be repurposed as. Think of the YouTube video you just made — Have you added it to your Facebook channel? What about a cut-down version on TikTok? Make sure you’re stretching your content as far as it allows to get the most reach.
How to stand out in a sea of content on social media
There’s a lot of companies out there creating content. And it’s a fair question to ask — How do I stand out? While it may seem like the only way to get there is to have a huge budget to pour into videos and perfect content, it doesn’t have to be this way.
That urge to try and wedge a CTA into your videos or make the perfect high production content is exactly what most companies are hung up on. Differentiate yourself by moving your focus to helping people, and nothing more.
Yes, you want your videos to be professional, but you don’t have to pour your entire budget into it. As long as the message is clear that you’re providing content to help your intended audience, the money will come later from the trust you’ve built.
“The consumer needs to feel like they're making a smart decision and they can trust the business they're hiring.” — Dan Bedell
Check out the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
