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Social Media Tips for Small Business Marketing

Social Media Tips for Small Business Marketing

Grow and scale your small business with our tips for improving your marketing strategy.

If you’re struggling to get the attraction, interaction and of course ‘results’ you need to promote your small business – there are many things you can do to improve your marketing.

We’re all aware of social media, most people have a Facebook personal account, if not Facebook, then one of the other channels – depending on your age!

But social media can be a great tool for small businesses to promote their brands, products and services too – it’s not just for personal use, utilise what’s out there for the greater good.

By creating a strong social media presence, small businesses can reach a wider audience, attract potential customers, build relationships with existing customers, and increase brand loyalty.

 

Here are 6 ways you can improve your small business marketing through social media:

#1 Increase brand awareness

Social media platforms allow small businesses to reach a much larger audience than traditional marketing methods and it’s much more cost effective than other means. Starting with creating engaging content, a business can increase brand awareness 100-fold and reach out to potential new customers.

Tell your story, showcase your ideas, shout about what’s going on behind the scenes, share your expertise and knowledge, talk about past projects, highlight your values… the list is endless. But it’s all about being unique and creative. People have heard it all before but when you put your own spin on your business, it becomes authentic and new.

 

#2 Build customer relationships

Social media can be used to create a community around your brand and engage with customers on a personal level. By responding to comments and messages, small businesses can build strong relationships with their customers, which can lead to increased brand loyalty. Think about you feel when a brand takes an interest in you, not just for the sake of a sale, but truly values you as a customer. This is all part of a customer’s journey, and every interaction plays a part.

 

Why not try mapping out the customer journey, this doesn’t start from when they buy from you, it starts from way back in the thinking and processing stage (even if they don’t know it!). How can you be there in the foreground, ready to approach when they are ready to purchase?

 

#3 Drive website traffic

Social media can be a great way to drive traffic to your website. By sharing links to your website or blog posts on social media platforms, small businesses can attract potential customers to their site. Think about the good old days when people handed out a business card to everyone they met – yes, this still has a place, but it’s much more effective to be able to direct someone via a quick link online.

The more traffic that is diverted to your website, the better your search engine rankings become too. Engagement, link clicks and interaction all help to get your business noticed!

 

personal social media coaching for business growth | Karen Petrauskas

 

#4 Promote products and services

Social media platforms provide a great opportunity to showcase products and services. Through visual content, small businesses can promote their products and services in a way that is personal, relatable and engaging to all those likely to want to see or hear.

Products or services can be explained, can be talked about, can be backed up by testimonials and feedback and they become more alive when being shared on social media.

 

#5 Multiple social media platforms

We always advise that it’s better to the best at one platform than spread yourself too thin and be inefficient on all. However, when you can master more than one, then go for it.

Think about where your ideal customer is going to be hanging out, which channels you are likely to find them on. This is where you need to base your focus. Doesn’t matter what platforms you enjoy the most – although this does help when you have an interest in it too – but your business needs to be visible where your potential customers are.

This comes down to research, understanding your audience, and discovering the best approach for the ideal client. And when you know which platform(s) to use, what type of content is going to work on them, so you need to mix up your type of content, do you need to work with a specialist who can help you create great content, can you utilise other content and re-use?

 

#6 Paid advertising

Another way social media marketing can increase brand awareness is through paid advertising. This offers businesses the ability to target specific demographics based on their interests, behaviours, and other deciding factors. This can help ensure that the brand message is getting in front of the right people, increasing the chances of conversion and brand loyalty. It can be a costly experiment if you don’t know what you’re doing, so always ensure that you’re working with an experienced media buyer before jumping into this. *We can help, just message us!

In summary, social media marketing can be a highly effective tool for businesses looking to increase brand awareness and see growth. When done correctly, social media marketing should be an essential part in the funnel which creates more leads & sales, and a healthy, sustainable, and reputable business.

 

If you’re not getting the results you need from your marketing strategy, or you’re not sure where to even start putting together a marketing plan or strategy, we’d love to sit down and talk this through with you. Simply get in touch and start a conversation, today.

 

social media checklist free download

 

Social Media Content That Converts

Social Media Content That Converts

If you’re not seeing the results you need through your social media content to grow and scale your small business, what could be the problem?

Social media marketing should be fun – it’s there to attract and engage an audience. Can you say this sums up your social media content? Are you optimising your efforts to achieve the best possible results?

If not…

Step into your client’s shoes.

  • What would you want to see or hear regarding that product or service?
  • What would attract you?
  • What would make you stop scrolling and read the caption?
  • What benefits would make you want to look further?

Once you’ve answered all these questions, think how you can turn it all into content.

 

Video Content

Could you do create some videos which describe what you’re offering, giving a concept for people new to your brand.
Videos are great for story telling, so you can showcase what you’re doing and why, what you do behind the scenes, a typical day in the life of…
Videos are powerful.

 

Informational Content

But also informational content which asks and answers some of the most common questions your ideal client will be asking, either before they buy or even before they know they want to buy.

What pain points do your audience face, what struggles do they go through, how could your product or service help, and what benefit it is to them?

Information carousels are great forms of posts on social media, they talk directly into what a customer is already thinking about and feeds their need for more information. Without physically speaking to them, you are inserting your knowledge and expertise into their minds which relaxes them and lets them know that you have an insight into what they’re facing.

Utilise this to create impactful content which answers the deep questions people may not even know they’re thinking about until they see your posts. Break down each question with relevant and bitesize responses that people can take away and digest.

 

Eye-Catching Content

Is your content eye-catching? Would your posts make you stop if you were reading it on someone else’s feed? You could have the best information out there but if people aren’t stopping to read, what’s the point?

Bold colours, fonts that stand out, captions which entice a response.

If content is hard to read, in small or scripted fonts, too much information all in one place – it’s not eye-catching enough against other social media feeds to warrant someone to stop scrolling.

Make your posts as eye-catching as possible to the reader – not just to you. What you like might not be the same as your audience – do some research, visit other pages and profiles to see what type of content is gaining the most views and interactions.

 

Plan your Social Media Content

A big tip we’re giving you is to plan your content. We see many small businesses creating their social media posts off the cuff. And that’s fine if you’re regular, on the ball and can think on the top of your head. But there may come a point when you’re stuck for ideas and you get fed up with posting every day… you’ll burn out! It’s not sustainable to keep that going long-term.

Invest in a social media scheduling tool, there are plenty out there and it comes down to budget and preference. But take advantage of free trials and give them all a go and then choose the one that works for you.

We’ve tried all sorts, from Social Pilot, Hootsuite, Buffer, Later, Tailwind,  Social Sprout, Tweekdeck – and there are many more out there. We personally love Social Pilot as it has so many great features that it’s perfect for scaling small businesses.

Create a content marketing plan around the above ideas and get to work creating content that actually speaks to your audience.

 

Hire a Content Marketer!

If you’re not a creative person, you don’t have the time to create batches of posts, or you simply know that marketing isn’t your thing – that’s ok! We can help and would love to get to know you and your business in order to create a content plan for you, and help you implement. Just get in touch today and let’s talk. It all starts with a conversation.

Plus if you become a KJP client from this post, we’re offering a MASSIVE 20% off your first THREE months bill!
*Mention this post when you speak to us to qualify.

We look forward to hearing from you but in the meantime, why not subscribe to our KJP community newsletter – tips and advice sent to your inbox every Friday (plus many freebies too!)

Speak soon 🙂

 

Join the KJP Community and learn how to grow your brand awareness and business online using social media marketing

Working With The Ideal Client – Or Not!

Working With The Ideal Client – Or Not!

Who is the ideal client?

If you’re a startup or small business owner struggling to get clients, this can be a hard question to answer: “Should you work with every new or potential client that comes along?”

It’s hard isn’t it. On one hand you want the clients to be rolling in, on the other, you want to be happy and content in the work that you’re producing, but if you work with someone who’s not a good fit – it could tip the balance.

which clients should you work with as a small business owner?

We’ve got some news for you. 🤩

Not all clients are your ideal client.

  • This means that not everyone who enquires has to become a client.
  • Not everyone you speak to should become a client.
  • That doesn’t mean they’re not great people, or great businesses. They’re just not a good match for you.

 

One sure way to scale and grow your business is to be working with your IDEAL client – making sure they’re a good fit before you start working is the best way to avoid disappointment, on both sides of the fence.

You might be thinking that as a start up, or someone who struggles with gaining new clientele, you should jump on everyone you’re even close to signing. We’re going to advise you otherwise!

 

keep the balance by working with your ideal client persona | KJP Creative

 

You see, if you’re already working with your ideal clients, and you have established the demographic or type of businesses you’re ‘good’ at working with, jumping onto something new may not work. You might clash, you may upset other clients, you may find yourself less excited about working with them. The dynamic of your business might change and your values and trust points which people know you for may suffer. The last thing you want to is to give less than 100% in anything – especially a new client – it’s not good for business!

Clients are your future, the only way for your business to be sustainable is to have regular or ongoing clients who share your goals and vision. What happens when you don’t have these coming in? You’re back to square one and the drawing board.

Understanding your ideal client is KEY to growth. I can’t emphasise this enough – work only with your ideal client. And how do you know who these are? You create a marketing strategy that digs deep into your business aims and expectations, and you research who it is you want to help. The map begins to grow from here.

If you already are working with your ideal client, and only work with this group of people, you’ll get where we’re coming from.
If you’re not and are praying for success to happen, we urge you to make this a focus in coming months.

 

All your marketing, your social media, your outwardly facing communication that happens to anyone who sees your content, people should know if you’re speaking to them.
No watered-down, wishy washy promotions that speak to everyone. Direct communication between you and your ideal prospect.

If you’re struggling to nail this and need a nudge in the right direction, We’d love to help. Simply get in touch and let’s talk, We’d love to coach you through this stage in your business and to see the benefits it can bring to you and your brand. It all starts with a conversation.

 

In the meantime, why not sign up to our weekly newsletter to ensure tips, tricks and advice are dropped in your lap every Friday. ** Freebies and extras are included on a regular basis!

 

Stay up to date with how to grow your business online and create brand awareness with the KJP Creative community newsletter

Speak soon!

Motivational Quotes for business owners

Motivational Quotes for business owners

Motivational / Inspirational

We all like a good inspirational quote to keep us going or to pluck us up in the morning. As a small business owner, especially if working solo, it can be hard to know how to motivate yourself or where to find the right advice.

Here at KJP Creative, we love motivational and inspirational quotes to give anyone a nudge, a spice of courage and the push you need to get to work, create great results and feel good about yourself.

In our latest Yearly Social Media Planners, which are a great resource to plan and create a workable social media strategy and action plan throughout the year, you’ll find one of our motivation quotes at the start of every month! Available now on Amazon for just £5.99, with free P&P!

But in the meantime, here’s 24 quotes to inspire you – that’s almost one a fortnight. Bookmark this page and come back and refer to them often. We hope you’ll enjoy reading them, feel free to use them in your social media calendars as well.

"Be confident to start afresh with a clear vision and mission. New year, new goals" - Karen J Petrauskas

“Be confident to start afresh with a clear vision and mission. New year, new goals” – Karen J Petrauskas

Motivation quotes "Every opportunity and moment is a chance to see business growth. Grab hold and take action." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Every opportunity and moment is a chance to see business growth. Grab hold and take action.” – Karen J Petrauskas

Motivational quotes "You are your brand. Everything comes together to form your tone, your voice, your passion." - Karen J Petrauskas

“You are your brand. Everything comes together to form your tone, your voice, your passion.” – Karen J Petrauskas

Motivational quotes "Be joyful of the things that come across your path. Everything happens for a reason." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Be joyful of the things that come across your path. Everything happens for a reason.” – Karen J Petrauskas

Motivational quotes "Give good reason for your audience to love and trust your brand." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Give good reason for your audience to love and trust your brand.” – Karen J Petrauskas

Motivational quotes "Growth comes from consistency - keep pushing - you'll discover breakthrough if you keep going." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Growth comes from consistency – keep pushing – you’ll discover breakthrough if you keep going.” – Karen J Petrauskas

Motivational quotes "Social media should be enjoyed! Find your sweet sport to grow your brand online." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Social media should be enjoyed! Find your sweet sport to grow your brand online.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivation quotes "Trust your instincts. When it feel right, keep going and don't look back." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Trust your instincts. When it feel right, keep going and don’t look back.” – Karen J Petrauskas

Motivation quotes "Every new day allows you to make new decisions. Follow your heart and be happy with your choices." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Every new day allows you to make new decisions. Follow your heart and be happy with your choices.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivation quotes "Step into the shoes of who you are marketing to, what do you want to see and hear?" - Karen J Petrauskas

“Step into the shoes of who you are marketing to, what do you want to see and hear?” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivational quotes "Stand up and stand out, don't be afraid to be set apart in order to get noticed." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Stand up and stand out, don’t be afraid to be set apart in order to get noticed.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivation quotes "Use the gifts and talents you have to make a difference." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Use the gifts and talents you have to make a difference.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivational quotes "Every opportunity is a chance to grow your business. Allow the doors to open." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Every opportunity is a chance to grow your business. Allow the doors to open.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivational quotes "Get creative with your marketing, always be authentic, passionate and desirable." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Get creative with your marketing, always be authentic, passionate and desirable.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivation quotes "Pursue your passions and create a brand which represents your values." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Pursue your passions and create a brand which represents your values.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivation quotes "Your visions will become reality when you focus, believe and take action." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Your visions will become reality when you focus, believe and take action.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivation quotes "Strive for what you want. Persistence will create results." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Strive for what you want. Persistence will create results.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivation quotes "Crazy ideas often create the u-turn to success." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Crazy ideas often create the u-turn to success.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivational quotes "Inspiration comes when you're not looking for it." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Inspiration comes when you’re not looking for it.” – Karen J Petrauskas

inspirational quotes "Imagine a world where everything felt good." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Imagine a world where everything felt good.” – Karen J Petrauskas

inspirational quotes "Know your calling. Listen to your heart. Be there for those who need you." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Know your calling. Listen to your heart. Be there for those who need you.” – Karen J Petrauskas

inspiration quotes "Passion and drive enable you to flourish and get results. Pursue." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Passion and drive enable you to flourish and get results. Pursue.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivational quotes "Work backwards. Discover your end game and find the solution to get there." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Work backwards. Discover your end game and find the solution to get there.” – Karen J Petrauskas

motivation quotes "Turn your dreams into a new year reality." - Karen J Petrauskas

“Turn your dreams into a new year reality.” – Karen J Petrauskas

 

If you’ve got a motivational quote to add to the above, we’d love to hear. Perhaps we’ll include it in our next round of social media planners!

On a separate note, if you’re a small business owner who struggles with finding the inspiration they need to create engaging social media content, we’d love to have a chat. We can discuss your needs and goals and help put a strategy and plan together. Use our contact page to start a conversation.

 

How To Get The Best Email Open Rates

How To Get The Best Email Open Rates

It’s all in the list! But how do you grow your business through email marketing?

Understanding how to get good open rates for your emails is a good place to start.

What made you open the last newsletter that was sitting in your inbox?

Coming up with new ideas for your marketing on a regular basis can be tiresome and frustrating – we know and we’ve all been there!

 

Small business marketing

As a small business owner, and especially if you’re the only one doing everything, you can get either fed up or even annoyed at good results not happening when you feel like you’ve put in so much effort into your marketing and social media. Let’s face it, you’ve got so much to focus on as a business owner, not everything gets 100% of your time. Add in the need to write emails, and good ones at that, email marketing can be something that gets pushed aside.

Let me tell you, you’re not alone.

… Even when you feel like you are.

So, let’s twist this thought on its head and think –

“Why did you open that email?”

a) Because the subject line sounded enticing or interesting?
b) Because you trust the person sending it?
c) Because you were just going through all your emails and opening everything?
Usually it’s either a or b.
Your inbox is a sacred place, and to have an email opened needs to be earned. That’s how I look at it anyway!
I only open emails from either people I already know I can learn from and who I trust, or emails that look like I can gain some value and hopefully put that into practice. Your time is valuable – you don’t have time to look at every email that comes through (especially when you’re good at subscribing to lots of lists)
top tips in getting better email open rates | KJP Creative

Email respect :: Relationship building

You see, the more relationship you build with your audience, the more they get to know you. From here you can build rapport and trust. This is important – and we’re always taught to ‘build your email list‘!For me, it’s not about selling and promoting a service every week, it’s about giving value to the readers and knowing that if we can help just one person get further in their online marketing, then we’ve done a good job. If we help more, even better!

 

Email etiquette :: Communication

Communication is key in marketing. Understanding, knowledge, relationship, nurture, value… the list is endless, but all relates back to communication. How you communicate and what you communicate really matters.
It’s common courtesy to respect the person you’re emailing and to think of them when you email. Keep providing uninteresting content, sell consistently, go on about you, you, you – or are not relevant to the reason why they signed up to your newsletter in the first place – you’ve lost their trust.

Focus on what you’re good at

So, when you’re struggling to know what to do next with your marketing, what post to create for social media, or what to write on your blog, I urge you to reach out to the people you already know are doing what you want to achieve. Open the emails which look like you can learn something. Reply to the emails where you’re invited to and get to know them. Comment on social media content and start conversations. DM prospective mentors or collaborators.Always think further than the now. 

 

Coming up with new ideas for marketing can be challenging – so, seek advise, get ideas and speak to others in your industry who could help. Even consider outsourcing your marketing for a little while to give yourself a break and a breather – you might come back with new inspiration and fresh perspective.
Tip: taking just a 3 month break from your social media channels can be good for you!

 

Just because someone is doing these tasks for you, doesn’t mean that you have failed. It means that you can focus on other important tasks – and ones that you enjoy the most. You can then bring in a little extra money, so that you can afford to pay someone else to take the things that are not your strong points. This is a win-win situation!

Focus on what’s right for your skillset – and the rest will fall into place.

 

personal social media coaching for business growth | Karen Petrauskas

 

We invite you to reply to this post, let us know what you struggle with in your marketing – or what you enjoy the most! Let’s have a conversation and get to know each other 🙂 Either comment below, or send us an email – we’d love to chat.

~ Karen, owner of KJP Creative

 

In the meantime, why not download our free social media awareness days calendar, to give you ideas on what to talk about with your audience!

free Awareness Days Calendar / KJP Creative
How To Overcome Social Media Overwhelm

How To Overcome Social Media Overwhelm

How do you grow a small business strategically through social media, whilst dealing with overwhelm and perhaps even a little imposter syndrome?

Do you find yourself overwhelmed by all the social media channels; knowing which ones to use, which trends to jump on, what strategies to follow, who to watch, how much content to put out, etc. etc.? So much avenues, so many questions, your mind feels like it’s going to explode?

There is A LOT going on in the world when it comes to social media and the simple fact is, as a small business owner, you cannot do it all, on your own at least.

So how do you know where to start or what path to follow?

 

Marketing strategy basics | start at the very beginning - KJP Creative

 

Strategy and communication.

Start at the very beginning, it’s a very good place to start!

Understand what it is that you want to achieve and have goals in mind that you want to meet.

From these goals you are able to establish some ground rules and a steer your marketing in a way that will help you achieve them.

Creating a strategy holds everything in place for you to build from. This is the foundation of what you are going to achieve. It can be easy to sway or to get distraction on social media, what should take 10 minutes can easily become an hour if you’re not careful, so knowing what you’re going to do and when will help deter this from happening.

And don’t be afraid to refer back to your strategy, once it’s created, it can be adapted and grown, just as your business experiences growth – your strategy will grow with it.

 

Marketing Knowledge

The most important step comes in the research, and for starters, research on your ideal customer, your audience and anyone who might be remotely interested in your product or service. You may need multiple streams for your marketing to flow in order to capture each of these – speaking to all of them at once might mean that your content is not relevant or catchy enough… break it all down.

Where does your ideal customer like to hang out online? This will be where you need to focus your efforts. There’s no point spending all your time on TikTok, if your audiences lives and breathes Facebook – get the drift?

Research.

And what type of content do they respond to best? Are they engaging with funny videos, do they prefer knowledge based images or carousels?

Research.

There’s no harm in asking a few questions too while you’re getting to know them. Communication is a good tool to nurture – and this is two way – interact and engage as much as possible to understand them as best you can.

 

Overwhelmed by social media?

Overwhelm is common on social media, some people deep-dive in, hit every channel at a fast pace but sink very quickly or burn out after time. It’s not always sustainable to be BIG all the time. Some people take their time, test the waters, discover their path and grow slowly but steadily.

Each and every business is different and there is no ‘one size fits all’ in this – however doing the ground work well will pay off.

 

personal social media coaching for business growth | Karen Petrauskas

 

If you’re struggling to get ahead on social media, find it too intense or can’t keep up, take a step back and start from the beginning. Create a strategy that works for your business. And don’t be afraid to reach out and speak to those around you who are already successful and achieving.

We’d love to help you strategise and put a plan of action together in order to smash your goals this year, helping you to realise your full potential. Hit the contact button and let’s talk 🙂

 

In the meantime, why not download our FREE Awareness Days calendar to get your audience talking!

 

free Awareness Days Calendar / KJP Creative

 

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