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Are you a new entrepreneur struggling to market your services online? Discover how I turned my marketing failures into stepping stones for success.
Success is always on the other side of some failures.
As a new entrepreneur trying to figure out how to market my services and get paid for doing work that I loved and serving people I truly wanted to see WIN at business, I faced a couple of challenges:
I wasn't familiar with the world of social media marketing.
I didn't know how to communicate what I did in a way that was compelling enough for a stranger online to give me a shot.
The little that I did know was incomplete. I would master one thing, and then come to the realization that it was only one aspect of what needed to be done.
Let's just say it's been a long learning curve for me, but it doesn't need to be for you.
Here's how I approached these 3 challenges:
Challenge 1: Navigating Socaial Media
If you're a business owner, you're a marketer & salesperson first.
To being with, I took a deep dive into everything I could find about social media. Hello, Youtube University! I followed creators that were niche-specific, some for YouTube, some for Instagram, some for LinkedIn... you get the point.
I needed to understand how people were using these platforms. What I soon discovered is that these platforms were constantly changing, and content creators were often doing the 'keep up with the algorithm dance'. Needless to say, I haven't come up for air from that dive.
Keeping up to date with social media's evolution is critical to my work as a marketer. I don't need to know every tactic, but having an overall sense of what is happening is essential to identifying trends that could propel my business.
For example, As I write this blog, the move to video for most platforms has been underway for a while. What's new is using video in a reel-like format on LinkedIn. This is huge! Why? Because when platforms introduce something new, the first people to jump in and use that feature get an unfair advantage in visibility, reach, and engagement.
We're all for unfair advantages when they are still in their organic phase! So you know what to do if LinkedIn is one of your main platforms. Run!
After all this social media knowledge and practice, I still had a VERY big problem.
Challenge 2: Building Trust Online
Now to No. 2, I couldn't get strangers online to trust me with their business and credit cards. I hadn't built any credibility in the market, and I had zero to no audience.
Noticing how frustrated I was and how my social posts were an exercise in throwing mud at a wall where nothing was sticking, my sister-in-law (Thanks, Lulu!) suggested I go on fiverr.com.
I was hesitant, but I had literally nothing else to lose 😅.
I created my profile, got some family members to buy my services and leave me stellar reviews, and I was off to the races.
I was getting clients, paying clients, strangers! It was unbelievable. What I was experiencing was these 3 things:
Placing yourself where people are already looking to buy, as opposed to trying to get people who don't know me to follow me to my business online (it's creepy, right?).
Using social proof, my two 5 star reviews (from the family members) was enough to get other people to think, well if they bought from her, why not?
Borrowing the credibility of the Fiverr platform, people felt comfortable taking out their credit cards. It was low risk, if they had a problem, they would simply take it up with fiverr.com
Those three elements work like a charm in any scenario: be where your buyer is, provide social proof, and reduce their risk in the purchase.
After a while of being on fiverr, I wanted to be able to charge more, IYKYK.
Being on the platform put me in an online street market of people selling the same thing and haggling for customers by offering lower and lower prices. It was unsustainable (for me), but I now had a lot of reviews that I could use to prove my services were excellent. Really key!
Challenge 3: Creating A Full Picture Marketing Strategy
Now, obstacle No.3: I only had bits and pieces of information. I couldn't quite piece together a lead generation and conversion machine. Have you been there? The social posts were greatly improved, and I was getting some attention, but not enough to get my ideal clients to the cashier's counter.
Here's what I discovered: I had the 3 elements for social media marketing: ATTRACT, NURTURE & CONVERT .
But I didn't understand what made each aspect tick, and I didnt' know that I was missing ideal client traffic drivers.
To attract my ideal client, I needed a Unique Selling Proposition (USP); my content had to make it clear why what I was offering was unique, different, and desirable.
In simple terms: Why Me? Why This (the product or service)?
To nurture the client I attracted, It wasn't about giving them more information but doing 2 things.
Priming them to buy - making the case for why this specific person or avatar would need this service or product. Notice how I'm not priming everyone on facebook, just that particular person. Those who don't fit the bill will leave my party, as they should.
And showing them how low-risk buying from me would be. That's proving I know what I'm doing by displaying in-depth knowledge, I have the social proof to back me up (those reviews), and if you buy and don't like it there's a process. People use phrases like "no obligation call" etc.
Conversion - this is now sales territory. I could write another article on this, but just remember that if you've done a good job of attracting the right person, and nurturing them, this part is easy. It's a formality .
The aim of marketing is to reduce the need for selling - Philip Kotler
The missing pieces to this puzzle were:
Having a referral pipeline,
And getting into the right rooms.
These 2 things work hand in hand, especially if you're starting out and don't know anyone.
FOCUS on your ability to create a referral pipeline by getting into the right rooms armed with ***something of value to the people in that room****.
That saying, everyone has something they need is 100% true!
Before the engine starts humming on its own, we've got to do some serious leg work. A combination of promotional and creating a referral pipeline activities.
I could tell you about it, but I think a graphic would be more beneficial.
Here is it⬇️
Relying on algorithms and creating viral content is not a great use of time if you're building a business.
The #1 skill in business in being able to form relationships.
People buy from people they know, like, and trust.
We have to get known, and it's a combination of social media marketing efforts and joining online communities where we are meeting one person at a time and providing value for them upfront.
I hope this is helpful, if it is please leave a comment or find me online. I'd love your feedback.
Be encouraged.
"Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men."
~ Proverbs 22 : 29
God is love.
Stay blessed.
P.S. If you're serious about levelling up and essentially doing everthing you can to ensure your business doesn't become a statistic, I'd invite you to watch this podcast episode on innovation for startups ⬇️
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