Today I want to talk social media marketing and I am going to get specific.
Why?
Because too many people seem to think that social media marketing amounts to slapping up some posts, throwing out some memes, maybe even recording a live stream or two and hoping for the best.
It can. But that is not effective social media marketing. Certainly not for you because I’m guessing you want yours to result in increased engagement, traffic and sales.
That’s why you’re here, right? To build an engaged audience and have that audience buy into you and your stuff. The rest is window-dressing.
So with that in mind, I’m going to start with a specific Instagram tutorial on how to add action buttons to your business profile so people can book with you, reserve or place orders without leaving Instagram – this is particularly useful for events:
https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-add-instagram-action-buttons-to-business-profile/
If you simply want to sell stuff directly on Instagram then you will want to use Shoppable posts as explained here although bear in mind you can only sell physical items this way:
https://later.com/blog/instagram-shoppable-posts/
But. of course, there are many ways to sell on Instagram and all kinds of apps that will help you do that which means you’re not restricted to physical goods but can promote your ebooks, courses, graphic creations and services to the entire world…or even promote as an affiliate.
This excellent tutorial gives you all the resources you need:
https://blog.sellfy.com/how-to-sell-on-instagram-in-9-steps/
Naturally, you need an audience in the first place and Instagram is also a great place to build one fast.
Here’s how:
And to make sure that audience is engaged and responsive, check out these tips from the brilliant Melyssa Griffin:
https://www.melyssagriffin.com/engaged-instagram-audience/
Instagram and Pinterest are my two favourite platforms for marketing right now and that’s because so many people go there specifically to browse and shop.
With Pinterest, people can buy direct from you without leaving Pinterest via Buyable pins. Pinterest has similar restrictions to Instagram on its use of Buyable pins, restricting them to physical goods.
Learn how to set them up here:
As with Instagram, there is more than one way to sell via Pinterest and here are some great tips on how to do so:
https://blogs.constantcontact.com/sell-on-pinterest/
And, yes, you can build a huge audience here too – here are some tips to get you started:
https://creativemarket.com/blog/pinterest-build-audience
All the lessons you have learned here should be included within your overall social media strategy.
Not got one?
You’re in luck.
Learn how to create on here (trust me, you need one):
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-marketing-strategy/
Today’s TED talk is a brilliant new one on why the secret to success is setting the right goals:
