I have learned a lot in the few years of my entrepreneurship, but like many small businesses out there, I wasn't expecting nor prepared for having to close my store front in such short notice. Unfortunately, Bitter Day Herbals store front didn't survive during the shutdown, and so in order to save my business I had to look into other ways that committed to the financial success of my business. I have been lucky enough to meet many professionals in the marketing world and learn some of their top secrets in successfully launching and growing a business. This pandemic has shifted the way we, as entrepreneurs do things when it comes to reaching potential prospects, and unless you go get an MBA, it's hard to figure out what tools are necessary in growing a successful business. I am here today to share with you some of those secrets I have learned that have helped Bitter Day Herbals stay afloat the rocky oceans of this pandemic.
Making a sale was easier before COVID. Having the customer in front of you provided acknowledgement and interest in your business. As the business owner, you were able to read body language, create important dialogue, allowing you to get to know your customers enough to project a sales pitch with a positive outcome. Suddenly and unexpectedly, we have been forced to leave these effective ways behind us as social distancing and mask wearing has become necessary, and it has become noticeable how important that face to face human contact is when it comes to the success of a business. It seemed the world caught on pretty quickly to the advanced technology, I for one, am so grateful to have. With everything having to go virtual and the way we, as humans, communicate with each other, it is my guess companies like Zoom, Facebook, and other social media platforms have skyrocketed in popularity.
So, how does a business go from in person sales to effective online sales? I have three words for you. Social Media Marketing, and there is a specific way to play the game. Posting a photo of your product with a short description and link is just one tiny step to a successful online sale. In fact, there is a whole script that has been designed for businesses like yours and mine to follow for effective social media marketing. Furthermore, there are tools and resources out there that are completely free that can help you achieve small business greatness.
Let us start with WHAT you're supposed to be putting on social media. It used to be said, and I still hear it a lot today, to bombard your newsfeed with products you are selling. By putting your product in someone’s face every day, they have got to be interested in it someday, right? WRONG! Thankfully, that does not work anymore because although you and I are entrepreneurs, we are also consumers, and I don't know about you, but when I see the same sales pitch over and over again, I develop a fast habit of scrolling right past that business, and even sometimes unfollowing.
The most effective way to prospect on social media is to reach out to your customers and be direct with them when it comes to your product or service. The way to do this is to follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to social media posting. That is 80% value posts and 20% business posts. Value posts are not business posts. Instead, they are empowering and provide some type of value to your audience. For example, this might look like an image of a popular motivating quote. Business posts are directly about your product, service, and company. There are 5 type of posts that follow the 80/20 rule. These are Business Lite Posts, Gratitude Results Posts, Recognition Posts, Casual mentions of your Product or business, and Direct Promotional Posts.
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Business Lite Posts are posts that show your growth and credibility. These posts are considered as Value posts and are not meant to provide an end result of someone making a sale. Don’t market your logo, or product/service in these posts. For example, this might be a photo of you shaking hands with a popular image in your niche. It is important to network, go to specific business events, and build your name within the community of your niche, as well as meet new people in your niche and learn from them, so you can show your customers the opportunities and experience you have within your niche. This shows credibility.
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Gratitude Results Posts look like stories or photos of a grateful moment you have within your business or life that is related to your product/service. For example, if you have a business selling a course that teaches stay at home moms how to make a reliable financial income, you (as a single mom) might show a photo of you in a high scale home, holding your baby. You would talk about how grateful you are of the opportunity you had to learn about this specific product or service, and how it has transformed your life. Do not put a link to your website or a call to action button in this post. This post is supposed to create curiosity for the viewer, so they can compare your experience with theirs and decide if what they want is what you are proving to them.
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Recognition Posts publicly congratulates a customer of yours. For example, I may post on Facebook “Congratulations Jenny for passing the _______________________ online training!”. Pro tip: when you tag people in a post, make sure to post what you are going to say on their wall. This makes it so their friends list can see your post and get curious about what it is Jenny accomplished, or what service/product you provide.
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Casual Mentions of Your Product or Service is when you “pepper” or “sprinkle” in your product or service into posts that are not for the purpose of making a sale. For example, I might do a live that teaches people how to do their hair a certain way, and while using the tools that I am using such as hair ties, or a curling iron, I might say something like “If you want your hair to have the same curls my hair has, I just came out with this new curling spray that is useful when curling your hair. You can buy it from this link.” You would then continue on with your hair tutorial.
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Direct Promotional Posts is also known as “Power Posts”. This is the post that we want to try and avoid in all the other types of posts, and that is directly selling your product or service. These posts should only be marketed 1 time a week. While you have 10 posts that spark curiosity, and 4 posts that are casual mentions of your product or service. This totals up to 15 posts per week, which is a good goal to have in establishing relationships with your audience.
The purpose of following this templet is so you can go from that pushy sales person to a person who cares more about establishing a product that helps your customers than trying to make fast money. If you follow this templet, people will become more engaged with your post because each post has its own personality, providing the customer with more and more information about your product, your life style, and the person behind the product and life style. People trust others the more they get to know them. Don’t be afraid to introduce your self to the world. Show them who you are and why you created your business in the first place. The best way to make a sale is through honest connection.
A side note to mention, is that while many businesses are suffering through this pandemic, remember that you are not alone. Your customers understand, other businesses understand, and more than not people want to help our small business world stay afloat. So, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and don’t think showing the world who you are is a bad thing. It very much is a good thing, and by doing so you are providing much credit to your product or service.
Yours truly,
Kelly Bernier
Founder and Owner of Bitter Day Herbals