SME MARKETING
A Fresh Approach To Social Media
By Valerie Ambetsa Siganga
“
Provide good content and you ’ ll earn the right to promote your product .” Guy Kawasaki .
As an SME founder , the global pandemic pushed me to hone in on my talents and find creative ways to keep the business alive . Traditionally , my most active space is in below the line marketing , where direct to consumer interactions are key to making sales and growing brands .
Ours was the first industry to be put on hold at the very beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 , when all events were brought to a standstill . At that time , there was a scramble to reach out to all our clients and networks and let them know we were still available for business . The assumption was that within three months , we would return to some semblance of normalcy .
Here we are , just over a year on and things are yet to return to what they were . On the upside , business is picking up and more companies are taking the safest measures possible to market and interact with their clients . For the BTL marketing space , this is encouraging and allows us to stretch our creativity and be more solution and results oriented than ever before .
However , the importance of having a plan B or multiple sources of income within the business have become abundantly clear .
So , what were we up to for the last 12 months as we waited for a turn of events ? The Covid-19 pandemic has been an interesting time for business , and has led to significant growth and identification of key talents . There are fantastic digital marketing agencies that have benefited from the rush to be online as a result of the pandemic .
For our business , we had limited expertise in this area though we did identify a massive gap where we could apply our talents and help our clients . That was in content creation !
When a customer looks for your service , they may begin on Google . Where are you on Google ? They move to social media platforms . What will they find about you there ? They visit your website to establish credibility . Is your website up to date ? They try and find out a little but about the owner . Have you contributed to the body of online content through blogs , interviews , podcasts ?
Who are you online ?
SMEs struggle when it comes to being on social media . There is so much information out there , and approaching digital marketing agencies can be intimidating . This means that before these agencies are approached , the SME owner or manager will seek advice from peers , ‘ digital gurus ’ or online video trainings .
When approaching social media exposure , there is one thing that the SME owner has in mind - sales . They want to be on social media to get conversions , and those conversions had better come quick . Otherwise , there will be no ROI , and the investment will go to waste .
Unfortunately , there are many marketers who promise heaven , and deliver a special level of hell when it comes to social media marketing . From trying to be everywhere at the same time , pushing generic content that looks great on face value but does not communicate anything unique , all the way to thousands spent on influencers or sponsored posts with little results to show .
The next phrase that becomes common among clients is - social media does not work . The question instead should be , who am I online ?
Standing Out as a Thought Leader , Expert and Solution to Your Customer
One wise entrepreneur once asked me , if you want to go for brain surgery , would you go to a veterinarian ? I thought the question was absurd at the time , and of course , the automatic answer I gave
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