SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGY

Last time we talked about some budget tools for your business office. I showed off some of the goodies I like to use. Check it out here.

This time we are going to talk about your marketing strategy and what I did to plan mine out.

Do you have a marketing strategy for your Home Services business, yet? And, what does that really even mean, anyway? When I was just starting out and taking my social media management program, I had no idea how to come up with a strategy. Or how I would pull it off once I managed to pull one together. (I really didn’t even know what strategy meant for marketing!)

After more studying, trial and error and really just learning the platforms the best I could, I began to naturally develop a strategy by combining what I had learned and what I had tried. What I liked and what I found effective. And, this is how you can develop a marketing strategy for your business as well!

 You want to layout something to start with, of course. With the best of your ability or maybe with some coaching advice, you want to put up a strategy on your calendar and then experiment with this strategy. Try what you have laid out.

Make notes mentally or even physically write out your conclusions and make adjustments from the info you have gathered. Make a monthly assessment and pivot or continue on with what you have concluded from your notes.


HOW TO DO SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

First, I started with my goal. I was new and wanted to build a fan base. This is often the best place to start - online or off. Build your brand awareness and create your business visibility. 

I also wanted to become more of an expert in my field and I wanted to share that. Because this is what marketing is: Sharing and Educating. Sharing who you are with the world and educating your community. Educating them about who you are, what you can help them with and what they need to know, and how you can help them get what they want. How they can make their dreams and goals come true because of what you can share with them!

Honestly, I’m still in this stage. Building and building. Not sure you ever stop this part. Because you are always building your business, right?


THE THINGS I TRIED 

From here, I analyzed what direction I want to go in. As a Content Creator and Social Media Manager, I needed to review all the social media platforms that I could. Work with the platforms for a period of time and then either embrace them or move on. I dove into Facebook on my Business Page and LinkedIn first off.

I jumped into Instagram and started my video channel on Youtube while also learning and building my Pinterest page. And, I am a blog article writer. So, I created this Blog and have built it up over the last year.

I would like it to be bigger as well. And, now that I know more and don’t have to learn some of the preliminary marketing areas, I can spend more time implementing them! So, this is pretty exciting!

It’s my 1 year anniversary of sorts of when I first I dove in and stared learning. Trying. Experimenting.

It’s an enormous endeavor to do all of this at once. And, I forgot to even mention... Twitter?
​Care to follow me over there? @jennvoiyoo


THE BEGINNING MARKETING STRATEGY

I remember speaking with a potential client at one point about how they should construct their strategy. What should they be doing and where in the beginning? I didn’t really know and I couldn’t actually tell them anything except “go with the platform you enjoy the most. Learn it well and expand on it as you get better.” That’s not bad advice. It’s a great place to start.

But, now, a year later, I know how to expand on that info greatly. Because I have a giant amount of info stockpiled. And, because, it’s not really just about where you enjoy being. What you already know from working on the platform already is great, of course. It is a great direction to start from!


SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FOR BUSINESS

It’s about learning where your ideal client is also mingling around. It’s about where your target market is hanging out. Where your avatar is spending their time.

So, while it’s about where you might be comfortable, if your niche client isn't there…. You’re just having fun and wasting time. (fun isn’t really a waste of time - but we’re here to make a living!!)

So, this for me was the hard part. And, it’s actually something I always analyze. I often work on a platform for a certain amount of time. Diligently with a serious plan. If I get some interest form my niche, then I stay and try to develop that more.

If I don’t I move on and spend a large part of my efforts somewhere else. Like I mentioned earlier, if you want you can keep a chart and record some of your analytics to make it more decipherable.


FACEBOOK

A good example of this is Facebook. I came in at a time when Facebook had made a huge shift and it wasn’t easy to get a following any more. (Aww… remember the days?). So, my efforts didn’t lead to much return. I made note and moved on pretty quickly from here. I will return with a better plan later.

But, for now, I wanted to learn and not struggle. I needed to also get some wins to keep it interesting. I am starting to build a community over there now and would love to have you join me! @voiyoosocialmediamanagement

Pin the image above to Pinterest for easy reference for later!!

PINTEREST

So, from here I built up my Pinterest skills. I studied it and took a program for Blogging better and Pinterest Promo.  I built my follow up in a few days to 8k? 12k? It was a good size in just a very short time.

But, I was also reviewing statistics about what Pinterest really was and the turn out it had for my clientele. It was small. It’s also more of a search engine now than it used to be, so I will keep a presence on there, but it’s not really a place to gather like some other platforms.

After some more learning, I use Pinterest more as a “depository” of sorts. If someone is looking for what I have to offer, they should run across what I have on my page. I like to consider it a library of sorts. Come and check it out: jennifer @voiyoodigitalmarketing

TWITTER

From here, I moved on to Twitter. I don’t love twitter, so I didn't stay long. It’s very dense and the info moves very fast. When I want the news - I often go to twitter. I might come back around here and develop a deeper following and interest. For now, I have a presence, but not much more. Do you love Twitter? Do you get great results? Let's connect: @jennvoiyoo

YOUTUBE AND BLOGGING

Youtube and Blogging also started to fill my day. These are both still high on my list. They aren’t really social media platforms, but they are an excellent part of any marketing plan.

You can both educate your public and start getting some ranking with SEO. YouTube is also a search engine. The second largest. So, another large library like Pinterest, but just video. And, you can leave comments and follow like social media platforms - so I enjoy the connections. Visit the Voiyoo Channel 

INSTAGRAM

And, lastly, Instagram. This is the one I have enjoyed the most. It’s easy. It’s fun. And, you can build a following as well as build relationships and a community! What’s not to love?!

Well, I do still need to give this platform a good review for my business. Because, while I have had the most fun on Instagram, I have to stick to my plan and analyze weather it’s going to be a good fit for my business. I have stayed on Instagram the longest, because of the items I listed earlier.

It sure makes it a great fit in many aspects. It has also allowed me to try other types of marketing that I wouldn’t have been able to do anywhere else, because the other platforms were so hard to build following that was real. A following that became my people and my community.

So, needless to say, I probably won’t be leaving Instagram. But, do I expect it to get me any business on a large basis? Right now, I’d have to say no. However, in the scheme of things, it has been a short period of time. In the marketing business we call it warming up your audience before you start to tell them what you have to offer.

So, now that I have been on the platform for a bit, I will start to offer what I can to help my audience. I will put building my audience here on Instagram at the top of my list. I will strategize this platform more to expand on my current following and see if I can build some leads on here as well. You can find me at: @voiyoojennifer

LINKEDIN

And, then there is LinkedIn. This is the next place I will head. I started making some connections over here when I first got started. I built on communities and connections I had outside of the virtual world. But, I got pulled away when Instagram became so fun! 

But, now I am ready to wander over there again, order a drink and get very well acquainted.
I honestly don’t know what to expect. I hope it will be as awesome as Instagram. You can do a lot more on the platform than before I started. Video and posting articles is newer! And, the audience that’s on LinkedIn tends to be older and more serious about putting business first.

This might just be the place where my marketing shines and I make some more great connections! Let's connect there, too! @voiyoosocialmediamanagement

OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

Ha!! I don’t do snapchat,Tik Tok yet, the separate messenger platforms for business, or any of the chinese platforms. If you think of any you love that I have mentioned - please leave a comment to share that!

REVIEWING

While I have been experimenting and learning I have also been reviewing my competition. I have learned to call them my peers, my warrior collaborators and my peeps. Yep - we still use this word. 

I have also been paying attention to what the statistics say so that I can evaluate the direction I need to be going in.


SOME BASIC OUTSIDE ANALYTICS

It’s important to look at your analytics, but it’s also important that you include basic info about the platforms and processes as well.

The youth of the American world hangs out on Instagram the more than the older groups. Is that my clientele?

The older crew that’s more settled, hangs on out Facebook more. Even if you see some people say they are leaving, Facebook still draws the biggest crowd.

YouTube is just huge for everyone. This is important to know and take note of!


WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA IS BEST FOR BUSINESS?

I need to know what to tell MY target market when they ask me where THEY should be. Because it might be different than where I should be. I am a social media marketer, not a painter, plumber, electrician, cleaner, or HVAC tech.

It’s a daunting task to do all of this and build your business at the same time. 

But, I have learned a great deal and I can pass that on now. I know stuff. And, I know how to do stuff. I also love to share it!

At the same time that I was constructing my strategy and learning the platforms for my business,  I learned how to write for this blog. And, get better at it.

This article (yes, I like article better than post and I’m gonna use it! No apologies right?) is about 1500 words and it took about 2 hours to write and edit.

I started off last year by staring at the page. What the heck am I going to write about? 

I also had a blog for a long time, as an artist (before this). But, I didn’t do it strategically. This time I took a course to be a better blogger and how to develop that skill more. I learned how to do keyword research and some SEO applications. I learned better strategy.


WHAT’S THE POINT

My whole point is I’ve developed a good size marketing plan and strategy by sketching one out first starting with a preliminary jumping off point. Then, I learned and experimented. Analyzed and pivoted as necessary.

I didn’t realize it would take so long!

But, being a Social Media and Content Manager is harder than it used to be. The Social Media Platforms make you jump through more hoops to just get seen. That’s not something just to brush off. You need to know that developing your marketing plan can take time.

I also explored as much as I could get my hands on in a years time. I need to know as much as I can so that I can guide you and offer you the best advice. As a Home Service Professional or Small Business Owner, I do not think you need to be everywhere. Absolutely not.

A LITTLE REVIEW

From there here these are the questions I answered to find out my strategy:

1. Throughout my trials I kept my focus on the goal I laid out at the beginning: more exposure and more awareness?

2. Where should I be to get the best exposure?

3. Where should I be to reach my audience?

4. What should I do to grab attention and warm my audience to me and my brand?

And, that’s basically it.
​
Have you laid out your strategy? Do you have a good firm plan set for you Marketing?

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

My job is to pick up the slack for your business in a consistent and professional way. I create all your backend content from your Blog Articles to your Facebook Posts. This way you can focus on what you need to focus on! The video creation of your business, the networking, the sales and all the rest of running your business.

I've been in business for myself for over 20 years. I've mostly been in a business of one. I really really enjoy it. I've had my ups and downs, of course. I've gone door-to-door, done publication advertising and now I'm really lucky to be able to do social media advertising and marketing. I can even do my networking online!  

I am your Content Powerhouse! Contact me and we can set up your easy marketing package and take your backend content off your plate to help streamline your marketing time for better exposure!

HI! I'M JENNIFER. Thanks for following and reading the Ultimate Marketing for Home Service Professionals Blog here at Voiyoo! I'm here to make life easier for Painters, Plumber, Electricians, House Cleaners, HVAC tech and other Home Professionals. Working to guide your online marketing to create more brand awareness and engagement. Together we will direct your message across online platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube as well as with your Content Planning, Strategizing and Creating!

Check out the rest of the website: Voiyoo Social Media Management

Find Me Around the usual Hangouts & Message Me
​on Instagram! It would be so fun to work together!