Brand You Magazine Interview with Dawn Baxter
WE KNOW HOW MUCH OF A POWERFUL TOOL SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE FOR OUR BUSINESS.
The world of social media is a funny place! It is the space where we can connect, thrive and make a living. It is also the space where we have opened up channels. of miscommunication, false news and allowed other people to look into our lives and homes! A funny digital world that now is as normal as breathing and from which we sometimes. find it hard to switch off. As entrepreneurs , it is even more prominent in our lives because we know how much of a powerful tool it can be for our business. We are forced to spend time there, even when sometimes we don’t want to, and often miss the boundary between business use and “Oops, I accidentally scrolled an hour away again.” Reels have a lot to answer for! Love them or hate them. they have become a space where we get to creatively share in ways that would only have been possible previously if you had auditioned for the school play. Now you can get up there in front of everyone, any day you choose! This month, I’ve got some great questions about all things. social, so let’s dive on in!
Dawni, on lnstagram, what should I be concentrating on the most? Lives, reels or posting on the grid?
Samantha Cheirie
Hey Sam, this is a great question and one I get asked all of the time. I know there are often rumours that go around about the algorithm and what you need to do to “hack” your way through to visibility. With this in mind, let me dispel a myth that doing one thing is more important than all the others.
Posting on your grid is where you can gain consistency, repeat key messages and you post your reels too so that you get the best of both worlds… People want to see you, so going live is definitely something you should be doing if you have the time available to do it. That being said, there is a priority between these three and they would go in this order of importance:
1. Reels
2. Lives
3. Static posting on your grid
More importantly though, is that what you are posting or talking about should be relevant to your niche and should allow your core messaging to shine through!
Hi Dawni, I am in a few 'Summits'. Is there any way I can mention them on my non - business page?
Michelle
Talking about business on your personal profile is okay as long as you don’t use it as your personal sales campaign.
Guidelines are loose in this area and Facebook has just changed their business pages to look like a personal one, so that we can gain the same benefits as we had with personal ones too.
Cover photos and the odd plug won’t do you any harm, but keep the sales heavy stuff for your email list and official business pages and profiles, especially if they are going to be heavy with links.
I'm really starting to get confused about what, when, and how often I need to be visible online. I am doing a live once a week week on my business page (on my own) and then a live once a week in my group (with a guest speaker), and posting on my personal page and business page daily. I don't seem to get any real traction and growth at all. Wondering If I am doing something wrong or just being impatient?
Charlotte
Lives on your business page are great but it’s the same as doing a performance in the window of your store while people walk down the high street, so you may not be getting enough bang for your buck with that one.
They work really well when you have an audience, even a small one, but can be tedious if it’s tumbleweed. The first thing to remember is that there are people watching who we do not know about.
There will be those who you can’t see on your metrics just yet. I would suggest spending less time this way and going out and engaging with your ideal client as often as you can, making real relationships as often as you can!
I'm a Virtual Assistant and Certified Social Media Manager, however, I'd love to be able to create recurring revenue in my business - do you have any ideas as to how I can achieve this?
Rosemarie St. Louis
There are so many ways nowadays to up your recurring income and your income in general on social media.
Take a look at the monetisation tools that are available to you on your Facebook or Instagram account. You can have your audience leave you stars on videos, you can be paid for reels and also for articles.
Of course, in addition, you can create courses and memberships that are supported by the socials in terms of keeping in touch and delivering materials. Always have that information stored outside of the social platforms as well though!
One of the main ways to make recurring income is via a subscription service that you can create using ‘Meta’ (or Facebook and Instagram). There are some criteria you need to meet to be eligible, but this is a great way to keep the cash rolling in!
What is the best way to promote an upcoming event on social, and how soon should I start promoting it?
Amy Braybrook
Events require a lot of marketing and they do need a full strategy. Social media is such a good place for this because there are specific features on Facebook that allow you to really utilise your reach for invitations. Imagine how events were marketed, even as little as 10 years ago. They would not have had the same scope for sell-out as we have now. We can digitally invite everyone on our friends’ list in a second, and then encourage them to invite all of their friends too!
Depending on the event – whether it is stand alone, part of a theme or a launch – depends on how long you market it on social media.
For a product or service launch, no more than four weeks before it begins is advisable – any earlier and it can easily exhaust your audience and turn them off before the event has had a chance to start.
A standalone event should be promoted perhaps six to eight weeks in advance, to ensure that everyone who is interested has time to sort their schedule.
What about a themed event, such as a Christmas party or annual ball? You should start as soon as the last one ends and when you have secured the particulars. We used the power of marketing to take what was a tiny fair to an official town Christmas market by
being the first to publish details and talking about the event all year. By the time Christmas came, no-one could claim not to have heard about it! We hope you have the same power – good luck.
I am at a fairly early stage in my business and trying to build an audience which is relevant to my Ideal Client. Am posting regularly and have recently held a summit event but the growth is very slow. My IC is amid professional so is no longer enjoying their job or perhaps returning to work. What would you advise please?
Denise Matthews
Having a solid social posting strategy is great but is only one piece of the puzzle.
Content that is compelling is a great start when you are creating topics that are important to your ideal client. My main suggestion for those who are looking to audience build significantly is to look at all the ways you are currently visible and increase activity in areas that will allow you to be seen.
Create easy ways for people to come and join you on your socials, groups or email lists and engage, engage, engage! Lack of audience building is often to posting and awaiting the hordes of crowds to come knocking but it is more about you taking the time to reach them too. Have fun, it’s actually a great feeling when you find your people 🙂
Dawn Baxter, Founder of Beyond the Dawn Digital, digital marketing expert & certified positive psychology coach
This article was first published in Brand You Magazine – Issue May 2022