I’m a huge fan of social media and how, when used the right way, it can benefit small businesses and freelancers. What I’m completely against is relying on twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as the sole means of communicating with your audience.
Yet, in this day and age when we’re all aware of algorithm changes beyond our control and the inevitable shut-down of a platform altogether – people continue to put every single one of their relationship building eggs in a basket they don’t own.
Be it a public business page or private group, let’s look at two problems you encounter when trying to use Facebook for one-on-one engagement:
Competing For Attention
Whenever a platform tweaks its algorithm, it’s typically not to the user’s advantage. No matter how many likes your page has, these changes result in fewer people seeing your published content. An overall decrease in reach.
Before the days of paying for Facebook ads (which can produce an ROI when done effectively), you could bet on your stuff being seen by those who wanted to see it most – folks who opted in by clicking the like button. The free, organic model was replaced with a pay-to-play system. Marketers and freelancers with advertising spend are the only ones guaranteed to get more eyes on their products and services, and the cost to do so continues to go up.
On several occasions, a client and mentee who are subscribed to my list responded saying they didn’t realize the email they had just read wasn’t sent to them individually.
You can’t achieve this level of personalization with a “one size fits all” status update.
Segmentation Is Impossible
This is the most overlooked aspect of relationship building, which leads to missed opportunities for customer retention and repeat business.
Everybody is all lumped together on Facebook.
You can’t differentiate between someone who clicked on your page because they’re interested in one particular service or product vs. the loyal customer who buys everything you package and sell.
You need to tailor and distribute content that speaks to each demographic and their unique needs.
If you spend the majority of your time and effort focusing on a large social media following, but haven’t put any thought into building your email list, you’re doing it wrong.
The only way you’re guaranteed to intimately connect with your audience is through personalized messages delivered to their inboxes.
Three Steps To Get You Up And Running:
- Determine what type of information you want to share.
- Draft eight emails for your campaign; this is two months worth of content if sent out once per week.
- Sign up with an email service provider that fits your business needs.
Apply This Rule To All Areas Of Your Business
When you start something new, execute on simple tactics. Develop more complex strategies along the way. You can always go back and make changes.
No need to overthink it. Now get to work.
Sidenote: The link shared above is my ConvertKit ambassador link. It was the first thing I invested in to save time, so I can focus on other money-making activities. If you decide this product is right for your business email marketing, signing up using this link won’t cost you any extra. I’ll actually get a modest referral payout as long as you’re a customer.