Let’s talk about why your social media is failing…. a much needed and anticipated topic if you’re sick of logging in posting and praying (and loathing the process and the outcomes you aren’t getting!)
So, I love talking about the benefits of marketing and communications. It’s just such a big part of who I am and what I’ve done for almost two decades now. Here’s where I think often gets disconnected. Typically, business owners have either had no experience with advertising, poor experience with advertising or minimal experience with advertising. And each of which have caused some really terrible perceptions and experiences, which I completely understand and empathize with, but also leave you up to an amazing opportunity to get it right even now, and especially now. And I thought I’d share that with you today.
You don’t even know what a real ad is
So first, I think the most important reason that your ads are failing is that you haven’t even started running them yet. You have this idea about the perfect imagery and the photo shoot that you need and the expensive videographer. And I have to tell you that as one of the most ineffective ways to grow your business, because all the things on your to-do list are going to continue to be on your to-do list and keep you completely stuck and not starting to run your ads, which is the very most important way to know if it works for you. So that’s number one. If you’ve yet to run ads, I actually recommend that you take the time to determine if you understand your target client at a very deep level, because you’re going to need that to be successful. Two, do you have the communication, the software, the resources, the automations? Do you have what you need from a tangible perspective to be able to run ads successfully and convert clients? And then three more importantly, I want you to get rid of your preconceived notions about what you perceive happens when you run ads.
Make sure you’re ready
It’s likely not that you’re going to run ads and be so gangbusters busy that you can’t handle whatever comes in. So that’s the first aspect of where you’re probably thinking, like we don’t know that we’re ready to be that busy. And the real answer that a skilled marketer will tell you is, first of all, we need to make sure that you get ready to be that busy. And second of all, this is a process. This is truly the quintessential marathon and not a sprint, which means as we run ads, as we test, as we learn more, we become more effective as marketers. So that’s really important for those of you who are on the fence, but maybe hoping and wishing for more growth and more new clients. Ads can be a beautiful thing for your business if done intentionally, strategically, and honestly, with the vision of what ads can actually bring to the table, which is awareness, which is brand, which is some new clients, but with the overly idealistic idea that someone will click and buy immediately because that just doesn’t happen. It’s a little bit longer of a process than that.
Stop boosting posts, seriously!
Okay, so secondly, the other reason why your ads aren’t working is because you’re not actually running ads, you’re boosting post. Oh, Facebook and Instagram would hate me right now if they knew that I was sharing this kind of information to an average business owner. Because they’re banking on the concept of you thinking that when you hit that little button to boost, promote an ad that it’s actually an ad. But really all you’re doing is taking an organic communication that you’ve already had, usually with a different client base in mind and just spraying it out. Sometimes you’re strategic and you realize that you can be clear about who you want it to go out to. Sometimes you just hit a button, ask for more reach, more people, more eyes without being very intentional about who that is and what they would be doing.
And that communication goes broad, but it doesn’t go deep. They don’t convert, they don’t do anything. Maybe you didn’t ask them to and maybe the communication wasn’t positioned for that. So those of you who’ve had experience either promoting a post on Instagram or boosting a post on Facebook, you likely often find that it’s a waste of money. It’s literally money that you just threw it up into thin air and yeah, you got clicks and double taps and hearts and likes and follows, but you didn’t get anything else. And that’s oftentimes the case when you’re dabbling with your marketing, instead of strategically planning for your marketing. I’ll get off my soapbox now. And then the last aspect of running ads that I think a lot of people won’t tell you is that you’re overspending. As a marketer, myself and specializing in industries like the fitness, beauty, health, and wellness industries, I really pride myself on providing a value to that goes beyond just service execution or mindset or any of those things that really seem basic at their core.
You get what you are strategic about
I believe that if you’re paying some random agency to just churn out ads for you, you’re likely getting what they promised, which is a bunch of clicks and no conversion. Or that they have all these ideas that never actually kind of land well, because they don’t understand your target client. They’re not experts in your industry or that you are wholly unprepared to run ads and simply giving money to an agency or a person or freelancer to do that for you, without them understanding the key performance indicators of your business has left you at this weird growth pace where you’re getting some people, but they’re getting out as quickly as they got into your business or your services and offerings. And you don’t really know who they are, you don’t understand what they need and it just feels like spaghetti at the wall. And that sounds like a very expensive spaghetti at the wall if you’re paying a freelancer or an agency.
Do it the right way
So how do you do this right? Well, first of all, it’s determining if ads are the right fit for you and that’s something you can do on your own. I need you to think a little bit differently about growing your business. It can’t just be that anyone and everyone can enjoy whatever it is you have to offer. So when you think about your ideal client, that’s who we’re trying to meet on social media. That doesn’t mean you don’t have several clients that you are typically entertaining in your business, but the ideal client is the one that’s worth investing in, the worth spent the money on. So that’s first, secondly is, and I’ve alluded to this already is having the basic structure in place to be able to seamlessly and successfully welcome new clients into your business. And I know every business owner, especially independent business owners are like, nope, it’s great.
Let’s get new clients, we need them. But the truth of the matter is if the house isn’t ready for the guests to come over, will the guests enjoy their time and will they stay? Think about that. And lastly, if you are wondering whether it’s time to invest in your business, I want to give you just a little bit of insight as to how to determine that it’s worth your effort and worth your investment financially. And the first is that you already are doing well. It’s usually a great time to up the ante, amplify what you’re doing with regards to your reach and your awareness and your conversion, and that can all do really well when it comes to ads. I always say my best client is doing well and looking to get better. Ads will not save your business from getting out of a hole.
They will not create a brand new business for you. They will not pivot you completely out of where you are now, but when you’re doing well, they simply elevate you at a level where more resources are coming in, more revenue is coming in and you’re understanding your target client even better. So that’s the first suggestion is to understand the life cycle of your business. But secondly, evaluate your heart. If you’re a business owner that’s super excited about the future and looking ahead and seeing so much opportunity, but feel stuck and unsure about whether or not you can get there on your own, ads are like that little extra support, that little sales manager, that little person who helps to keep the engine going and to help you to find, define and bring in new clients. They really can do that, but it’s a process.
Make a plan for 30, 60, 90 days
So I want to leave you with this. You know, oftentimes I talk about businesses that are doing great and looking to get better. I work with so many different successful businesses that sometimes I forget that you may be at a place that you’re not quite sure the direction that you want to go. You’re not quite sure what the next step is for you personally, or where your business is headed next with regards to what types of services and offerings, should you change your pricing? Do you have the right team? All those questions that kind of leave you stuck and unsure if ads can kind of be the right next step for you. And I want to recognize that. I think the best thing that you can do is to determine a 30, 60, 90 day plan for your business and roll up your sleeves and try it.
But I also believe that that level of insight and understanding about where the business is going has to happen first. So that means you have to know at least enough about where you choose to invest in the business, where your market is headed both locally and nationally, what your best opportunities are, your best services, your best products. What’s your best foot forward, so that you can understand if ads can support that. And that’s what I wish for you. So I’d love to talk more about practical uses of advertising and marketing, because I think it’s the area that’s often most misunderstood. So let me know, where are the areas in which that you’re stuck? I want this to be super impactful for you.
xoxo KK
“A goal without a strategic, intentional plan that you’re willing to implement consistently… is simply a desire. Make it a goal ASAP!” -KK Fit Tip #1149