Social media marketing can seem a bit elusive and confusing sometimes. Everywhere you turn there seems to be another expert telling you what you need to do to in order to succeed at social media. It can be difficult to cut through the noise and get to the heart of how you should really spend your time and efforts. Social media alone isn’t going to bring you clients. Rather it should be part of an overall strategy to get new leads which will then result in getting new clients.

Social Media as a Marketing Tool

When you are using social media, it can be tempting to get caught up in the numbers. As business owners, we sometimes obsess over our follower count, the number of likes on our posts, and the number of comments we get. We worry about algorithm changes, and how many of our followers are even seeing our posts. We agonize over whether paid advertising is worthwhile, or if we should just work harder to try to gain organic traffic.

While a lot of fans, followers, likes and comments are great, the ultimate goal should always be to add value, and get people on your email list. You don’t own your social media followers, and they can be gone at any moment, so you want to get them on your email list to stay in touch.

Here’s the bottom line; Posting on social media will not grow your business unless you have a strategy. There are plenty of health coaches who have great social media profiles, yet are struggling to gain clients. They are the perfect example of why you don’t want social media to be the only method of communication you use. Social media is one part of the strategy – and you always want to be thinking about how you can invite people in to get to know you more to see the solution you have to offer.

Some of your post posts will share valuable tips, important updates or recipes, etc., and that’s great.  But be sure you are also including a way for people to get on your email list. Some online marketing experts recommend that approximately 20% of your posts should lead people to a free offer where they can opt-in.

For tips (and copy and paste scripts) for building your email list, see this post – How to Double or Triple Your List-Building Results

Social Media as Part of Your Sales Funnel

Sales funnels are an important strategy in any successful business. Very rarely will anyone purchase your services the first time they hear about them. It often takes multiple exposures to your business before they make the decision to purchase. Think of a funnel where social media is at the top. You use your social media posts to persuade your followers to sign up for your free offer. When they sign up for your free offer, they agree to be added to your email list.

So, the steps in your sales funnel are:

1. Social Media Post
2. Free Offer and Subscription to Email List
3. Email Campaign to Educate and Promote Your Services

You’ll want to design a series of automated emails that go out to all new subscribers to your email list. The purpose of these emails is to add value and establish trust with your new subscribers. You can also let them know about the programs you offer, and how they can solve a problem your subscribers may be facing.

Just be careful not to focus too much on the hard sell. The key is to provide value. When you provide valuable information for free, you establish yourself as an expert, and set the expectation that if they become your client, you’ll be able to help them overcome the challenges they may be facing.

Once they are on your email list, they are part of your warm market – you are no longer a stranger. When you get people on your email list, you get to stay in touch with them on a more personal level. After the initial series of welcome emails, you should have a regular schedule of emails so your subscribers know when to expect the next email in their inbox. Decide if your schedule will be once a week or something else. Whatever you decide, be sure to stay consistent. This consistency will help to build your relationship with your subscribers, and will ultimately lead to more of them becoming clients.

Social media can be an extremely powerful tool for marketing your business. When used properly, it can encourage your followers to sign up for your email list, and ultimately convert to clients. By providing value in your posts, and a clear call to action, you can take the first step toward developing a relationship with potential clients and grow your business.

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