Celebrities have an entourage to:
1– entertain them
2–keep them safe from crazed fans
3–wheedle favors
4-provide social proof
As a business owner, you have social proof too. Referrals and testimonials are all proof that people like you and you’re good at what you do. If you’ve ever been to a networking meeting like BNI, there’s even a chance to share your testimonials for one another.
Social proof is proof that people like you. That you’re good at what you do. That you can solve the problems of your target audience.
Sound silly?
It’s not.
Think about it.
Do you get most of your business via referral? That’s social proof.
Social media is a way to amplify the proof that you’re good at what you do.
How?
By providing useful, helpful information, connecting with others and showing up. When you build up your social media audience, you’re proving that people turn to you for advice.
When your clients and customers sing your praises to others online, you’re getting all the benefits of referrals amplified via the web.
Make sense?
Let’s Break it Down.
For this to work, you have to be showing up in front of the right people and offering solutions to their problems.
How do you do that?
You have to know where they’re spending time online. Is it Facebook, is it LinkedIn? Is it somewhere else? When you know, you can concentrate your efforts and build a strong community there.
What’s your business? A florist seeking brides is going to do best on a visual platform like Facebook/Pinterest/Instagram. Those brides want pictures.
A salesperson selling SaaS (software as a service) is going to benefit from time spent on LinkedIn and Twitter. Because that’s where her prospects are looking for information.
Look for some of your current clients on social media. Where are they? Connect with them. Invite them to like your FB page or follow them on Twitter. You already know them so connecting on social media is a logical step.
What Next?
Next, you have to interact. You need to post content and “like”, share, RT, etc. to show you’re an engaged member of the community.
It’s really just talking to people.
When you first start out, this is one of the hardest parts because you’re building your following and at times you might feel like it’s only the crickets listening. It might seem silly. It’s not. Spend a few minutes every day finding other people/businesses to connect with and share information.
What do you post?
Next, you have to create content that is valuable and useful. If you’re a florist, that might be pictures of your latest floral arrangements or photos of seasonal flowers or a checklist of ways to save money on flowers for your wedding.
Post a minimum of 4-6 times a week. Don’t worry about alienating your audience, the half-life of a social media is about 3 hours. That means most of your audience won’t even see it. Post at different times of the day to reach different people.
That goes for any industry. Most small businesses err on the side of not posting enough rather than over posting.
You need to keep showing up on your chosen social media platform. Keep connecting with clients/customers and the people they know. Be helpful and valuable. Don’t always mention your business and what you do. That’s a turn off.
By doing social media in the right way, you’ll develop a cadre of happy clients who recommend you online in public venues. That’s social proof!
Which is your favorite social media platform? Love to hear in the comments below.
