Marty McDonald is the CEO and co-founder of Bad Rhino, a social media marketing agency. He has been in business for five years. They focus primarily on social media within small and large businesses and everything in between. Their goal is to help your message go further on social media and bring back sales leads and whatever clients need such as leads, email opt-ins, brand recognition, reputation management, etc
Here are the highlights of my conversation with Marty:
The biggest stumbling blocks when getting started with social media:
- Dipping your toes in every single social media network and then leaving.
- No strategy and just trying to sell, sell, sell on social
Strategies when getting started with social media:
- Be social
There is a time and a place to sell on social media but the key word is “social” so be social first.
- Educate and entertain.
Educate and entertain a little bit and then the other side will come over time.
- Be patient.
It just doesn’t happen overnight.
First steps when getting started with social media:
- Establish a little bit of interaction or conversation.
Focus on one social media channel. Put content out there.
- Don’t worry about the new person. Galvanize your community.
Get your great customers who have been with you since the very beginning and start getting them involved in online conversation. Get them to help you spread the message. Give a simple little card or sign that hit in their register or write in their email or mailer and invite them to join your conversation online. Have small giveaways or small things appreciative of your current customers.
How soon do you start converting them into potential buyers?
- You can always be “selling” but you don’t want to come across selling in every single post.
- Share with them why your product is a touch above or why it’s better than your competitors.
- Talk about the features and benefits of your product and service.
- You can interject the sales message all the time. If you have a good marketing strategy, the sales message is built in every single post.
- Mix things in and not have the same message all the time.
- Have conversations and get feedback to hear what people are saying.
Strategies in growing traffic:
- Highly targeted paid advertising
- You can use ads to grow but if you want to do it massively, you have to do it in pieces.
- Short videos
- Looking at your “likes” is a great tool to measure the first piece but you have to get people to a place where they can buy or you can sell them more of your service or product
- Run ads that go directly to your websites on social media
- Your strategy has to align where you’re going to best complete you sale.
- Pick one mode of transportation. Ride that thing and get really good at it.
Things to consider when thinking social:
- People are looking for information and the best way to hit them is through the networks they’re hanging out on.
- Always keep in mind there’s another person looking at the other side of this.
- Have your content focused on that person, solving their problems.
- Make sure you message is coordinated and focused to elicit the right response.
- Even if you’re selling B2B, ultimately, you’re selling to a person who has to make a decision. Help them make that decision faster and easier by giving them the right pieces to eliminate their pain points in their job.
- Give enough time to pull out things.
- Create offerings based on what people want. Convey your message in their own language. That’s what how they want to be sold. It’s what they need and want.
Marty’s Major Takeaway:
Keep in mind that social media is social first and foremost then go from there.
Episode Resources:
Get to know more about Marty on badrhinoinc.com or send him an email at marty@badrhinoinc.com.
Connect with Marty on LinkedIn and Twitter @martymjm.
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