Social media is the most powerful marketing tool the world has ever seen, with numbers rising across all the popular platforms every day, connecting people all over the world, however it still has its limitations. In today’s episode I talk about the one thing that is more important for you marketing your business than your social media.
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Transcription
Hi guys, welcome to episode 34 of my podcast. A very big thank you for tuning in and listening wherever you are today. It means a lot and I hope you are increasing and upskilling your learning along the way as that is the whole point. I am here to teach you as much as I possibly can when it comes to marketing your business.
I want you to be a success and become the number one in your local community both online and in your surrounding areas.
Let’s get straight into todays episode hey! What’s more important than social media when it comes to your business…ahhhh there are lots of things.
However, this episode is not about putting down social media in anyway as it’s an EPIC marketing tool. The most powerful marketing tool the world has literally ever seen. As business owners, if you are not using this to it’s true organic ability, you’re living in crazy land.
This episode is more about telling you the facts and giving you the real deal from a marketing perspective. As you would know by now if you’ve been listening in every week (OMG and if you have, I am so so grateful and thankful to you) I operate from a place of black and white. There are no grey areas when it comes to working with me, listening to me, and learning from me. I will be the one to tell you as it is. On that note;
Here’s some stats for you to sink your teeth into:
- As of April 2022, there are 4.65 billion active social media users worldwide, making up 58.7% of the global population. In total, the latest numbers suggest that the world should spend more than 12½ trillion hours online in 2022 alone.
- When it comes to social media, a huge 99 percent of users connect via mobile, and just 1 in 5 use a laptop or computer.
- The figures below are based on monthly active users, active user accounts, advertising audiences and unique monthly visitors in 2022:
- Facebook – 2.91 billion
- YouTube – 2.56 billion
- WhatsApp – 2 billion
- Instagram – 1.45 billion
- WeChat – 1.26 billion
- TikTok – 1 billion
- Facebook Messenger – 1.0 billion
- 5 billion people are using the internet.
- 92.1% of internet users connect via mobile.
These are HUGE right! Social media is one of the best and most powerful marketing tools our business age has ever seen. My goodness, back in the day when our parents were starting businesses and even grandparents, social media (and even the internet) was not an option as it did not exist. So they relied on word of mouth, flyers, newspaper ads, letter box drops or whatever version of billboard and bus shelter ads were available. Very little small businesses back then ran TV Commercial advertising because it was too darn expensive and considered only for the “big players”. So, there you have it.
Today, we are in a much better, far healthier advertising position with literally the world at our fingertips in the palm of our hands via our mobile phones. I am sure with you listening to this, ask yourself “have I connected and do I chat with someone over Instagram, be it commenting on posts, DM’s, replying to stories etc that lives in a different country to me”?. I bet you the answer is yes. Some of you would have completed courses and programs that are run from different countries and have used those learnings to move your business in the right direction and increasing your own revenue and profit.
This is what I am saying, I will never discount the power of social media for our businesses AND, I love it. I have not only built my business this way, I have also made some EPIC friends over the internet, namely Instagram and I love it for the connector that it is.
HOWEVER….
And here is the big however.
I want you to listen very carefully when I say this:
You do not own your social media platforms.
You do not own your Facebook account.
You do not own your Instagram account.
Or any other 3rd party in between. Twitter, Snapchat, the old Tikety Tok and the list goes on.
Truth. AND a hard pill to swallow right.
Do not for a second be mistaken. Your social media accounts are all at the hands of the owners of these platforms. What they decide to do with them. How they decide to update them. If they decide your content to be within their guidelines or not. If they decide to remove your images they can. If they decide to block you from using certain music, they can and the list goes on and on and on.
I can guarantee you know of someone who has had their account compromised in some way shape or form. Be it even yourself.
The one thing you do however own is:
Your website.
Your website is the one thing that is more important than your social media.
This is your owned asset for you to do as you please.
Your social media is great for brand awareness and storytelling, but the ultimate end game is to convert all your social media followers over to your website to buy from you. As the age old saying goes: selling on your social media is like throwing water balloons at a porcupine. I did not make this up by the way. This is a term I learnt from Erik Qualman and its stuck with me ever since as being the best possible way of describing why storytelling is so important in the social media space.
So again, I will say, your social media is great for brand awareness and storytelling, with the ultimate end game to convert all your social media followers over to your website to buy from you. You cannot transact on your social media.
There is no payment portal that exists in this space. Yes, you can have your Instagram shop set up, but you cannot make dollars automatically appear in your bank account via your social media. You need to do this through your website. This is where you redirect your audience to buy from you.
So does everyone in business need a website? No. But if you’re spending time building your social media assets, something you don’t own that could get taken away from you in a heartbeat, strategically it is so much better to spend time building a website so your audience will forever have somewhere to land outside of social media?
Your website is your ultimate marketing tool.
99% of people google you before they pick up the phone, email or contact page. If you do not come up on google then it automatically renders you a little less professional at the hands of your customers.
I always like to say: your social media is like your shorts and t-shirt…weekend kind-a attire with a slice of going out for dinner. But your website is your suit and tie. That’s where you really sell it.
I know there are so many people who are building and are still building their business just through social media, however there is a word of caution here, you could lose all of it in a second.
Your website has the Google search on its side therefore using clever marketing, website set up, calls to action and everything in between, not just social media allows you to customise everything you want and need for your ideal customer. Something social media does not offer.
So before you take another step with your social media marketing, have a think about everything I’ve mentioned in this episode and check your website. It’s worth its weight in gold to have it always up to date, have the copywriting perfected for organic search engine optimisation so people can find you and use it to its full advantage of helping you put your best foot forward.
If this is something you are struggling with, or just not sure if your website is behaving like the ultimate mecca of marketing tools for you, send me a direct message on Instagram @hayleykosborne I would love to hear from you and see what we can do together to get that baby converting into the ultimate marketing machine that it should be.
Because I know, there’s a superhero marketer in you.
I really hope I’ve inspired you to think about the number one asset in your business and your marketing and really step into becoming the NUMBER 1 in your local community. Now is the time, don’t wait and let yet another day, week, month or year pass you by.
If you have any questions about anything I’ve said, feel free to drop me a DM on Instagram @hayleykosborne which is where I hang out the most. I’m always up for a great chat.
A big thank you for loving on this podcast, it does take time and energy to put together and I would be so appreciative if you could leave me a review. This helps the podcast get in more ears and reach more awesome business owners who I could help in some way shape or form. It would honestly mean the world.
xx Hayley
