Startups are constantly looking for new ways to grow, but the bedrock of any budding startup is keeping costs low.
They need to constantly discern between a need to have and a nice to have. Today, social media offers incredibly low cost (and sometimes free!) ways to grow that startups can take advantage of immediately.
Facebook Groups
Since 2014, there has been a dramatic drop in organic reach of posts published to Facebook Pages. According to a press release from Brian Boland, the VP of Advertising Technology at Facebook, there are two main reasons for this decline.
The first reason is that more and more content is being created everyday due to the ease of use that mobile smartphones have provided.
The second reason is that the News Feed’s algorithm is such that posts from your friends will be higher up on the News Feed so that you do not miss the posts you care about.This inevitably causes an organic reach decline to Pages since the average user is probably more interested in seeing posts from those they care about than posts from pages they follow.
Lars Backstrom, Engineering Director for Facebook wrote about the newest News Feed update in 2016, “Overall, we anticipate that this update may cause reach and referral traffic to decline for some Pages”.
Pages whose reach highly depends on their posts to the Page will likely see the most decline. However, Pages whose reach comes from people sharing their content will not see the impact as much.
For this reason, utilizing Facebook Groups to get your message to the most people is the best way to achieve your organic reach goals.
Here are a few key things to get your started using Facebook Groups properly:
1. Join groups that are relevant to your business.
For example, if you are a company specializing in all-natural body care products you would look for a group that focuses on organic products and communities. By doing a simple search on Facebook for “organic lifestyle” you will see several groups dedicated to the discussion and promotion of All Natural & Organic Lifestyles.
2. Follow the rules!
Most Facebook Groups have an “About” section that will outline the posting rules for their Group. By following their guidelines, you can avoid getting banned and reach a large amount of people. Advertising your business may be allowed on some groups and not others, so read this section carefully before posting.
3. Contribute to the group.
Only posting to the group to push your own product or service can get you the reach you desire, but contributing to the community will do more to position your business as an expert. This is easily achieved by answering questions that are in your realm of expertise.Search within the group for topics discussed that refer to your business (i.e. search for “body wash”) and find a post that you can reply to. Participating in this dialogue increases your engagement and could lead to new
Create Unique Content
Sharing your posts to every single relevant group out there will not be enough to drive traffic to your social channels if the content is not there.
The best way to get noticed is to use your content to inform about your company values, show your expertise in your given field, and provide useful information to potential consumers.
If the content does not add value to the audience the analytics will reflect that.Curating your content is so important to any business launch because it is the first impression for a new customer – your virtual handshake, so to speak.
The most appealing content is unique and original. If a person’s first encounter with your business is not appealing, it is unlikely there will be a second encounter.
Diversify Content Types
One of the best ways to curate your content with value is to diversify your content types. Incorporating all types of content, not just pictures & status updates (which are great also!), into your post schedule keeps your audience interested.
Some things to try are: release your own podcast, start a video series, write a blog, or post a live video where you answer questions from your audience.
One of the most effective tools when attempting to diversify your content is the use of Infographics. According to Buffer.com, Infographics make posts 25% more comprehensible, making your content more engaging and valuable to the viewer.
While Infographics are very effective it can seem overwhelming for a business owner who does not have a designer background. Tools like Canva are super helpful for the non-designer in us all.
Canva is a free online Infographic creator that makes it simple and easy to create your own infographics – did I mention its FREE?
Network and Collaborate
Teamwork makes the dream work. Very cliché, but very accurate. Your team is not just those at the office, however. In the age of Social Media, where people who have large followings rule the digital space, our teams can be extended to influential Social Media users.
Influencers are so important to obtaining new business, increasing your reach, and increasing your follower count.
Influencers can be anyone who is very active on social media and has relevant content to your brand. But how do you know which influencers to choose from?
Buzzsumo.com is an online database where you can search for any topic and find the latest articles written about that topic, as well as: how many times it was shared, total engagements, and what topics are trending right now.
Buzzsumo allows you to find people that are influential on Social Media and it is up to you, the business owner, to reach out for collaboration opportunities.
The potential for collaboration is endless and you could be reaping the rewards in no time.
Launching a startup can seem like an uphill battle – because it is. However, not all hope is lost! Using these simple tips can get your startup in a position to win the battle that is the free market.
Join those Facebook Groups and get your name out there. If you continue to create content that is engaging and valuable you will find that people will flock to your page.Creating unique and diverse content will eventually lead to opportunities for networking and collaboration.
Those opportunities to collaborate with Influencers in the digital space is where you will find the most success in reaching your goals of launching your startup.Digital marketing needs time and effort for it to work successfully. If you are dedicated and committed to your startup, check out these digital marketing tips to grab as much attention as your startup possibly can to become viable.
Many of these tips come at a low (or free!) cost with high reward – which, as any business know, is the recipe for success. by Michael Berean
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