7 tips to build a successful social media strategy for your brand
[bctt tweet=”Creating a social media strategy just got easier with these tips from @Wildfusion” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] We’ve put seven tips to help you put together a winning social media plan of action for your business. Just the way an architect always has a well-drawn out plan for a house before it is built, putting together a “strategy” before getting on social media should be top on the list for any brand/business. Start with a good strategy Every brand or individual who decides to use the social media platform as a tool for either personal branding or brand management must have a “good strategy” on how they intend to play in that space. The first step is to think through what you intend to achieve and how you intend to go about it. Clear and engaging content Having clear and engaging content will provide brand awareness & daily consumer interaction with your brand. Find content that resonates with your target group. For instance; if your target group is young people, research and discover what most young people are doing online. Then craft your strategy to provide content they would be interested in whether it is music, football, videos, games, etc. Two-way communication Social media is a two-way communication. If your audience/consumers take out time to visit your social media page and interact with your content either by commenting, liking or sharing, please respond to them. No matter how flimsy or irrelevant their suggestions may be, the least you can say is “Thank you for your comment”. You would be amazed how much trust you would gain from your audience. Ask for feedback Always ask your audience/consumers for feedback on your products. This would help the brand position itself in the right direction. Social media gives you the opportunity to reach as many people as possible, through one medium, all at the same time! Find your tone of voice If your brand has a “serious tone of voice” offline and you decide to get on social media, find a “social media tone of voice” to increase your online presence & engagement. Use high-quality images On social media, sometimes images speak louder than words! Use images that are sharp, clear and attractive to the user. Your brand logo must always accompany your images as well. Images would serve as an advertising vehicle for your brand. Always be sincere No matter what you do, be sincere. Sincerity equals believable and credibility for your brand.she
WEBINAR WITH SUPRIYA SHARMA: TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR BRAND WITH DIGITAL MARKETING (APRIL 19)
Building a successful brand can be risky business and quite a challenge, especially in this forever evolving digital space! FYI – that’s all about to change…keep reading! While you should tailor your brand’s strategy to its specific goals, how can you ensure that your brand stays ahead of the game, amidst the disruption, through digital marketing? Allow us to school you!… [bctt tweet=”Join @HodanTV for a webinar on April 5th, to learn about building a digital community.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Some of the topics we’ll cover Building a community with the power of storytelling Tips for innovative storytelling using YouTube Building your confidence as a digital entrepreneur and African woman Register below to get access to this opportunity and submit questions that you would like Supriya to answer. Webinar Details: Date: Thursday, April 19th, 2018 Time: Lagos 11am // Johannesburg 12pm // Nairobi 1pm Register for this webinar with Supriya below: [ninja_forms id=170] About Supriya Join Supriya Sharma, on Thursday, 19th April, as she teaches us how to take your brand’s success to the next level with digital marketing. Supriya Sharma is the Managing Director of SAS Business Solutions, a global service provider catering to big business houses, SMEs and educational institutions. She has spoken at some international events of repute on topics that include Leadership & Women, Time Management, Effective Business Communication, Being beautiful, Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace, Digital Marketing (take charge of your business) and Entrepreneurship. [bctt tweet=”Take charge of your business through digital marketing with Supriya Sharma on April 19th. Reg here: http://bit.ly/SupriyaSharma” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Some of the topics we’ll cover Steps to choosing the right marketing network Best practices to curating valuable and shareable content Tips for leveraging the right brand influencers A guide to effective content promotion via social campaigns Building a sustainable brand strategy with digital marketing Register below to get access to this opportunity and submit questions you would like Supriya to answer. Facebook Live Details: Date: Thursday, April 19th, 2018 Time: 11AM Lagos // 12PM Johannesburg // 1PM Nairobi Watch here: About Supriya Supriya Sharma, is a certified corporate trainer, coach and motivational speaker who began her academic journey as a scholar (gold medalist) in aerospace engineering. She was offered full scholarships at renowned US and UK universities and further developed her skill set to be an astute management professional gaining valuable experience in HR, corporate communications, sales and marketing. Seeing the current status of the world’s economy, Supriya decided to pursue a course in entrepreneurship from one of India’s Ivy League business schools, where the idea of SAS was born. In 2014, Supriya represented Nigeria in the Dreamforce Conference which was held in San Francisco, USA. To add, she has conferred the title of Ms Intelligent – Lagos & Ms Talented – Lagos in the Beauty Pageant organised by ICA in 2017. Supriya strongly believes in giving back to the society as a part of her responsibility. In this view, she actively volunteers her time to develop employability skills among the Nigerian youth and is closely associated with women empowerment missions across Asia and Africa.
Sylvia Nwoko: Running a social media business has not been easy
[bctt tweet=”With good internet connection, a social media business is less work and more fun- Sylvia Nwoko” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Sylvia Nwoko is a 22-year-old graduate of Foreign Languages from the University of Benin, Nigeria. She established Thatpurpledotcouture, a unisex clothing brand in Nigeria as a fashion blog in October 2015. After a year, she developed interest in turning it into a business and ventured into fashion services such as fashion designing, retailing Ankara fabrics, fashion accessories and other ready-to wear fashion items. At the beginning, Sylvia was her own model, alongside a couple of her friends. Asides doing this, she has interests in singing, travelling and reading good books. How have you managed to successfully run a social media business? Running a social media business has not been easy. However, with good internet connection, good publicity and my love for social media platforms such as Instagram, it has been less work and more fun for me. I have a deep passion interacting and starting conversations with different people. I also have a good edge at convincing people. What are some of the challenges you have faced while using social media for promotions? My major challenges are poor internet connection, high data costs, cost of running adverts and trying to get the attention of the public to follow my account and patronize me. What is that thing that gives you an assurance that you have successfully run a campaign online? The fact that I can post several pictures and my followers react to it in different ways is a good feeling. Even without posting a single picture in 2 days, I still get comments and orders coming through. [bctt tweet=”I use social media to promote my business everyday- Sylvia Nwoko” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How often do you make use of your social media channels? Every day, I must confess. I think I’m an addict. Which is your favorite social media channel for business and why? Instagram is my favorite social media channel because my page is not private. Anybody can scroll through see what we’ve got to offer and send us direct messages. I always get an instant notification via Instagram unlike other channels such as Snapchat where customers have to add me up first. [bctt tweet=”Social Media is ideal for every kind of business- Sylvia Nwoko” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Do you think social media is ideal for every kind of business? Give a reason for your response Yes, I think social media is ideal for every kind of business because we live in a virtual world where all most everybody believes what they see on the internet. I think it is the best thing that can happen to any business especially when you have a speedy growing fan base that trusts your services. What advice will you give to someone who is intending to start a social media business? Be prepared, social media business is very competitive and tasking. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Titilope Oyewole: Social media was very easy to incorporate into my business
[bctt tweet=”My inspiration was to provide quality and beautiful outfits at affordable prices” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Titilope Oyewole is a 23-year-old graduate of microbiology. She is also currently running her postgraduate studies in Parasitology and Bioinformatics at the University of Lagos. While she pursues her studies, Titiliope owns Efab Creation and General Merchant, a start-up fashion house in Egbeda, Lagos. What was the inspiration behind starting E-fab Creations? The inspiration behind starting Efab Creations was to provide quality and beautiful outfits for Nigerians at extremely affordable prices. Our motto at Efab Creation is ‘Everything Fabulous and Affordable’. How were you able to successfully use social media as your primary marketing point? I have been using social media even before I started my business. By the time I started my business social media was easy to incorporate, I used to do some online PR for major brands. As part of my initial marketing strategy, I talked to other social media influencers as well and they have helped greatly in marketing my products. Describe a sample social media campaign carried out for any of your product? When we launched, we carried out our first social media campaign. I got some influencers and made them ambassadors of the brand so they talked about the brand itself across their entire social media platform. The idea was to introduce Efab Creation to the online community. We had a total of 8 influencers and the campaign ran for three days. They all posted different contents on their various platforms for the three days. Most of their content covered talking about Efab and what we do. We were able to achieve followers and customers because it was evident in our sales after that. [bctt tweet=” I talk about my business to everyone I come across – Titilope Oyewole” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] You have a following of about 11.7k following on Instagram and 11.2k on Twitter, how were you able to achieve that? When I started using social media, I referred people to follow the Twitter and Instagram pages, I also organized giveaways. The first rule of all the giveaways was for participants to follow our social media accounts first. That way we were able to grow the platform. Also most of our customers tag us when they wear outfits received from us and that brings more followers and customers to our pages. Which other ways have you tried to acquire new customers for your brand? I do some word of mouth marketing. I talk about my business to everyone I come across. Also, I have printed flyers that I share to people. [bctt tweet=”Titilope Oyewole: Be consistent and give it your very best” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What advice would you give to other ladies trying to build a business online like you have been able to achieve? The first thing I’ll tell anyone trying to build a business is to be consistent and give it their very best. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Oreoluwa Oduko: Social media helps me reach almost everyone everywhere
[bctt tweet=”I have long decided not to compromise my business standards- Oreoluwa Oduko ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Oreoluwa Oduko is a graduate of law from the University of Lagos and the Nigerian Law School. She began an online business selling pets (@PawsNaija) in 2013 during a six-months-long Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike that began while in her third year at the University. Oreoluwa had previously channeled her advocacy skills into general marketing merchandise online before transitioning into the selling of pets. Oreoluwa has a significant interest in traveling and the general lifestyle of animals. She hopes to use her legal background to fight for animal rights in Nigeria. Why did you choose to sell dogs and puppies online? I have always been involved in online marketing. Selling pets came up at some point, and it was only right to add it to my online business. I started the business at the end of 2013, during the six months ASUU strike which began while I was in my third year at the University. What other services do you offer? I am more of a link between clients and what they need. I do not personally offer all services, but I have a network of people who provide services such as veterinary, training, boarding, grooming, and walking and so on. Do your services include any form of offline transactions or are they strictly online? Kindly tell us how the chain works. For purposes of having records, all pre-contract discussions are done online (in writing). Everything else after such as delivery, veterinary, grooming, walking, training, boarding are all done offline. It’s simple really. It depends on what animal the client wants and where it would be sourced from. For example, if a customer wants a dog that is available locally, I get details of what the client wants, contact breeders who deal in that, show the customer’s options, have them choose, pay and it’s delivered to them. If I have to import, I take a request, give the client a quote. The client makes payment, I pay for the pet, and it’s shipped to me and is delivered to the client. What are the major social media channels you make use of and how do you take advantage of it? Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. I post pictures and get people to like, retweet and share on my personal page. That helps create more awareness. [bctt tweet=”Certain people don’t understand the value of having good quality – @owhreoluwa” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How often do you make sales from social media? Not as much as I would like. There are several reasons why I don’t make sales. On Twitter for instance; sometimes I get as many as 600 retweets on a single tweet but no successful sale. People see a picture and breed name that they know nothing about and assume they can have it, but from little interaction with them, they realize that’s not what they want. I also do pre-purchase interviews where I ask the client various questions to ensure the pet is going to a good home where it would be taken of. There are certain breeds that I don’t sell to people who have no experience of owning such breeds and how to train or socialize them. If the person can’t meet the basic requirement, I would most likely decline to sell a pet to them. Also, because of the way my business is being run, I sell only quality pets which do not come cheap and certain people don’t understand the value of having good quality, so they don’t buy. I have long decided not to compromise my business standards by sourcing for pets from just anywhere though. Always I tell people I would rather sell one good pet to a real owner and make no money than do otherwise in a bid to make quick money. I just keep doing what I do, and I try to improve every day, increase my reach, and try to educate people on the little things. What has been the most challenging moment on social media so far? Getting people to understand how the process works and having them pay upfront. People claim to want a certain thing but are not ready to pay for quality which can sometimes be discouraging. [bctt tweet=”People claim to want a certain thing but are not ready to pay for quality – Oreoluwa Oduko” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What would your response be to someone who is contemplating whether or not to use social media as a marketing tool? I’d say go for it. Social media helps you reach almost everyone everywhere without physically being there; it’s a sure way to reach as many customers as you need. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Social Media Marketing- What? Why? How?
[bctt tweet=”Social media marketing has gone been perceived as a fad to a must-have for brands today” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Let’s start with 2 definitions to answer the What: social media noun websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking Source: Oxford Dictionary social media marketing noun the process of gaining traffic or attention through social media sites Source: Searchengineland Simple right? Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s dive right into the Why! Social media marketing has gone from what was perceived as a fad in the early 2000s to a must-have for brands today. Every brand, business, and entity wants to have a presence on every social media platform. Why should YOU think about social media marketing? Well, it starts with you as a brand. Social media is an opportunity for you to build your personal brand, and grow your authority on your subject. Your social media profiles are the first thing to show up in a Google search for your name. These are the best places to start with establishing you as a brand. Twitter is a great place to weigh in with your opinions. LinkedIn is the best place to detail your professional experience and showcase your expertise. Facebook allows you to keep in touch, and share your views. Instagram provides a place to chronicle your life’s journey. When it comes to your business, social media lets you reach a staggering number of people at a fraction of the cost of traditional media. Take Facebook, for example. There are more than 15 million Nigerians on Facebook. For $10/day, you can reach up to 40,000 people. That’s a staggering amount of people and dirt cheap when you compare it to the cost to reach those people through traditional media channels. The best part is you don’t always have to pay to reach them. It’s all about how you communicate with them. The variety of social media channels means you can showcase your business and its personality in different ways. Social media allows you to get in front of your consumer where they are. And believe me, they are everywhere! Social media is becoming an integral part of the marketing funnel. With the advent of messenger bots, live video, and VR, it is now possible to sell a product and an experience without any physical process. That is huge in itself and signals a drastic shift in how consumers’ purchasing activity. [bctt tweet=”Social media is becoming an integral part of the marketing funnel” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] So how do you start? For starters, do not go and create an account on every social media platform for your business. Yes, that’s right, do NOT. It starts with listening. You understand your business and your target audience. The next thing is to see where your target audience is and what they’re saying. When you’re armed with that knowledge, you can then think about which platforms your business needs and how your business is going to join in the conversation on them. Remember each platform has its own nuances, and it’s best to understand them before jumping on them. Take the time to study each platform. Some tips for your content: Keep it relevant and informative. Statistics show that consumers engage most with relevant and engaging content. Use an 80:20 approach. 20% of your content should be sales focused. The 80% should educate, showcase, inform and entertain your consumers. Always be ready to adapt. What works today might not work tomorrow, and the landscape is always changing. Be ready to change with it. Be conversational. Integrate. Your social media sales communication should not be in isolation of any other marketing activity you’re running. Social media marketing is not a thing of tomorrow, it is a thing of now. And every passing day, it’s evolving. All aboard? – This article was written by Prashant Kirpalani. Prashant is the Social Media Manager at Wild Fusion, Wild Fusion is Africa’s leading Digital Marketing Agency. When he’s not working, he likes to game, DJ, and tweet about Chelsea and fantasy football.