Just launched a new business in Australia? Looking to generate high quality leads? You have, perhaps, heard that social media is the way to go for new businesses. But how do you go about doing it? Where do you even start in terms of reaching out to the right kind of audience? If you have these and other questions, then sit back and relax. In this article, we show you how new businesses can use the power of social media and Influencer Marketing to achieve growth!
An Example
Let’s assume, for the sake of this article, that you have just launched a new pet grooming service that’s located somewhere in the Brisbane Suburb of Oxford Park? This type of business is highly localized, meaning you are only going to ever get clients from so many miles around your physical location. Whatever the nature of your business, the following are the essential steps that new businesses need to take in order to get the most out of social media;
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Use influencer marketing to get you going
Truth of the matter is, most people only have a few social media followers when they launch their businesses. Let’s assume, here that you have 500, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram contacts. Will these be enough for you to really make your business visible. Of course, a number of these people are going to buy your products and services (probably out of politeness because they are your relatives), but that is it! For the example of a pet grooming business, they may come around with their poodles once or twice before disappearing.
This is where you need to take advantage of the power of influencer marketing. There are people (particularly celebrities) who have millions of followers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social networking platforms. These people can help you get the word out about your new business, but you are probably going to have to pay to make it happen!
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A presence on Facebook is a must for new businesses
Facebook is the world’s largest social networking site. As of the time of writing this article, the platform had over 2.3 billion monthly active users! What this means is that Facebook is just OVERFLOWING with potential customers for your business. But how do you go about reaching out to these people using on the platform?
Create a Facebook Page
This is the first thing that you need to do following the launch of your business. The great thing about creating a Facebook Page is that you can do it absolutely free of charge! So, why is it important for all new businesses to create Facebook Pages?
A Facebook page allows you to interact with your customers
Facebook is all about interaction and, for new businesses, the best way of doing it is by creating a Facebook Page. Your Page is really where you keep your customers and other interested parties engaged by answering their questions and providing them with important information about your business. It is also the place where people can leave reviews about your business! And the power of online reviews can never be overemphasized!
Advertising on Facebook
Defining your audience when creating Facebook Ads
Facebook Advertising has really taken off over the past few years. If you think Facebook Advertising is not for new businesses, then you would be sorely mistaken! What better way of notifying your prospects about your existence than by advertising on the world’s biggest social networking platform?
Again, you can use the power of influencer marketing to give your ads greater visibility. For our example of a newly launched pet grooming service, why not feature a local celebrity to give your ads greater visibility? Running Facebook Ads also tends to be cheaper than advertising on other platforms, such as on Google Ads.
Using Facebook Ads in Australia
For those down under, Facebook Ads are particularly appealing! Facebook advertising tends to be way cheaper in Australia than in the UK and in the U.S!
Facebook Live
You can also use Facebook Live to create a hype before the launch of your business! Don’t hesitate to throw in offers, discounts and other goodies to get people interested. Let’s face it, you probably already have a personal presence on Facebook and, for our example of the pet grooming service, your Facebook friends and followers can serve as the launching pad for your business! However, they clearly are not going to suffice!
Again, influencer marketing comes to your rescue in this regard. Wouldn’t it be great for a local celebrity to announce the launch of your pet grooming service to their one million or so audience using Facebook Live?
- Instagram really rocks when it comes to creating engagement
Instagram is another great platform on which to get the word out about your new business. Human beings are largely visual animals and the popularity of Instagram as a social network lies in its ability to satisfy this trait. The great thing about Instagram is that it is owned by Facebook, meaning there is some degree of convergence between the platforms.
You can, as an example, set your Facebook Ads to also run on Instagram! Instagram is really a great place for our example. If there is something with which humans are obsessed, it’s poodles and celebrities! Bring the two together and you will give your business way greater visibility!
- Twitter is great for keeping people informed
This is another social media platform on which you need to have a presence for your new business! The great thing about Twitter is that it allows you to REALLY keep people engaged. Again, for the example of a pet grooming business, your first Twitter customers are likely to be your friends and family!
Influencer marketing also works great on Twitter. Talk to a few celebrities nicely and they may just spread the word about your business to their own friends and followers. Now, that is the kind of chain-linking that makes social media marketing so effective for small businesses!
Other social media platforms
To be frank, there are other social media platforms out there. However, the ones that we have given above are the most important. But don’t hesitate to sign up with as many platforms as you can. By way of summary, we can say social media is how new businesses in Australia can get the word out to their potential customers. Most social media platforms allow you to sign up free of charge. However, over and above this, you also need to look at advertising opportunities on such platforms as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Advertising allows you to go beyond your circle of friends and followers to reach other relevant people who may be interested in your business.
