Read time: 3 mins

Hi Reader,

Our online habits sure have shifted in recent years. I do believe that the "old way" of social media is dead, and we're stepping into a completely new marketing landscape.

Remember when Facebook felt like a home base of communication? We'd wake up each day eager to sign in and scroll to see what everyone was up to. It's not as exciting anymore, is it? If you've missed that sense of online community, you're not alone. It's worth thinking through what it means in the marketing world.
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Here's a fresh perspective, and some solutions...

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The Hard Truths First:

• Product & Service Photos (alone) Don't Work: The way we learned to grow online, by simply posting our work and watching the sales roll in? I'm sorry to say that's over. It was fun while it lasted, but we've all become smarter and much savvier in recognizing those sales tactics. We're now quick to unfollow, as are prospective customers.

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• Posts Describing Our Services Aren't Cutting It: Simply posting about unique selling points isn't enough anymore.

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• Canva Designs Get Suppressed: Did you know Meta has a 20% text rule when it comes to ads? 80% must be an image only. My experience as a social media manager on multiple accounts has shown the same for organic reach. Canva designs don't perform as well. They have their place when it comes to announcements, but don't convert leads into sales. People connect with people, and real life visuals are the only way to do that.

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• Privacy Has Replaced Participation: We now value privacy over participation. Getting engagement on a post or event is a constant challenge. Unfortunately engagement by way of those thumbs up, hearts and comments are what it takes to "talk to the algorithm", triggering a post to show up to a wider audience.

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• Platform-Specific Content: People open up Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, etc., for different reasons, with very different expectations. Posting the same thing on all platforms isn't going to work for much longer. Each requires a unique strategy that speaks to how and why we consume within a specific app.

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So, What IS Working?

• Captivating Visuals: Scroll-stopping photos and videos, but a step beyond. In a glance, we need to tell a story and pique curiosity, without relying on words.

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• Storytelling: Short and captivating descriptions explaining a specific customer transformation, or the feeling the solution brings.

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• Relatable Hooks: Shift from talking "at" followers, to thinking "as" customers. For example, asking one powerful question. Or naming a pain-point and how your product or service helps overcome it.

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• Show, Don't Tell: Instead of showcasing the product, show the solution. For example if you're a candle-maker, show the feeling of unboxing, how calming it is to light, the ambiance it creates.

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• Make the Customer the Hero: In every way possible, convey how choosing your product or service solves their problem, fulfills their desire, makes them look or feel amazing. Teach something, give a quick win through a recipe, how-to, or quick tip.

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• Build Companionship: Think of your brand voice as a helpful friend in their passenger seat. Offer advice, understand their struggles, more than anything, be relatable. Nothing does this better than showing more of the faces and stories behind your work.

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• Sales Happen In Stories: Stay active in your stories feature. It's the one place that can convert a conversation into a sale. Most feel comfortable responding to stories, because it stays private. By responding quickly, you're driving a sale home! At the same time, there is a dance. Keep your finger on the pulse of what amount of stories your followers prefer (watch for unfollows). Often, it's just a few a week, and they need to matter.

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• Email Marketing: If you wait until business is slow before consistent email marketing, it may be too late. Build your list, warm your audience, foster those relationships with each sincere email, and you'll be a great place. If you need help, I'm here, it's a part of what I do and teach.
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As we all know, A.I. is changing everything at mach speed. It will be overwhelming in 2024! Think of me as the geeky friend that loves doing the homework for you. Soon to come will be short tutorials to make marketing in the ever-changing world much easier to keep up with.

Late nights every night, I've been creating quick-guides, and developing a whole new marketing home base for you on Boost Your Visibility. It will house the fastest and most current ways to grow online.

More on this very soon!

As always, I'm excited to navigate the ever-changing online world with you, to get more eyes on your work, and more digital foot-traffic to your door.
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If any of this has been floating around in your mind, or if you've been feeling stuck with your marketing, talk to me. I love hearing form you!
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Let's head into 2023 strong!

Brenda

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