My 12-18 month marketing rule.
Feel overwhelmed about social media? Try this method.
In a recent post I shared that the next company I build will not be social media dependent.
Sure the company will have a social media presence; however, the company will not be reliant on social media platforms to make dough.
Instead we will focus on offline relationship building to strengthen our networks.
With new social media platforms popping up every 3-6 months, it’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed; however, as I share with peers and in my upcoming book, you do not need to spread yourself thin in order to make a substantial impact/or dollar in your business.
Every platform has a specific purpose. If your actions are misaligned with the platforms’ intended use, you can find yourself wasting your precious resources.
I originally shared my 12-18 month marketing rule on Threads. If I don’t see a healthy ROI based on my KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) I divest attention & resources from that platform/strategy after 12-18 months. **This is contingent on using the platform/strategy with intention. Posting once a month/doesn’t provide you with enough data to make a decision.
I use 12-18 months because the first 6 months you’re figuring out how to best optimize the platform/strategy. After 6 months, you’re able to tweak and make updates for the rest of the year.
The KPI you decide to track is going to be based on your goals. For booking content creation clients, the KPIs I used were number of inquiries + conversions into booked worked.
Here are a few strategies/platforms that just didn’t work and I have no intention to keep using.
Pinterest. Pinterest is a great platform for DIY creatives and inspiration research; however, it was not useful in securing clients. At the peak of using the platform I had 250,000+ monthly views; however, none of those views converted into booked clientele or inquiries. Even with call to actions, it was futile. After 12 months we stopped engaging on the platform.
Email Newsletters. I like to compare email newsletters to the word “fetch”. Stop trying to make it happen for all service providers! For my clientele (high profile + commercial) They. Do. Not. Work. They don’t! I used email marketing for sharing education, updates, testimonials for over 2 years and clients did not bite. I believe there is a time and place for newsletters. Booking $30,000 in photography sales isn’t one of them. Fight your mama on that one.
Instagram Reels. While entertaining, they don’t necessarily attract the clients we desire to work with. I find reels attract more DIY creatives or other photographers looking for inspiration (like Pinterest). I stopped creating them when I realized it was pulling me away from investing in proven strategies.
Here are 5 strategies/platforms that have worked (and continue to work)
Instagram Posts. The key with making Instagram work is committing to 1-3 features and going heavy on those features. When my price points were less than $5,000 I had higher conversions. Instagram is still great for brand awareness + exposure; however, it’s important to have another more active marketing strategy to make up the difference.