So you want to advertise your online training business, but you don’t have a big budget. You still have a powerful tool right at your fingertips. That tool is social video. Most major social media platforms now allow you to post either live or recorded videos. And you should absolutely be taking advantage of it to grow your business.
Posting video on social media is one of the best ways to add the human element to your marketing that connects with your target audience. And if you’re doing it right, it costs you nothing.
And by doing it right, here’s what I mean:
When using social video for marketing you get the chance to BE YOU! No extra thrills or frills. You are enough. This realness allows your audience to connect with you in an authentic way. You get a chance to deliver content in a manner that’s transparent and comfortable for both you and your viewers.
This means you can absolutely show up on video dressed from the waist up while wearing your favorite flannel PJ’s from the waist down. (Lol)
This authentic connection helps you to form a bond. And remember, people do business with people they know, like, and trust. So use social video to help you with that. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Your audience would love to build a deeper connection with the real you.
Share behind the scenes footage. Everything doesn’t have to be formal or informational. Allow your audience to stay connected to you behind the scenes. Allow them to see your business flow and some of your personal sides. For example, some behind-the-scenes video footage can help build anticipation when you have a new course coming up. Allowing your audience to peek behind the scenes makes them feel like they are part of something. And being part of something helps make buying decisions much easier. So go ahead, remove the veil. Let them see what you have going on.
Get up close and personal. Use social video for some Q & A. Once you’ve started to garner a little bit of traction via social media, use social video to open yourself up to your audience. Go live on sites like Facebook or Instagram and allow them to toss some random industry questions your way. This helps to showcase that you are the real deal and lets them know that you are approachable.
Another benefit to live video Q & A is that it allows you to see your audience as well. You need to know who your tribe is, what they want to learn from you, and how you can best serve them.
Tag team with other experts to share knowledge. You don’t always need to do all the talking. Social video allows you to collaborate with other experts and have them share on your platform. Collaboration is a form of cross-marketing that is very popular and effective today. Simply make a list of other experts that your audience might like to hear from, invite them to a split-screen session, inform your audience of the date/time/topic and voila! You’ve got yourself a mini talk show. This helps both parties and keeps your audience coming back for more.
Last but not least, use social video to get on the radar of your most loyal followers’ connections. When you use products like Facebook Live to produce social video, others can see what their connections are watching. So when someone tunes into your video, their community knows they’ve tuned in. And you know what they say, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Chances are, there are people in those communities who could also benefit from what you have to offer. See how that works? That’s powerful.
A viewer tuning into you is like an endorsement of sorts. People assume that if their friend or relative is taking time out to tune in then they should give it a whirl as well. Don’t you just love it?
So jump in there! Use social video to your advantage. Adding a human touch to your online presence is absolutely the way to do. It allows people to get to know you. And again, people do business with people they know, like, and trust.
Until next time, you’ve got this! Now get in front of that camera and go get ‘em!