Social Media Strategy Pyramid with Christine Yodsukar
The world of social media can be daunting. There are so many platforms to choose from and to post on, and different things seem to be working for different people. It can be overwhelming trying to figure out what to post, when to post it, where to post it, and what to do after you’ve posted it. In our social media marketing business, Stumptown Media Group, we create social media marketing strategies for each of our clients. This not only gives us a strategy to work from as we create their Facebook ads and funnels, but it also gives them a framework for posting their own content so they know exactly what to post, when to post it, where to post it, and what to do after.
The Social Media Strategy Pyramid is one small part of the entire marketing strategy we create with our clients, and you have the opportunity to use it now as well. Go get ‘em!
Commodity
The bottom section of the pyramid is where everyone who owns and runs a business is. You are here along with everyone else who offers a product or service that is the same as or similar to yours. This section is called Commodity, because all you and everyone else are doing in this phase is telling the world, “I offer this product or service.”
Trust
The next level up in the pyramid has a few less people and businesses, although it is still a very saturated level. The Trust level is where potential customers can start to trust that you will deliver on your product or your service. In this level, you are sharing testimonial videos and written reviews from past clients. Those testimonials and reviews build trust in the potential customer because they can see that other people have taken a gamble on you and your business and have come out with a win on the other side of that experience.
Expert
Once you enter the Expert level, you are certainly far ahead of the majority of small businesses and the type of content they are putting out on social media. In this level, you are sharing content that is of extreme value to your audience about the topic at hand. For example, you are sharing a blog with your favorite tips on getting a family ready for their photo session with you. You’re sharing photos with outfit ideas for your boudoir clients, and you’re sharing videos on topics like where to display your wedding album in your home to get the most enjoyment out of it. Once you enter the Expert level, your audience knows they can come to you when they want to receive value in your genre. Few small businesses ever journey past this level.
Lifestyle
If you make it here, you’ll have even less competition and have clearly set yourself apart from the rest. Hardly any small businesses bring themselves to this level, and I bet you can think of very powerful brands you love that live here. In the Lifestyle level, you are providing your audience with valuable content above and beyond your genre or industry. You are now bringing value to your client’s life outside of the product or service that you share with them. Maybe you’re sharing a video of you making your favorite cake recipe, or a written blog about how you mentally prepare yourself for your days to achieve maximum success, or perhaps you’re sharing photos that show your audience the step-by-step process to creating DIY yarn lanterns that they can hang on their covered patio in the spring and summer. Even when your customer is not in the zone of needing your services, they are still staying in your ecosystem because you continue to deliver value that they can use in their lives every single day. This will lead to them referring you more and thinking of reasons to buy from you more, and you coming to mind first when anyone mentions the product or service you provide. Can you think of brands you love that live in the Lifestyle level as well as each of the other levels?
Each of these levels offer types of content that you can be sharing on your social media pages. It’s good practice to post and share photos, videos, and written content from each level often.
To take this to the next level, because that’s what we do in the Shutter world, let’s think about how we can amplify the impact of this Social Media Strategy Pyramid. How can we do it faster? How can we do it in a more effective way? How can we deliver all of this content to one person in five minutes?
Facebook ads and funnels are the way. A really well-done Facebook ad and funnel will cover every level of the pyramid in five minutes, and every person going through this funnel will get to experience content from each level. Making sure each new prospect gets to go through every level of the pyramid means that the ones who make it all the way to the end are your ideal clients. They have made it past all of the qualifying statements, been given all of the important information they need to know to ensure they are an amazing client for you, and are at the point where they are asking for more content from you.
These prospects that go all the way through the funnel become your warm leads. This means that they like what you’re doing and want more. It also means that they are likely to become clients of yours. They now know that you offer the product or service they’ve been looking for, that other people have found success working with you, that you are an expert in your field, and (BONUS) that you are enriching their lives in ways beyond what they originally came to you for.
What about those people that started down the funnel but didn’t make it all the way through? Well, statistics show that if nurtured well, a percentage of those will still become clients of yours. Don’t just let them go and never offer them something of value ever again—with proper ads and funnels, you can then send valuable information straight to their news feed, continually proving that you are the trusted expert that they can rely on for what they need and so much xThe power of Facebook ads and funnels is such that you can now pick the person you want to talk to and speak directly to them, instead of having your dad be the only one liking and commenting on your posts. We love Dad, but we can call him up anytime we want, so our marketing efforts are better saved for those clients we want to hire us.
Go through the Social Media Strategy Pyramid and write down five posts for each level that you can put out into the world. As you are creating your posts, think about the one person who is your perfect client, and write in a way that speaks directly to them. Be intentional as you write your posts and take your photos and create your videos, and be confident that someone out there wants exactly what you’re serving up.
