Boost Your Visibility | Grow Your Business with Brenda Eckhardt
Resource for creative entrepreneurs seeking to grow their product or service-based businesses while prioritizing family and well-being. Hosted by Brenda Eckhardt, a successful photographer and brand strategist, this podcast offers the latest strategies and how-to's to increase online visibility, work smarter, avoid burnout, and find inspiration for both professional and personal growth.
Boost Your Visibility | Grow Your Business with Brenda Eckhardt
Is Social Media Really Dying Out? 2024 Predictions
What if the traditional methods of social media marketing are no longer effective? Picture this: you're crafting compelling visuals that narrate a story, creating platform-specific content, and utilizing short-form video to captivate your audience. I'm here to guide you through the shifting landscape of social media, discussing how old-school methods are giving way to newer, more impactful strategies. We'll also be delving into the crucial role of empathy in marketing and how storytelling can place your customer in the hero's seat. Inspired by Donald Miller's "Story Brand," we'll discuss how to weave compelling narratives and harness the potential of direct messages on social media.
We've all faced business challenges and setbacks. But how does one truly surpass them and taste success? This episode also covers the personal struggles that we've faced as entrepreneurs and the lessons learned. Using these experiences, we'll discuss the power of one-on-one coaching and how it can help you navigate these challenges. We'll also underscore the importance of passion, not just for your products but for your customers as well. With the rapidly evolving landscape of AI in marketing, we'll touch upon what it might hold for the future. So tune in for a conversation that's as enlightening as it is empowering, packed with practical tips for staying ahead of the marketing curve.
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Is social media dead? That is a question that often comes up with marketers and business owners. Is it even worth our time anymore? Metrics are down. It seems like nobody's engaging, people aren't talking to each other. They're not talking openly other than in private messaging. My answer is it's not dead, but it is changing. We're in a whole different landscape. I think the old way is done and I think the new way is slowly coming in, and we just need to embrace this new landscape.
Speaker 1:So the thought that I have coming to mind is what Facebook was like when it first came out, when we were first reconnecting with people or Instagram. It was fun. It was something we looked forward to opening up every day just to see what everyone was up to. And now that excitement isn't there. It's almost like it makes us feel bad and we're not interested as much as we used to be. So I'm going to give you some hard truths and then I'm going to give you some solutions and ways that we go forward as marketers and business owners.
Speaker 1:So photos alone don't work, and that is really hard for me to say because my background is in professional photography. I have been a photographer for a very long time and photos should be powerful enough to capture attention, but without some strategy behind them it really doesn't float, they don't connect with people. So you need to have some sort of a strategy, thinking like your customer, and then have the photos taken, or you take the photos from that mindset, from their viewpoint. What solution are you bringing? What problem does your product or service solve? So it was fun while it lasted when we could just post pretty pictures, but that is done. So that's number one. Number two is post describing. Our services aren't cutting it anymore, just the simple descriptions, even with photos. The selling points are no longer enough. We have to be creative and thinking on our feet again, like a customer. Number three is canva designs are getting suppressed. I believe in my experience, no, I managed numerous accounts and I'm going based off of what I see and experience and can. The designs are not being served up and shown to followers as much as photos and videos, short form video. It's still number one going into 2024. Short form video is the way to what to focus on coming, coming into the new year and throughout the new year. I believe the long form video too, but the can, the designs don't take off. I know that they're pretty and it makes us feel like we've created something really amazing. There's a self satisfaction and a really pretty canva design, and I do think they have their place when it comes to an announcement or a sale or a grand opening type of a post. But for the day to day like these are our hours or things are changing, we need to get creative in how we're presenting that information and I personally don't believe that canva designs cut it.
Speaker 1:The next one is privacy has replaced participation. That's a big one. I have been talking about this for a very long time because you're listening to one of the most private people on social media. I am more comfortable behind the social media than sharing about my life. I don't share a lot and when I comment on someone else's posts or photos, I do tend to take it to private message or the DMs, and I know that that is where most people are going. Is the private messenger not out for the open world types of responses? Part of that, I think, is just what we've been through in the last few years. People don't openly share their opinions anymore and in a way, that's good and in a way it's bad because marketing how do you reach those people and show your social proof. I built my business, my photography business, on social proof with high school senior pictures, because everybody was commenting and liking and oh so excited. And now I can't imagine being a brand new photographer and trying to build a business. Right now. You need to be a marketer almost in order to even think about creating a sustainable full time photography business.
Speaker 1:Wow, alright, so that was number four. Privacy has replaced participation. Number five, the last one, is platform specific content. I know that we feel the need to be on many different platforms, but we really need to think about how people are using these platforms. Not everyone uses Instagram in the same way that they use Facebook. When you stop and really think about how you sign into, let's say, tiktok what you're looking for On TikTok, people are looking for education, they're looking for storytelling. They're not looking for pretty pictures and service-based information. They're looking to maybe even cure a bit of loneliness or have that companionship and feel like they're right next to you or right in front of you in conversation. It's much more personal and one-on-one connection. Facebook is more community-minded still, but not public. People tend to like photos quite a bit more on Facebook than they do on Instagram.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go back to TikTok for one second. I am seeing a slight change with the swipe feature of multiple slides on TikTok, but that too takes major storytelling strategy and thought behind every single slide of what you're telling in that story. That can hook people in and then keep them interested. So the question is where do we go from here Now that we know what is no longer serving us? What do we do next? Well, I have solutions, like I always do, and my ideas are not always bright or perfect, but I do see some real solutions that are beginning to take flight and really work and, I believe, will take us into 2024 if we can adjust our mindsets of how we approach social media, going forward.
Speaker 1:So captivating visuals that tell a story in one view. So if you, let's say, run a coaching business, you educate parents on how to get scholarships for their high school seniors, you need to show photos that show you actually connecting with the family and the senior working through whatever it is that you do, meeting with photos with you, meeting with people, so that people break through that barrier or that. I guess on you know reality TV, they call it the fourth wall, where people feel a little sense of voyeurism, like they're there with you. Think of it that way. People really want to be a part of something and understand it in one picture. Do you still need great descriptions? Absolutely for search engine optimization on Instagram, facebook blogs and Pinterest? You really do need to put thought into those captions and descriptions, but storytelling is where it's at when it comes to visuals.
Speaker 1:Number two for what is working is storytelling in and of itself and conceptualizing your approach and storytelling in the captions so that people feel a part of it. Relatable hooks is number three. You need to draw them in in the first two seconds and if you go back to this particular podcast, you'll you'll hear my hook and it's important to have a hook in the beginning and then go into it right away. Don't pause in the beginning of whatever you're talking about if you're on video. Don't leave any mystery behind the photo that you post or the series of photos. You need to hook people in and connect visually, mentally and through their you know reading. All right, so show, don't tell. Instead of showcasing the product, show the solution, show what the the result is. Is it a really excited, happy eight-year-old that just got a new basketball hoop installed and he's just holding the basketball, happy as can be. Show the solution and what your product or service solves, all right, and then next is making the customer the hero.
Speaker 1:This is so critical to having a mind shift of your marketing and if you, if you don't, if you have trouble empathizing or putting yourself in someone else's shoes, you're not alone. It is common. It happens to be something that I can easily do, but I've learned through working with other businesses that it's not as easy for everyone out, or for a certain percentage of people, that it's just very hard to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Pick up the book Story Brand by Donald Miller. It will change your perspective again. Story Brand by Donald Miller it tells that he explains how, in a movie plot, every single movie has certain characters that have to play a certain part, and that's how you're carried along in the story and get swept away and excited. So we do the same thing, whether it's consciously or subconsciously, in those social media posts, in our wording, on our websites and all of those things that do well, that perform well. If you really look back, usually you're coming from a storytelling perspective and you're making the customer the hero, so they feel like it's their idea to choose your product or service, and for doing so they're smart, they're educated. They're going to impress others, whatever the case is.
Speaker 1:So next is building companionship. I mentioned that a little bit earlier, but think of your brand voice as a helpful friend in the passenger seat that maybe swaps to the driver's seat every so often, but either way, you're going together in the same direction and you want that person to feel like they have the opportunity to drive the vehicle. You're there as their guide. You're helping them to attain or get whatever it is that they want. You're going together. Think of it that way. You're building companionship. You're offering advice, you're understanding their struggles, you're naming their pain points, and number one in building companionship is just being relatable. Relate to their struggles, their triumphs and what it is that they're looking for. There's nothing like showing your face to show relatability and then going into telling a story or explaining where you are.
Speaker 1:I just saw an amazing Facebook post I'm sorry, instagram post from a newer photographer in my area who posted just a simple picture of her sitting on a park bench and she just in the caption described what a great year it was for her. But she had a hook in the beginning. She told a story. There was just enough interest in the photo, the way that she had it taken, that it drew you in to wonder what it is that she was going to have in the caption. This seems like a lot of work, but when you get going with this it's fun and it's exciting because you're like aha that worked.
Speaker 1:Something big in 2024 that is already occurring but is really going to be huge is knowing that sales happen in the stories feature on Facebook and Instagram mostly Instagram. When you post to your stories and someone responds to it, that goes into direct messages. So they feel safe, they feel private about it, but they're more open because of that and there's more of an exchange and that's the beginning of leading to the sale and you don't even have to hard sell. Through that You're building the relationship, trust, the null like and trust factor that all the famous marketers talk about. The DMs are going to be huge for that. So being active in stories is important and that stories are going to be a whole, separate podcast, because the way that people are consuming them is changing a little bit and I think it's important to talk about that separately as well.
Speaker 1:So last one, that I know I drive home a lot on my podcast is email marketing. Talk about people feeling comfortable in their own space in their own inbox. And yes, we do get inundated with emails, but if you're building a relationship on several different levels different social media platforms, email face to face when they have a connection or an interaction with your product or service, seeing your logo, all of those touch points Email marketing is really the heart and soul of where all of that comes together and you really build that connection. That's where I have seen it solidify for so many businesses and it's really fun to see. So if you have not gotten on email marketing, I know I harp on it and I apologize for that, but it is so, so important and it doesn't have to be overwhelming. I mean literally a paragraph every two weeks, heartfelt storytelling, all of the things that we talked about in this podcast, and I do have a few other podcasts that cover email marketing more in depth and the approach behind it.
Speaker 1:So it's important to remember that social media strategy alone is not marketing strategy. I want to acknowledge that when I talk about social media, that it is borrowed land and that is where I do feel so strongly about having a great website of your own and an email platform that you email with your customers, because these apps don't always work right. Sometimes we have an important message that we need to get out and if you have full control and a direct line to your customers, there's nothing stopping you. There's no you know glitch or app update that you're waiting for. Email marketing has been the most even form of communication for me and through me, with other businesses.
Speaker 1:So, as we all know, ai is changing everything at max speed and it will be overwhelming to think about in 2024. But I will be covering that in future episodes as well. Think of me as your geeky friend that loves to go down these rabbit holes and boil it down only to what you need and what you would find the most helpful and the fastest changes for your accounts and for your marketing. So I'll be doing some additional homework for you and getting back to you soon in future podcasts. I'm also creating some tutorials on my website that will really make marketing much more consumable for you. There will be, like quick wins, very short videos with some worksheets, things to work through, that are doable in 15 to 20 minutes max, because I know that a lot of listeners to my podcast are the actual business owners, and I know that your time is extremely limited and if you're a social media manager or you're interested in social media management, just know that.
Speaker 1:I understand that this is a lot to bring together under one umbrella and it is like herding cats a lot of the time, but that's why I'm here and that's why you're listening today. I'm excited to keep navigating that with you, because I think that there is going to be a huge ship next year and the marketing world is going to be completely different, and we can either choose to embrace it or be afraid of it. If you're afraid of it or avoid it, you're going to be left way behind. So we might as well use it for its best uses and its best applications, and I will definitely be coming back with more for you on that. So if any of this has been floating around in your head or you've been feeling really stuck with your marketing, maybe you're overcoming a challenge, maybe you've let things kind of ride for a while and now, in the beginning of the new year, you really do want to spring forward and get things rolling. I love hearing from you and I've been really happy with the responses I've gotten and excited to connect with people that I don't even know that just happen to catch this podcast. So please do let me know if you have questions.
Speaker 1:I do one-on-one coaching. That's not why I'm doing this podcast is to completely advertise the heck out of myself or my services. But if that is something, I think of it in a way that I've been through some things while running a business. I've gotten stuck, I've had some struggles personally with loss and recovering from that and I do get it. So, not to end on a sad note, but 2024 is the year that we're going to go from overwhelm and chaos to completely owning it and I am here to help you do that. I do think that anybody can do this. It just takes focus and interest and a passion for your customers and understanding your market and that you believe in your product and what it does to change a life or change a moment, enhance somebody's home and so on. So I look forward to hearing from you. I will be back soon with another podcast and if you have any topics you'd like me to cover, definitely let me know. Otherwise, you have a great day and I will talk to you soon.
