Ep.15/ Sick Of Social Media? Here are 4 Tactics You Should Be Focusing On Instead
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If you're feeling anxious that your last post didn't get traction, if you're focusing on growing your Instagram account to get clients, I urge you to listen to this episode today, to explore what might be some other methods to grow sustainably and without losing your peace of mind.
Sinking and staying afloat with hard research and an open mind.
I set up and ran a wellness center in 2008, and when I started, the business was very slow. The building we were located in was supposed to be open, but it was still unfinished because there were some issues with the contractor - so there was no traffic.
After 10 months, I had to face the fact that we would go bankrupt if things were not going to change dramatically. So a friend who is a finance expert came in and looked at my numbers. He made me realize that almost every client that came in revisited the following month, or even sooner. This meant something!
Risk reversal strategy saved my business from bankruptcy.
We did not have enough new clients to come in and become that repeat client. So we tried something very dramatic. I created vouchers of 50$-80$ that people could use for their first visit, either to do a short treatment completely free (like foot reflexology, a back massage, or a head and shoulder massage), or a spa treatment where they would add a little bit to top off the voucher.
At that point, we had nothing to lose; we had enough cash flow to last 3 months at most, so either we tried that, or closed now.
Risk reversal is a strategy where you take out all the risk of a transaction for a client. And statistics have shown that when you offer a time-limited risk-free opportunity, people are more likely to do business with you because you have addressed their fear and increased their confidence in you.
In a few months, we gradually went from losing money every month to covering our costs.
Research + applying SEO techniques = results
After this phase, I learned about digital marketing and SEO, and even got certified as an SEO expert!
I trusted my team and my service standards but knew that I needed to focus on that first-time visit. How to get people to find us? I made sure that when traveling in Beijing, or googling about hotels in Beijing, travelers would find Kocoon Spa. Not only this, when someone researched expats' services and products, Kocoon Spa was mentioned. After 2-3 months of SEO implementation, our company was ranking in the first 3 results in Google for relevant keywords.
I kept on asking: How to have more clients like the ones we had? How to have more first-time visitors?
Leveraging the power of referrals
I harnessed the power of referrals by encouraging our loyal clients to refer their friends and family by offering special invitation cards for free 30-minute treatment.
We finally went from sustainable to consistently profitable.
Fast forward several years, Kocoon Spa was in every publication such as Luxe city Guide, Louis Vuitton City Guide, Vogue, etc.
Other business owners often asked me, “why don't you go to this charity event, or this Christmas bazaar, this school's event, to promote Kocoon?” “I went there and it brought 3 clients in the following week.” I was invited to speak at some events too.
I would turn down every networking opportunity to focus on what was important to me:
I'm an introvert
I was already working a lot and did not want to spend my entire day at a stand in a bazaar. If I had to do this to get clients, in the long-run, I would get burned out as I did before.
I wanted to deliver our brand promise and strive to provide high-quality treatments with attention to detail. Thus, I spent more time educating our team members so they could also educate our clients.
Content strategy through our email marketing and the website was important so we could nurture our relationship with our followers and clients. Social media was not that big at that time.
When I conducted a market survey, it was clear that 50% of our business came from referrals and 50% from an online search.
My growth strategies were:
risk reversal
SEO
referrals
repeat business
I'm sharing this today because I believe that when you start a business of your own, uncertainty is always there, and you're still taking risks.
Today, marketing hasn't changed that much although there are social media. I believe that those digital platforms are the digital version of those events, bazaars, seminars where people come to connect and grow their communities.
Social media is not a must.
If you're building your business by starting an Instagram account first and focusing on its growth, you’re taking risks, because you're building your business on someone else's land. Remember that those are free platforms - you do not own the content, and everything can be taken away from you at any time. I've seen this happen to a friend. She lost everything overnight.
You're putting your business' destiny in the hands of other businesses and the algorithm. People may be following you, but the platforms decide what they will see.
Also, if you have an audience that you can only reach by showing up on social media, then it's not sustainable. What happens when you stop showing up?
I still believe that today, the most sustainable way to grow your business is to focus on its foundations, on what you do, how you do it—getting feedback, talking to your clients and stakeholders, improving your client's experience of your brand. Your clients will come back over and over, and refer their friends.
What's the point of promoting oneself if you don't have a reliable business to create repeat business and referrals?
Getting more followers is not a sustainable marketing strategy; social media is one part of a larger ecosystem.
I advocate a place to showcase your work (your website can be your central hub), share social proof (testimonials, reviews), and a way to nurture your relationship with your followers (through newsletters, for example).
“It’s easier to sell to someone who wants to hear from you, rather than to a total stranger.”
Conclusion
Don’t worry about being consistent on Instagram or the size of your account. At the end of your life, I don’t think we’re going to think about the number of followers we had, but the lives we’ve touched through our work and the direct impact we’ve made in people’s lives.
My invitation today is to change the mindset from a place of thinking: “I have to grow my Instagram account to get more clients”, to a place where you can say: “This is the work of a lifetime, not a season. I want to focus on building the foundations of a long-lasting business, and attract the right people.”
When you shift your attention, you will be released from the comparison trap and bring more joy and delight to your daily life.
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