Advertising can be quite expensive for businesses that are just starting out. With social media as the heart of communication today, startups have the opportunity to break the ice, building brand awareness, and a connection with their consumers.

The Hardest part is figuring out how to start if you don’t have any experience. So how do you get out there and build your presence online? Our CEO Anne A. Ward has some gems to share with young business owners in her latest appearance on ABC 10 earlier this week.

Direct Marketing 

There are plenty of social media platforms you can utilize with a direct marketing method, that allow you to target consumers, and engage with them in real time. “You can absolutely do it the direct way and get customers that use social media. Run some limited advertising on Facebook or Twitter and basically grow your following, and then get traffic to your website, and have an offer deal set up on your website for them to respond to.” You can use various tools to monetize your social media, allowing you to run contests and sweepstakes. One of Anne’s suggestions is Gleam. This platform allows you to scale up an influencer program where they can help promote your brand, and drive user engagement.

Indirect Marketing

Indirect marketing is another method that can be used to grow customer loyalty, without having to break the bank. This method offers a less expensive way of reaching out to the public by way of online reviews, news articles, social media fan pages, influencers, or the traditional word of mouth. “You can start for as little as five to ten bucks boosting a post. Go in and make sure it’s targeted to the right people. You can geo track it and do it for people in your area. Something I like to do is if I’m at a conference, I’ll target people at the conference and with a certain geo location you can do it for fifty bucks.” You can also use emails, upload them, and advertise to those people through those emails.

Social media done right can elevate what you’re already doing if you’re interesting. Used correctly social media can build your brand and make you money. For more detailed tips, click on the link below to view the full ABC 10 interview.

https://www.abc10.com/video/money/monetizing-your-social-media-presence/103-8217680