In an increasingly digital, pay-for-play world, finding free ways to continue leveling up your business on social media can be a challenge. But just because it’s a challenge, doesn’t mean it’s impossible to do. Today, we’re sharing five free ways that you can level up your business’ digital marketing without spending a dime.
#1 & #2: Instagram Reels versus Stories
So what’s the difference between Reels and Stories, and how should you use them differently to grow your business? Reels are currently the best discovery tool on Instagram. If you've seen organic engagement plummet on Instagram, Reels can help. If you’re doing it right, compared to Stories you should be seeing exponentially more reach on Reels. Think of Reels as a discovery tool and Stories as a behind the scenes for your current followers. But don't underestimate the power of the Stories group. They are often buyers!
Reels Tips:
Hashtag Analytics: Instagram only recognizes hashtags in the caption, so if you want to see your hashtag analytics, put them in the caption.
Use music when possible.
Don’t have music? There are many apps you can use to get it for free. We like to use Videoleap or InShot.
Use text overlays and stickers — sparingly.
Stories Tips:
Tell a story.
Be casual -- don’t overthink it.
Layer hashtags and locations for added exposure.
Use polls and other interactive story stickers.
Reshare static feed posts to your Stories.
#3 Facebook Ads
Here’s the 411 on how to use them and how much to spend.
Facebook reach is abysmal for most business pages so your entire Facebook strategy should likely center around using ads.
There is a common misconception that you shouldn't boost posts. This simply isn't true! However, what is a boost? A boosted post is simply an ad created from a post you’ve already shared on your Facebook page. Putting dollars behind an already created post can help to increase engagement and reach new audiences.
Targeting is the most important part of any ad campaign. Think location, age and interests. A tip we love from Neil Patel is to use the “who else would know formula.”
Create video ads that look like they were created by a customer. The thought here is that people like viewing products and services from the point of view of the customer, so creating an ad that appears in this way will increase exposure.
Use the Facebook Ad Library to get more information about ads that you’ve seen.
#4 Email Marketing
Your email list is essential to your business and it’s crucial to make sure you keep growing it rather than focusing exclusively on social media. Here’s why…
You RENT social media; you own email and text lists.
For every one dollar spent on email, the average return is $42. Time to get aggressive about growing your list. For example, use:
Content upgrades
Gated content
Free shipping
Product discounts
Contests
Pre-sale notifications
Social media -- and flipping the funnel ALWAYS.
Social media: When it comes to using social to grow your email list, Facebook is most effective with Instagram coming in at a close number two. When is the last time you posted something on social to generate email subscriptions; make this a STANDARD part of your social strategy.
#5 Calls to Action
ALL marketing materials should have a purpose and a related call to action. A strong CTA has to make sense for the network it's on which means you need different calls to action for different networks. This is one of the reasons, especially when we're talking about social media, that you don't just auto post the same content to each network. Always think about the engagement ladder, especially when it comes to social. A strong graphic or image grabs the consumer's attention, a well-written caption keeps their attention further and the grand finale is the call to action which invites the consumer to easily do what you want them to do.
Now that we’ve shared some ways you can level up your digital marketing for free, it’s likely that you’re questioning where should you begin these efforts. Here are our top recommendations in order of importance…
TikTok
Instagram | Focus on Reels with less emphasis on the platform as a whole
Pinterest
YouTube
Facebook | Invest in ads, but otherwise simply maintain the platform
Twitter
LinkedIn | Crucial for some industries
Clubhouse | Work to build this network up
