Every minute of the day there is more content being uploaded online than we have ever seen before. The big three social platforms for business right now are Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Facebook alone has 147,000 photos uploaded every minute. Instagram users post 347,222 stories each minute. LinkedIn users apply for 69,444 jobs every minute. Business owners tend to go one of two ways with this information. They either jump up and say “Yes! What an opportunity” or “Why would I even bother marketing on there when there is a plethora of content. I won’t even be noticed”.
It’s common for business owners to worry about how to cut through the noise online and be seen through constant stream of updates in a newsfeed. With online sales exploding throughout 2020 it’s something you must not ignore.
The problem with this increased activity is how to stand out online. The solution is simple. It’s time to shift your thinking away from marketing your products and services to creating positioning that does this in conjunction with your marketing efforts.
There are five keys to creating powerful online positioning that you can leverage for profits.
1. Know your point of difference and share it
This is different to the traditional marketing “Unique Selling Proposition”. The very thing that makes you different is you and your employees or team. The knowledge you have, the personalities you all have and the way that you do things is different to anyone else “out there”.
Many are afraid to share themselves online, but this is one of the main keys to being able to stand out. If it was easy, everyone would do it. You have a unique opportunity to showcase your knowledge and that of your team. The human element of your business is exactly what makes you different.
2. Know your audience
To create powerful positioning, you must hone in on exactly who the audience is that you want to connect with online. You need to know their problems, stress points and challenges. You also need to know their goals and what they want. When you know these things, it makes it simple to do the work on establishing your positioning.
3. Identify your unique process
Most businesses have a process that they work through with their audience and this is the key to you creating your positioning online. The first part with this is to identify what that process is as a big picture overview for your clients.
For example, the first thing you might do is establish their goals. Then stage 2 is developing their plan. Then stage three is the strategic implementation of that plan. Stage four could be checking in on their results. This could apply for a huge amount of industries.
When you then break each of these stages down into the micro stages and steps that your unique ‘twist’ on what you do becomes apparent.
For instance. In the goal setting stage, you might have a specific way that you help people determine what their goals are, and they align with what you’re doing. You will draw upon your knowledge and experience to break this down, utilising everything you know! This is where the magic happens.
4. Share it with authority
Now that you have your process documented and the way that you implement that process, it’s time to share hints, tips and advice online. Writing blogs and articles is a great place to start with this. From there, you can start to write a combination of long and shorter style posts. Even better, is starting to share some of this content using video.
The best thing you can do is to share your thinking with certainty and with authority. Someone who communicates with a sense of certainty is magnetic and captivating. Share your knowledge widely and freely.
5. Tell people what to do next
Sharing content is great as it establishes authority (and positioning) in your area of expertise. But, if you neglect the Golden Rule of Offering, then your audience may not be aware that they can buy from you. Make sure you let them know how to get more help from you and how to buy from you.
When you follow these five steps, you will create powerful positioning online and fast. This will lead to more visibility – and more profits.
Nicola Moras, social media and visibility expert and author of “Into the Spotlight”
