How to Win on Social Media

For many operators out there, social media is a source of constant frustration instead of a direct funnel to customers. The idea of it is great – share content and resources with your target audience, gain trust, pitch products and services, all without a middleman. It sounds too good to be true, but oftentimes, social media can turn into a time-suck with very little additional business to show for it.

Thankfully, when you understand the algorithms behind these social media sites, you can become one of the lucky few who leverage social media into real-world success. In this article, you’ll learn how to approach social media on the big four platforms in order to win in that space again and again:

General Principles

People are not typically on social media to interact with brands. According to a recent survey, social media users are on these apps to keep in touch with friends and family (48%), to fill spare time (aka, entertainment) (38%), to keep up with the news (34%), and to find content (30%). Finding products to purchase was all the way down at #7 – which is still significant, but it does represent a minority of users.

With all of this in mind, you can build a relationship with potential customers over time by prioritizing entertainment value (#2 reason for being on social media) that relates to your product or service somehow, by giving culturally relevant updates that it makes sense for your brand to cover (#3), and by giving useful, surprising, or interesting information (#4 – and sort of #2 also). There’s nothing wrong with letting people know about a great deal you’re running offering or asking for the sale from time to time – but it has to be balanced out by offering content that your target market is going to find valuable or entertaining. A good rule of thumb is 3 posts that give for every 1 post that asks for something, and always look to encourage interaction with your content.

Keys to Making Effective Video Content

1) Start with the hook.

People swipe past reels that seem boring in only a second or two. Instead of wasting those precious moments with a standard introduction (eg. “Hey, guys, this is Roy with McCallen Autoparts…”), try starting with what the audience is going to get out of watching the entire video. (eg. “Your car could be leaking oil and costing you up to $100 a month – but I’ll tell you how to stop that from happening in 30 seconds.”)…

The collective Nasdaq, Dow Jones, and S&P500 rallies cooled off this week, even as bond yields slide downward under 4.2%. Oil is up, amid Russian signals of a deepening output cut in Q1 of next year. In real estate, 30-year fixed rates have fallen back down to September prices, around 7.5% as existing home sales continue to decline…

Last week, Florida governor Ron Desantis debated California’s governor Gavin Newsom in a much publicized debate on Fox News in what some are calling a debate between “different countries,” due to the massive split in American politics, economic philosophy, and cultural issues between red and blue states. Florida’s business-friendly tax policies were put against California’s progressive tax policies, the relative exodus from California to Florida was discussed, educational policies, and crime as well…

The number of job openings in the US dropped to its lowest in two and a half years according to recent figures. This comes amid reports that finding a job is more difficult than in previous years for the average worker, and “entry-level jobs” are no longer widely available to college graduates, 50% of whom say they feel unqualified for such jobs anyway. AI technology continues to replace numerous jobs in a trend that now includes white collar industries, though advocates insist the technology will also create many jobs…

Your weekly chance to test your Bible knowledge! The answer to today’s question may surprise you:

Q: What three languages was the Bible written in?

Answer at the bottom

TIPS & TRICKS

How to Maximize Your Brick and Mortar in a Digital World

It’s no secret that businesses are moving online. E-commerce is inexpensive to set up, easy to run, and more popular than ever. Kids are using TikTok as the home shopping network, and traditional malls are ghost towns. But even in this ever-changing business environment that is so heavy on social media, Google ads, and website traffic, tangible, physical locations still make a lot of sense for many businesses, if they are leveraged correctly. Here are a few tips on how to win with your brick and mortar in 2024 and beyond.

• Walmart releases a 23 episode holiday rom-com series with in-show shopping opportunities.

• The iconic “Jesus Film” shown worldwide since 1979 is getting an update, as Cru film ministry is working on an animated version that will remain evergreen.

• SCOTUS heard arguments this week on the contentious Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case. The question before the court is: should individuals with exposure to fraud and litigation be able to shield themselves from criminal and civil litigation by funneling assets out of their company, then declaring bankruptcy?

• Disney’s stock continues its recent decline, as an independent audit of the Disney-controlled, tax-exempt Reedy Creek Improvement District reveals systematic fraud, bribery, and corruption.

• Business Insider speculates that the Fed could begin interest rate cuts as early as next month, though signals have not been consistent.