The Influencer Social Media Strategy Is Not Your Business Social Media Strategy: Here's a Better Way to Thrive Online.
As a Maryland business owner, you've likely felt the immense pressure to become a social media "influencer" – constantly churning out viral content, sharing personal moments, and chasing the latest trends. While influencer marketing has its place, the truth is, your business doesn't need to act like an influencer to thrive on social media. In fact, trying to be one can often be a significant distraction from your core business objectives, leading to overwhelm and inefficiency.
Quick about me: I’m Julie Rappazzo, and I’m continuously horrified by the flood of social media and SEO advice that targets wannabe influencers. It’s confusing, unhelpful, and frankly, unsustainable for established business owners who have a flow of clientele and employees to take care of. As your trusted social media manager and content creator, I’m here to tell you there’s a more effective path to online success – one that frees up your valuable time and delivers real results.
Why the "Influencer" Model Isn't Right for Your Business.
The influencer model is built on personal brand, mass appeal, and trending content. While this can work for individuals, it's often a poor fit for businesses whose owners are ready to hand off the reins:
Your Audience Prefers Authenticity Over Perfection:
Consumers crave genuine connections. Trying to force a "perfect" influencer persona can feel inauthentic and deter potential customers. Outsourcing allows a dedicated team to craft an authentic brand voice for your business, focusing on your unique value proposition without demanding your personal time for constant content creation.
Business Owners Don't have Time and Resources to act like an influencer:
Becoming an influencer requires a significant, ongoing investment of your personal time, effort, and often, personal vulnerability. This pulls you away from strategic business operations, sales, and client service – areas where your expertise is truly irreplaceable. By outsourcing, you delegate these intensive tasks to experts.
Influencer model prefers vanity metrics over ROI:
A large follower count doesn't automatically translate to sales. Many businesses get caught up in vanity metrics (likes, comments) rather than focusing on how social media contributes to actual business objectives like lead generation, website traffic, and conversions. A professional social media manager will prioritize measurable results aligned with your business goals, not just fleeting trends.
Industry Mismatch (Expert Expertise Matters):
Not every business lends itself to the typical influencer style. A professional service, for example, benefits more from demonstrating thought leadership and solving client problems than from viral content. An outsourced team understands these nuances and develops strategies tailored to your industry's best practices.
What Businesses Should Do Instead: Strategic Online Presence Management.
Instead of trying to be an influencer, shift your focus to becoming a recognized expert and valuable resource in your industry. This involves a comprehensive, professionally managed approach to your online presence, including social media marketing, content creation, search engine optimization (SEO), and Google review management. This is precisely what a complete outsourcing solution or an in-depth strategy consultation can provide.
Here's what your business should be doing, and how outsourcing can make it happen:
Become a Knowledgeable Expert and Resource:
Positioning your business as a go-to source for information and solutions in your niche builds trust and authority. As a social media strategist and content creator for business owners, I develop and distribute expert articles, how-to guides, and tutorials that educate your audience and position your brand as a valuable resource. I focus on using your social media profiles to address your target audience’s pain points, while keeping it aligned with your business objectives and brand identity.
Cultivate Authentic Engagement and Community:
Social media thrives on conversation. Your Social media page can build genuine relationships when done strategically. For my clients this means I will often suggest collaborating with customers on-site while we’re filming social media content at your location. This way my client and their customer just need to show up and follow my lead.
Prioritize Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and AI Optimization (AIO):
Being discoverable on search engines is crucial for long-term business growth and often requires a dedicated SEO specialist. As a social media manager who is SEO/AIO centric, I make sure my clients are ALWAYS optimized for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and AI optimization (AIO), and I make sure I educated my clients during their 90 minute consultations and I create guides for them in their strategy playbook. Search engine and AI optimization has always been non-negotiable, but even more so now than ever. I often directly manage their SEO/AIO strategies on their websites, google business profiles, yelp pages, just to name a few.
Be Strategic About On-Site Content Creation:
Consistent, evergreen content is the backbone of a strong online presence for businesses. As an outsourced on-site content creator for businesses, I ensure visual storytelling, diverse content types, and develop comprehensive posting schedule and manage it to ensure regular updates and strategic alignment.
Manage Your Online Reputation Effectively:
Positive online reviews are powerful for building trust and attracting new customers. As an Online Marketing specialist, I encourage my clients to actively solicit and respond to all reviews, and strategically leverage positive reviews as powerful testimonials. If they aren’t able to do it in-house, or if they get too busy, they often subcontract it to me while they get situated.
Consider Strategic Partnerships:
Instead of chasing fleeting influencer campaigns, focus on building mutually beneficial relationships that expand your reach and enhance credibility. Your outsourced team can help collaborate with complementary businesses, engage with industry peers, and optimize vendor connections that you already have. This way you can all grow together!
Conclusion: Reclaim Your Time with Expert Online Presence Management.
You don't need to be a social media influencer to succeed. For business owners in Maryland and the DMV, seeking to lighten their load or refine their strategy, completely outsourcing your online presence or engaging in an in-depth strategy consultation is the most effective path. By leveraging expert support for value delivery, authentic connection, search optimization, and consistent, high-quality content, your business can build a powerful and sustainable online presence. Embrace being the expert in your field while a dedicated team handles the complexities of your digital footprint, allowing you to reclaim your time and focus on what truly matters.
