Not there yet? Don’t worry, you can be doing a lot for your brand testing on social media before you even launch your product or app. Tessa Ashford, Director of Marketing at IdeaPros, shares some ideas on how to do pre-launch social media.
Watch What Other Businesses Are Posting On Social Media
What to post on social media is a question that bothers a lot of entrepreneurs. The easy answer is nothing.
“Your activity on social media starts with observing.” – Tessa Ashford
A method called S.E.E. (Study, Engage, Educate) helps you do your research and connect with your target audience without having a clear idea yet.
The first week you study and store the information you discover. Check out Facebook groups, influencers, and do Google searches. Find out what people look for, post, and like. After doing that 30-minutes every day for a week, you’ll start getting only the information you will consume.
Week two, you engage. Like, comment, and share from your current personal profile. Blend in with your target audience and start building relationships. Be genuinely interested in your target audience and finding out what they like.
Week three, you educate. Maybe you have an area of expertise you can share. Offer advice without talking about your idea. In this stage, you also learn from others and ask questions to understand your audience better.
The S.E.E. method helps you figure out what your target audience likes and doesn’t like, what comments, and who are the influencers making an impact in your industry, etc. Check out our detailed show about the S.E.E. method and worksheets that can help you in this phase HERE.
Lock-In Your Brand
The first thing you do is get a domain name. Use a tool like namecheck.com to see if the name you thought of is available. Try to keep it short and simple. No one will find you if you have a complex name.
The second thing is to get your social media channel names. If you can get them to be the same, that’s amazing. If not, add something to the beginning, or the end, it doesn’t have to be a perfect match for your domain name.
At this point you are not putting pretty logos or descriptions, you are only reserving your names. If you can’t get them all to be the same, try to have at least Facebook and Instagram the same, as they are the two most interchanged ones.
Next is branding and logo design. People often think that branding is the colors they’re going to pick and the shape of their logo. But you decide what your brand stands for and how you want to make people feel about it.
“It is not about the colors you like, it’s about everything you want to communicate to your audience.” – Tessa Ashford
Make a mood board that shows all the images that represent your brand and pin down your visuals. On Canva you can find a lot of templates. Finally, you set the tone and decide what you are trying to tell them and how. Are you formal, casual, or fun? What are the benefits your product or app will bring them?
“Be authentic. If you don’t feel the tone you’ve chosen, it will come through in your content.” – Tessa Ashford
Related Reading: Pre-Launch Social Media Secrets – Super Juicy Must-Know Tips
Plan Before You Post
Now you’ve set up your names, profiles, and branding, what can you post? Do your research and find out what questions people are asking and answer them. On Quora or Answer The Public, you can see the exact way people ask questions. It doesn’t have to be about your product, you are just helping out.
The other thing is the questions people SHOULD be asking about your solution and how it will solve their problem. See what is trending at the moment and connect it to your product and activity on social media. Create posts, memes, and videos to see what your audience reacts to the best. Ask them about what they like and don’t like. Get them talking.
And remember, don’t be scared. Get creative and see what happens. There is always a delete button.
The “Idea Pros” at IdeaPros have the resources, experience, and tools to help you at this step or any step in the entrepreneurial journey. We partner with entrepreneurs at any stage and who are ready to invest their ideas. Apply for an interview and let’s explore partnering together.