In the first instalment of this special, three-part article, we introduced you to the marketing and sales funnel.
We set the scene by talking you through the different stages of the funnel, which is essentially the journey all of your prospects take before ultimately deciding to choose you or your competitors. Funnel aside, we also provided you with some practical social media for photography brands tactics to help you stand out from the crowd on socials.
To quickly recap, the first phase of the marketing and sales funnel is referred to as the ‘Top of the Funnel’ (TOFU). It’s the awareness and recognition stage, when people are doing their research on the possible products and/or services they need to help solve their challenges.
The Next Phase Is the ‘Middle of the Funnel’ (Mofu). At This Stage, Prospects:
- Recognise they have a problem or a need they want to solve.
- Have moved from research mode into solution-finding mode.
- Are one step closer to becoming a customer (hopefully, your customer).
- Are almost ready to make a purchasing decision.
- Tend to be more receptive to content/wider marketing tactics.
Generally speaking, TOFU social media and wider digital strategy is centred around educating prospects and showing them the different ways they can tackle their problems.
While your MOFU digital strategy goes one step further by showing them why they should select your products or services. It’s at this point that potential customers consider and evaluate the various different options available to them in greater detail.
3 Social Media Tactics for Helping Prospects Evaluate Their Options:
#1: Evidence of How Great You Are
You know how good you are, but unfortunately, your potential customers don’t know it (yet). What better way to demonstrate your skills and products than by sharing case studies from existing or past customers. Create video testimonials from satisfied customers and share them all on your social channels or ask them to leave a review on your Facebook page or Google My Business profile.
#2: Share a Real-Life Glimpse of Your Company
Use pictures, MOFU-focused blogs and video footage of you and your team in action and promote them on your social media feeds. As a photography brand, your audience resonates with high-quality images and video content and so this is worth investing in. In doing so, your personality and the way that you work will shine through, and you’ll become more than just another company name for people to choose from.
#3: Tell People How You Can Solve Their Challenges
At the end of the day, prospects are looking for something (ideally you) to solve their challenges. But they won’t know if and how you can help them if you don’t tell them. If you’ve mapped out your buyer personas and their pain points and challenges, then you’re three-quarters of the way to completing this action. Now all that’s left to do is create content, be it Q&A blogs, videos or informative guides, that specifically tackle your audience’s problems. And use your social media channels to let them know this insight exists.
3 Wider Digital Strategy Tactics for Encouraging Prospects to Choose You:
#1: Set up an Email Marketing Campaign
Your prospects are aware of you, which is great, but you don’t want them to overlook or forget about you. If you’re fortunate enough to have their contact details, then one of the best ways you can get to the forefront of their mind is to send them a targeted email marketing campaign that addresses their pain points and, more crucially, explains how you can help. Don’t forget to include plenty of proof points (e.g. case studies and testimonials) too.
#2: Give People a Sample of What It’s Like to Work with You
In addition to showing people how you operate via behind-the-scenes video clips and imagery, if possible, offer them a free sample of your products or services. Perhaps you can run free demos of your software, offer free trial sessions or a complimentary initial one-to-one booking with you, so they can discuss their requirements directly. In doing so, you’ll start to establish a relationship with your prospects, showcase your expertise and encourage them to buy into you.
#3: Show How You Stack Up against Your Competitors
There’s nothing like a hard sell to put customers off, but what about if you take more of a subtle approach that’s not so much in people’s faces? What we mean by this is, taking what your competitors do and then showing your prospects how you compare. This can be done in the form of videos, blogs, infographics or wider content that highlights your USPs, ethos, vision and values, without having to specifically mention your competitors. Your skills and expertise will naturally come through.
So there we have it. An overview of what MOFU marketing looks like, as well as some practical social media for photography company pointers and wider digital marketing strategy tactics. You’re halfway there now, the next phase is the ‘Bottom of the Funnel’ (BOFU), which we will focus on in the last instalment of this article.
Before you go, check out this Fotospeed case study. It showcases that when implemented correctly, social media for photography companies, combined with Q&A-type content, freebies and imagery, can really pay off. We have generated over 100 pieces of media coverage for Fotospeed and achieved a 25% increase in web traffic, 11% of which has come from their social media activity which we manage.
