The latest in our series of exclusive Q&As is from Ola Agbaimoni, founder of Eélan Media – a social media marketing consultancy for small business owners and holistic therapies. Here’s a preview of some of the topics she’ll be covering in her Business Clinic session at the show.
Ola is the social media trainer for Holistic Therapist Magazine and has over 15 years’ experience in managing marketing campaigns and strategic planning. She is also a certified coach, NLP practitioner and an accomplished author.
Who or what has been the biggest influence on your career?
My career spans many years, and a few different disciplines. In terms of who has been my biggest influence in running a social media marketing company, it’s Kim Garst - she is an American entrepreneur who has been successfully running a social media company for over 20 years, and listed by Forbes as the 7th most influential social media person in the world. I love her business model and the fact that she’s a mum who started everything from her kitchen table. I aspire to do what she’s done in America here in the UK. The most inspiring person in terms of reaching my goals has to be Oprah Winfrey. I love everything about her. She speaks to my soul.
What do you love most about your work?
Solving problems - I am the world’s biggest ‘sorter-outer’, if that’s a word. That’s why I am known as the business detective. I solve problems like Sherlock Holmes, uncovering what is hidden in plain sight. But I also love helping people to find solutions for themselves. I find it so satisfying helping someone to get unstuck in a way that doesn’t say that they are wrong or stupid for not seeing the solution. That’s the coaching part of what I do.
What are the biggest challenges for small businesses/sole practitioners trying to build a brand presence online?
The biggest challenge is that it takes time - small businesses/sole practitioners typically don’t have the resources to speed things up, i.e paying for traffic via google ads or social media, the way that big businesses can. Building a presence online for small businesses is all about engagement and building relationships so your audience gets to know, like and trust you. Which means that they are happy to be part of your community and are interested in what you have to say, and what you have to offer. That’s why I refer to it as a business HUG - this means hearing, understanding and providing incredible value. If you HUG your audience, when they HUG you back it means them becoming loyal fans who share your content and become customers who rave about you. Like any good relationship you can’t expect to do it over night. It can take anything from 9 months to 2 years. The challenge for small businesses is sticking with it.
What are your top three tips for using social media to grow a business?
Engage don’t broadcast - that is know what your audience are interested in, what problems they have and engage with them about these things rather than pushing your sales message 100% of the time
Be interesting, inspiring, amusing, and informative. Provide content that is of incredible value for free. Don’t be afraid to give your best information away for free. The more you are like this, the more people will want to engage and share your stuff. This will help grow your audience much faster.
Don’t try to be everywhere or all things to all people. ‘You can’t boil the ocean’ is a saying in marketing. You can however boil a cup of water. Set yourself clear goals, be clear about who your audience is, what problem you want to solve for them and where they are - i.e. what platforms they are using. Then concentrate on using one or two, three at the most, well. Test and measure the responses to everything you do, so you can do more of what works and cut out what doesn’t.
What is the one thing you want camexpo visitors to take away from your business clinic session?
Social media marketing isn’t magic (indeed nothing in marketing is magic), it doesn’t work over night. But it does work. It’s the 21st century engagement channel that can connect you to your ideal customers more easily than at any other point in history. Making it part of your marketing strategy is a wise investment, if you invest in it wisely.
Social media is not only here to stay, it is continually evolving. It is a real opportunity to put back the heart and people into business. It’s a two way communication which means that the relationship between customer and business owner is more evenly balanced than it’s been for years. Small business owners, especially those in CAM, should see it as a real opportunity to reach qualified customers seeking personalised services.
Ola Agbaimoni will be discussing ‘Want more customers? - give them a HUG: The real secret to attracting and converting customers using social media! at 12:00pm on Saturday 26 September in camexpo’s Business Clinic.
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