Introduction: Likes Don't Pay Bills by Chris Oberg
Your customers are on social media, but how do you find them? You need the right strategies, so they'll stop the scroll. The book Likes Don't Pay Bills: How to Leverage Social Media to Get Leads and Customers by Chris Oberg provides a concise guide to social media marketing. It’s ideal for entrepreneurs and small businesses because they don’t have the budgets that larger companies have. The author breaks the five most common myths about social media marketing and outlines how to use social media to your advantage.
Chris Oberg's strategies work for any social media platform, regardless if you have 50 or 50k followers. This book is a must-read if you want to learn how to leverage social media to build your platform and grow your customer base.
Summary of Likes Don't Pay Bills by Chris Oberg
In Likes Don't Pay Bills, Chris Oberg presents five myths, then debunks them.
Myth 1: Your Followers Care about You
Your number of followers is not a great metric to use in terms of social media marketing. Because someone likes your post on social media doesn't mean they like or even care about you. They don't have an emotional connection with you. Going back to the basics, what does it really mean for people to care about you?
When you care about someone, you're empathetic towards them and also have compassion for them. You touch the person emotionally. If your message meets someone where they are, you can create a bond with them. Reach them unexpectedly. If you can communicate with them your understanding of their hopes, dreams and fears, they will picture your relationship as if it were real.
When you create a post, don't create it for yourself. Have your audience in mind. That means that you have to know who your audience is. Define your audience and what they hope to get from you. Use the vocabulary of your audience in your messaging. Be real and address their pain points. Listen to the feedback they're giving you.
Learn about what your audience cares about. Where do they hang out? Show up there and talk to them regularly. They don't care about you; they care about themselves. What pain do they have? Your job is to create a product that gets rid of the pains.
Have you read?
The Art of Social Media by Guy Kawasaki & Peg Fitzpatrick, Book Review
Social Media Myths BUSTED by Laura Rubinstein, Book Review
Myth 2: More Likes and Shares are Better
When you get a lot of shares and likes on social media, it makes you feel good about yourself. And it could also feel gratifying. You want your post to go viral because it will probably make you money. Likes won't pay your bills or help to put food on your table. You want people to act because of what you post. Engagement is not enough.
“That emotion, feeling or interest is what will prompt them to take action.”
You're simply generating awareness when someone likes or shares your post. But that's not enough. Do research to identify who you should be targeting. What are the likes and dislikes of this group? Provide information that will evoke an emotional response. When you target people who you can connect with, you will more likely convert them to customers.
Focus on quality versus quantity. Quantity is important, but you have to strike the right balance with quality. Quality content makes it easier for followers to connect with what you have to say. Don't focus on likes. Instead, focus on the traffic that goes to your website.
Myth 3: There Is So Much Noise, I Need to Find the Best Hack to Break Through
There's a lot of noise on social media. How do you cut through all that noise? Connect with people and take the conversation off social media. It goes back to your target audience – who you're selling to. What product will solve the problem this group has? Listen to what your audience is telling you. Your audience wants to know that they're important to you. Be your real self online and offline.
When you take the time to get to know your audience, you can create content about things important to them. Consistently share the same message. You'll establish yourself as trustworthy, reliable, and knowledgeable.
Myth 4: Post X Times per Day at Exactly X O’clock
If people are interested in what you have to say, they'll follow you and listen to what you have to say. You'll discover the best time to post when you understand the habits and social media routines of your audience. With social media, of course, your goal should be to gain the most engagement within the first few hours of posting.
Myth 5: My Product Doesn’t Sell – Fix It with More Ads
Social media ad campaigns are not necessarily the solution to selling more products. Focus on meeting a need. Also, provide excellent customer service. People like to feel important and respected.
Using Social Media to Build Your Platform
It's important to use social media to build a platform that you own and control. Use social media to grow your email list. You want people to sign-up for your email list. This is important because you own your email list. Find active and relevant groups in your niche. People in groups share a common interest, so they'll bring you to your target audience.
Use Instagram feed and stories. Optimize your profile page. Add your niche keywords to your headline. And the URL should link back to a sign-up page.
Use Instagram as a tool to grow your business. Create content for your following and not scrolling through your feed. The author, Chris Oberg recommends that you not use paid as if you're new to social media. Research before you start any ad campaign.
In terms of what to post on social media for your business, the following are some ideas.
- Before and after photos: These are great for weight loss and home decoration.
- Behind the scenes photos: Share photos of what happens when you're working.
- How-to posts: Show how you do something and make sure it appeals to your target audience.
- Tips articles: How to save time and money, and quick hacks are very popular.
If you're not getting leads, that simply means that the tactic you're using is ineffective. Take a step back to ask and answer the question, “Am I providing value to my customers?” Create a profile for your ideal customer. You may also want to survey your customers to find out what they want, then provide it to them.
Using Social Media to Grow Your Email List
You want to have a list of people who want to hear from you. The author doesn't like the idea of building an email list. He prefers providing an email list. You're providing something to your subscribers, so you're thinking about their needs. This also forces you to become more interesting. Providing also puts the focus on connecting with subscribers.
To get people to sign up for your list, give them something they want. Talk to them on social media to find out what they want. Engage with them. Comment on their posts and send them direct messages, and answer their questions. Have a good lead magnet and an email sequence sent out in one to two weeks.
Conclusion: Likes Don't Pay Bills by Chris Oberg
Likes Don't Pay Bills: How to Leverage Social Media to Get Leads and Customers by Chris Oberg is a valuable resource for businesses looking to use social media to drive sales and revenue. The author provides an approach to social media marketing, covering everything from identifying the most effective platforms and setting measurable goals to developing a content strategy and tracking ROI.
Next Steps
- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
- Download Unlock Your Genius Reading Tips Worksheet
- Join the Art of Learning Membership Site
- Buy and Read Likes Don't Pay the Bills by Chris Oberg
If you want access to my Bookish Notes, please consider joining my membership site, the Art of Learning.
This post contains affiliate links and The Invisible Mentor® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
