From Frustrated to Flourishing: Creating a Social Media Presence for Budget & Time-Strapped Entrepreneurs

Remember that you don’t own the real estate on social media platforms. I’ve seen entrepreneurs evaporate who chose to build their entire online presence on social media platforms.

Many business owners shy away from social media, fearing it's too time-consuming and requires too much effort. I’ve been there. However, as people increasingly use social media to discover products and services, and make buying decisions based on an entrepreneur's presence or lack thereof, none of us can afford to just stick our head in the sand. 

And with a strategic approach, you can maintain an effective online presence without overinvesting time and effort. The key is focusing on simple, authentic content that resonates with your audience, rather than trying to create overly polished, complex posts.

Here’s what to do instead: 

Lesson 1: Post Your Process

Instead of staging video backdrops and searching for the right Instagram filter, do this instead: 

1. Take out your phone and record conversations or recap conversations you’ve had with prospective buyers. Highlight interesting topics or feedback points.

2. Record your process in preparing for client conversations if you’re a B2B consultant, practice sessions if you’re a musician, or going thrift shopping if you’re an online reseller. 

3. Share testimonials about how your product or service is benefitting your customers. 

Post about YOUR authentic process of creating your product or service. It inspires trust from your audience by letting them know you are a real person and giving them a peek into how you’ll work on the products and services that they may purchase from you.

Lesson 2: Pick Your Platform

While you are getting started, choose ONE social media platform or two at the most. Share the aforementioned content using the following posting frequency: 

• 1 post per day. It can be a story, a picture, a quote, etc.

• 1 reel or short-form video per week. It should be 90 seconds or less in duration.

• 1 live video per month

• 1 long-form video per month 

Don’t get caught platform-hopping from one place to another. Choose the social media platform that caters to where your audience is at and that you generally can access with the most ease. Build a following week-by-week on that one platform. 

Also remember that your favorite, most aspirational content creators looked like this in the beginning.

 

Keep it simple. Give yourself time to improve.

Lesson 3: Don’t Use Social Media Alone

There will be varying levels of agreement with what I’m sharing next, and justifiably so. Just remember, this post is designed for new entrepreneurs on a bootstrap budget.

Remember that you don’t own the real estate on social media platforms. I’ve seen entrepreneurs evaporate who chose to build their entire online presence on social media platforms. For example: 

• The algorithm changes and your content stops ranking & getting views

• Shadow banning is a real thing.

• A group of haters begin reporting your content - because that’s what haters do - and you are forced to spend hours upon hours responding to a platform’s administrators about why your posts shouldn’t be banned

For these reasons it is not wise to make social media your ONLY online presence. Even if most people learn about you through social media, establishing a landing page gives them the opportunity to see an attractive one-page site that reinforces what they like about you, gives them the opportunity to purchase something, or provides a way to gather their email or phone so you can follow up with them. 

Affordable landing pages are available through the following service providers' services. The process can be simplified by using premade templates available through services like these, and simply inputting your own text and photos.

1. Carrd

• Price: Free with pro plans starting at $19/year

• Features: Super simple interface, mobile-friendly designs, customizable templates

• Best for: Simple one-page websites or landing pages

2. Mailchimp

• Price: Free for basic features, paid plans starting at $13/month

• Features: Drag-and-drop builder, email marketing integration, analytics

• Best for: Email-focused landing pages

3. Landen

• Price: $29/month (annual plan discounts available)

• Features: Automatically generates landing pages based on your inputs, customization options

• Best for: Entrepreneurs looking for a fast and automated solution

4. Ucraft

• Price: Free with paid plans starting at $10/month

• Features: Drag-and-drop editor, free custom domain, SEO tools

• Best for: Beginners wanting a clean, modern look with minimal effort

5. ConvertKit

• Price: Free with paid plans starting at $9/month

• Features: Designed for creators, integrates with email marketing, clean and simple templates

• Best for: Landing pages for lead generation and email list building

6. Strikingly

• Price: Free with pro plans starting at $12/month

• Features: One-page websites, simple editing tools, mobile-friendly designs

• Best for: Personal brands and service-based businesses

7. Leadpages

• Price: Starting at $37/month

• Features: High-converting templates, A/B testing, integrations with CRM and email tools

• Best for: Entrepreneurs looking for robust features for lead generation

8. Swipe Pages

• Price: Starting at $29/month

• Features: Mobile-optimized landing pages, drag-and-drop builder, analytics

• Best for: High-performance mobile landing pages

9. Systeme.io

• Price: Free with paid plans starting at $27/month

• Features: Sales funnels, email marketing, and automation

• Best for: Entrepreneurs looking for an all-in-one solution

10. Google Sites

• Price: Free

• Features: Easy to use, integrates with Google tools, simple layouts

• Best for: Basic landing pages that require minimal customization

11. HubSpot Free Landing Pages:

• Price: Free (with HubSpot branding)

• Features: Drag-and-drop editor, form and lead capture integration, Integration with HubSpot’s free CRM

Lesson 4: Get a CRM

As you begin gathering contact information from prospects, a free customer relationship management (CRM) tool becomes invaluable. Here is a short list of reasons why adopting a CRM is mission critical for your business: 

Focuses You on Ideal Prospects: Helps you identify and prioritize your ideal or “Class A” prospects over others. Once you have an initial understanding of who your target market is, you need to build relationships with and acquire referrals from your ideal clients and prospects. Remember that everyone may be a potential client, but not everyone is an ideal client:

• Class A Prospects: These prospects are very motivated to buy what you’re offering, they have enough disposable income to easily afford it, and they appreciate your approach to business.

• Class B Prospects: These prospects require some education about how conducting business with you can improve their lives, they have some disposable income, and they’ll arrive on time for appointments. 

• Class C Prospects: These prospects require your assistance, but choose to wait until the brake pads are whittled down to nothing, the engine light is blinking, and the car is spewing exhaust into the atmosphere before they make a buying decision. They cause chaos. Working with them might cost you more than you’re going to earn, and their arriving on time to appointments with you would be a good starting point. 

Systematic Lead Management: Tracks where each lead is in the sales process, preventing disorganization and missed opportunities. After you’ve begun to expand your prospect list from 10 to 50, 50 to 250, and 250 to a 1000 potential clients, it will no longer be feasible to call 1000 people everyday, week, month, or even quarter. You’re going to need a tool that allows you to determine who’s ready to buy versus simply window shopping. 

Enhance Client Relationships: Facilitates personalized communications to customers such as remembering customer birthdays and preferences. Imagine waking up, hitting a button, and just like that one of your employees begins sending personalized messages to customers and prospects reminding them that you exist, promoting a discount or program, or offering some timely advice or suggestion. How good would it feel knowing that you are top of mind for customers because you remember the details like their birthdays and favorite things?

There are many more reasons why a CRM can literally transform your business from 4 figures per month to a 5 or 6 figure income earning business. Read the following article for a deeper dive: How a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) Can Help You Build a Customer Base | Substack

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