A Crash Course in Social Media Marketing

Today, I’m giving you the ultimate ten minute crash course in social media marketing. We’re diving into the real differences between traditional marketing (think billboards, sales copy, and campaigns) and the world of social media, where connection, community, and belonging matter more than ever. I’ll share why selling shouldn’t be your primary focus on social platforms and how to shift your mindset to prioritize genuine human connection, because showing up as yourself is the fastest way to grow.

In this episode we’ll be covering:

• How social media marketing is about building connection and belonging, not just making sales.
• Traditional marketing vs Social Media marketing, moving beyond features and benefits into storytelling and connection.
• Social media users want to feel something, seeking entertainment or connection, not just sales pitches.
• Creating content that reflects your core values and personal stories while building trust and authority with followers.
• Mixing humor, tips, and authenticity creates a sense of community and makes your audience feel seen.
• Leading with connection in your content, driving better results on your favorite social platforms.

Featured content in this episode:

• Readyjetroam: Eight apps we never travel without
• _wildgreens: Life with plants
• Elevateetiquette: I may know the difference between

Recommended episodes:

• Episode 032: We All Start at Zero: Embrace Storytelling to Connect with Your Community
• Episode 040: Build More Connections with Everyday Moments
• Episode 054: Is There Enough “You” In Your Content?
• Episode 056: ​​The Reel That Had Me Clicking Buy Immediately
• Episode 067: The Importance of Belonging on Social Media
• Episode 073: Staying Top of Mind with Instagram Stories
• Episode 074: How to Humanize Your Account When You Feel Stuck in Business Mode

If you use the send a message option above, be sure to include your email address if you would like a reply! (Please allow 3-5 business days for a response)

Join me in the Reels Lab!

Love this conversation? Make sure to follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Connect with me on Instagram!

Transcript

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:00]:
I am your host, Shannon McKinstrie. Welcome to Good Content, the podcast where I remove the never ending content creation, guesswork and overwhelm so that you can actually enjoy being on social media again and growing your business with what has always worked. Good Content. All right, guys, this is going to be a crash course in social media marketing and it's a really important conversation to have because it's something that a lot of us, even us marketers like forget. So I'm going to basically tell you everything I've learned in 10 years in about 10 minutes. If you don't know. My background is in communications and marketing.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:40]:
So actually in at Virginia Tech, shout out to the Hokies. Too bad we're horrible at football this season. It's not fun, But I attended 2000-2004, elder millennial up in here and studied marketing, studied communications, took journalism classes, was very active in the TV production studio there, and I started TV production classes in high school. My dream was to be not a journalist, not a reporter. I wanted to be behind the scenes. I wanted to sit in the control room, which I eventually got to do at CNN, which was so cool when I worked at CNN after college in Atlanta. So my background is really what you would say, just like traditional marketing, traditional media, it's very textbook, if you will, right now, even though with Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, everything I teach, it's still very much timeless marketing. It's traditional marketing in a sense, right? But what I think a lot of people don't understand, when you have a marketing team at a corporation or whatever, right? Big company, there's the marketing people that do like campaigns and websites and sales pages and stuff.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:45]:
That's not social media marketing. It is totally different. And that's why you see all those funny tech talks of being like, what kind of marketer are you? Are you like the data da da da person who's like sitting behind the. They're all serious and then it's like, there goes the social media team and they're wearing like silly outfits and walking around with their cameras. It's very different, right? But they also obviously overlap, right? There's still timeless marketing strategies in social media, but let's talk about that, right? So I think what happens is when you first start your business, oftentimes or even if you've been in business a long time, before social media existed, it was sales copy, it was sell, sell, sell, right? Always be closing, right? Every marketing material you put out was to sell was to generate leads, right? It Wasn't to build a community. When you're sending a postcard, getting a billboard, that's not building a community. That's not building a sense of belonging. It's just selling.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:33]:
It's saying, this is what we got, this is who it's for. This is the benefit, this is the features. Da da da da, right? Features, benefits, features, benefits, features, benefits. Then came social media. And if you think about it, think of a company like Nike, they've been doing this forever, right? They've been doing the storytelling they've been doing. So it's almost like all these brilliant pieces of marketing now go together. In social media marketing, of course we need copy that sells, but we also need that sense of belonging. And that's what so much marketing out there didn't do before social media or a lot of people try.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:03]:
But it couldn't quite translate. As quickly as social media allows this to translate is this sense of belonging and this sense of human connection. And that's what happened. Like I said during, I've mentioned a lot, but especially during the pandemic, a lot of people were like, oh, going viral and saying they've got the key to how to grow on Instagram. They cracked the code. And a lot of them were saying traditional marketing tips, which obviously are important to know. But social media is not a sales page. It's just not a caption can read like a sales page.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:35]:
But the reel, the carousel, et cetera, needs to build connection and resonate. So again, social media, we're not really, you know, if we look at a billboard, we look at a, like I said, something in the newspaper or watching a commercial. Now commercials oftentimes do help us feel something, right? That sense of relief, joy, funny, you know, whatever it is. But social media, we really are like, we're picking up our phones to feel something. We're either want to escape whatever it is, right? We're looking to be entertained. So when you remember that people are on social media to feel rather than to be sold to, this will fix everything with your content, literally and every time. And I haven't posted yet today, cause I'm trying to think like, how are my people feeling today? Today it's a Friday about to go into the weekend. The world is, I mean, just there's, it's, it's heavy.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:23]:
Everyone's feeling heavy right now. So I'm like, do people want tips and tricks today or do they want to laugh or what do they want today, right? Like I think about this stuff before I post every day that's why I don't plan too far ahead. I have all my ideas dumped in a Google sheet. I typically know the theme, something I want to talk about, but it's mainly like, what? And that's why this is heavy on my heart today. Cause I'm like most of you listening. I think about 80% of you aren't full time content creators. So you're trying to grow a business. You're trying to post on social, you're watching the news, you're, you're trying to raise a family or be a good, you know, whatever you are in the world.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:52]:
You know, take care of the people around you, whether you're a mom or whatever, whatever, right? You know, maybe you're going through something tragic in your own life yourself, right? And it's like, this should not be the daunting part. Social media should not be the daunting part. Now if you had me sit here and go, Shannon, tap into your old, like, marketing classes and write me a sales page that is, I'm not a sales copywriter. I know how to do it. It's not my specialty. And that's why I think. And this is a side note, like so many people underestimate what social media marketers do and managers do. Which by the way, if you're a social media manager, call yourself something different because that just sounds so admin to people these days.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:26]:
I'm like, what social media managers do is far beyond just posting content and replying to comments, right? We're studying what's working. We're a lot of. Marketing is like a gut instinct, right? We're constantly scrolling for inspo, we're constantly testing, constantly trying, constantly tweaking. It's a lot of fricking work. And if you're a business owner, you know that. So why don't we start realizing what social media really is and have some fun and same for the social media managers out there. This is something that you send to your boss who won't trust you with the content you're producing or suggesting because it's not your typical traditional marketing. It is about feeling, it is about belonging.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:02]:
It is about people's identities. And when you create content that makes people go, that is so me. I, I belong here. I align with this person. That is where they start following. But they also think about you a lot. So this is your sign, right? Start telling more stories, work more storytelling into your content. That's why you're listening to this podcast, because we talk a lot about that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:21]:
Show up as a Human. I get on stories. I don't care if you're a corporation with a hundred people. Show the humans in the company. This is why so many businesses are going crazy. Whether it's a brick and mortar, a product, service, a service based business, they're showing the people, the employees, the staff, or if you're a person like me, it's just you. That's it. I'm on stories at least saying hello and talking about my day.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:41]:
Or I'm not just selling all the time because that's not why we're on social media. Of course we like to buy from TikTok shop, but most of us aren't selling things that are like a $20 sweater. Right? We're like, we're selling bigger ticket items and. Or if you're a realtor and you sell a home, you know, you got to keep that connection going for years because they're probably going to buy for a couple years, right? A lot of our sales processes or the funnel of someone is a lot longer. So that's why social media is so important. You build this connection, you keep coming back for more and you now have a relationship. So again, you're not just creating content when you're posting on social media, you are creating connection. And the more you start treating Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, whatever, TikTok, this way you will grow faster.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:20]:
Okay. And I just wrapped this episode up, but that is basically the crash course. That is it. All these marketing things that you've learned or maybe you did take a marketing class back in the day. I know your, the features of your product or service. Agree. I want to feel connected to you, the creator, the creator of your business and the creator on social. And it's funny, someone in my mastermind that I have with my business partner Emily and dear friend wrote, they're like, well, what can we sell? I'm in launch mode.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:44]:
I'm like, your content needs to look like connection. And then in the caption, hit them with more of the sales copy that reel. Make it be like I am the person. You know, this is, this is the vibe over here. Or share a tip or share something funny. Tell a story. And then in the caption, also stories. I sell them stories all the time.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:01]:
There's. I've got other podcast episodes about that. But just to drive it home, I'm gonna scroll Instagram for just a second and tell you exactly what I mean by feeling. And just to drive it home, what I'm always talking about one of the quickest ways to build Connection with people is we connect with humans and we connect with stories. Right? So here's a perfect example. This is a travel creater. I think it's a husband, wife, team. Yes.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:21]:
It says eight apps we never travel without after seven continents in 94 countries. And then it says, we're surprised how many people don't know about these. This is a carousel, you guys. 27,000. Like, I mean, sorry, comments. And almost every single one of those comments is to opt into what they're selling, which is a free guide. I'm sure it'll be in the show notes. Why does that connect? Because we trust them.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:41]:
It's authority on top of personalization. We're not just saying, hey, here's some apps to travel with. This builds connection while building authority. And it doesn't feel like a sales page. They're saying, hey, you want a little peek into our life as travel people? Here it is. And then they go, hey, in the caption, you want. You want more? And then they sell. That's what I mean.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:01]:
Connection over sales. Yes. Sell, sell, sell, sell. But lead with the connection. And again, who are the people that are going to feel like they belong in that account? People who want to travel and go to different continents. Right. So they like, immediately, like, I belong here. Here's another one.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:15]:
This girl's just did the trend of life with dot, dot, dot, and it says life with plants. And then it shows the difference of her life without plants. And then with. If you're watching any YouTube, you can see it. So many people did this trend and guess what? It led to conversations. Oh, my gosh. Same. I get.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:30]:
It's the vibe. They feel like they belong. If they're into plants, right away, they're gonna see that reel and feel something. So as you can see, it can be humorous content, it can be heard empathetic content. It can be educational content. You make them feel connected to you in your account and that they see themselves in your content, your. Their entire identity. And here I'll end with this one.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:50]:
This is a great one. And this is an etiquette coach. I actually follow her. So no matter what coaching space you're in or therapy, whatever, this is a great one. Just the way she structures it. It's her waiting in line to get on the airplane. It says, I may know the difference between. Again, lead with the word I.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:05]:
I may know the difference between a strawberry fork and an oyster fork, how to eat peas continental style, and what to do if I ever meet royalty. Now, most of us can't relate to that. Ready? But watch. Watch what she does so beautifully. Because she's basically saying, look, I know all this stuff, but, like, you're all welcome here. Ready? Wait for it. Here we go. And it says, but the etiquette I use most often, waiting in line with patience, making thoughtful introductions, listening well, speaking clearly with confidence, and showing up for my friends.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:34]:
And then it says, etiquette isn't simply for fancy occasions. It matters just as much or more in the everyday moments. And the caption says, everyday grace is greater than rules for once in a lifetime. If you're new here, welcome. I hope you'll follow on for more modern etiquette tips for relationships, work and life. That is what I like to call heard content. Right. It makes them feel seen.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:51]:
It just gives you a glimpse into her core values, who she is, what she does. It gives you a sense of belonging. Like, if you want to learn how to, you know, maybe have more grace in everyday life, not just at a royal table, get in here. All right, that is it for this week. I love you, friend. Next time you post content, just ask if this gives some sort of sense of belonging, a reassurance, whatever that is. And obviously binge other episodes that I talk about this. A little more niche in other episodes.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:15]:
But I hope that makes sense as as far as the difference between traditional marketing and social media marketing. Marketing.