How to Make Social Media Work for Your Business
Are you a small business owner struggling to make social media work for your business? Lori shares her expert tips on how to increase your social media visibility and make money for your business.
Lori says having engaging content and great videos is key to becoming visible on social media. However, she reminds us not to get caught up in the numbers and to stay focused on the ultimate goal of getting clients and making money. To do this, she suggests setting clear goals for your business and aligning your social media presence with those goals.
Lori emphasizes the importance of having a long-term strategy for social media and using it to make yourself visible in a positive way. She encourages small business owners to be themselves and share their unique brand message across all social media platforms.
To reach her target audience of midlife entrepreneurs, Lori creates consistent content and ensures her messaging is consistent across all social media platforms. She also stresses the importance of having a website that she owns, as social media is considered rented real estate.
Lori suggests participating in online communities, attending meetups, and networking events to expand your audience and increase visibility for your business. However, she reminds listeners to make sure they are getting a return on their investment and seeing results such as gaining clients and making money.
Social media can be a polarizing topic, but it’s a necessary tool for businesses in today’s age. Follow these tips to make social media work for your business while staying true to yourself. And don’t forget to check out Lori’s freebie, messy marketing.com, and her private Facebook group, Make Your Marketing Simple, for more marketing tips and support from like-minded business owners.
Resources:
Are you frustrated that your business isn’t growing? Messy to Magnetic: Unlocking the Secret to Effective Marketing is a free course that goes over the top 10 mistakes small business owners make with attracting their ideal client and converting those clients to leads. Click here for your free gift!
Join Lori’s private Facebook group – Make Your Marketing Simple. Lori interviews her guests in the group (giving you advance listening!) and has a community of small business owners just like yourself to connect and grow their businesses. Join now!
Schedule a Website Biz Accelerator. Answer just a few questions and Lori will audit your website for the ONE biggest change you can make to your site to get more clients. Schedule here.
Transcript:
00:00 Introduction and overview
01:30 What visibility really means for business owners
04:45 Good visibility vs confusing visibility
07:00 Using social media strategically, not reactively
09:40 Setting clear visibility goals and audience focus
12:45 Creating content that supports your goals
15:30 Building consistency across profiles and communities
18:40 Measuring success and defining ROI
19:56 Wrap up and next steps
00:00 Introduction and overview
Welcome to the Encore Entrepreneur Podcast. For those of us that weren’t born with smartphones in our hands, we’ve been in other careers and now we’re coming back for an encore, taking the stage for another bow with the business of our dreams. I’m Lori Lyons, your host, and I’ve been fired, hired, quit, laid off, made redundant, and everything in between before finally finding the business of my dreams as a marketing strategist and digital marketer. I hope you’re motivated and inspired to take on those challenges that will expand and grow your business. Enjoy the show.
Hi there, and welcome. I’m so glad you’re here. Today, we’re going to talk about something that people love to hate—or hate to love—social media. But we’re going to talk about it from a visibility standpoint and from a making-money standpoint. A lot of business owners spin their wheels on social media, and it’s not doing anything for their business. So let’s talk about how to become visible in ways that actually work.
01:30 What visibility really means for business owners
Recently, I was in a meeting where a social media manager shared that one of her clients had a TikTok that went viral with over six million views. Very impressive. But my thought was, how many clients did she get from that six million views? Did she make any money from it?
As business owners, visibility should connect directly to our goals. Getting followers and likes feels exciting, but we need to ask whether those numbers lead to clients and revenue. Visibility is valuable only if it attracts the right people who want to work with us.
04:45 Good visibility vs confusing visibility
Visibility looks different depending on your goals. Do you want to promote your brand, a specific product, or an idea? Or maybe highlight a speaking event?
There’s someone I know who’s extremely good at what she does, but her recent visibility has taken a strange turn—talking about topics unrelated to her business. It’s creating confusion for her audience. So, is that good visibility?
You want your visibility to stay aligned with your business goals. Whether or not you choose to share personal beliefs, your public messaging should reinforce your professional purpose.
07:00 Using social media strategically, not reactively
As a marketing strategist, I tell clients they need to be on social media. But I’ll admit, I’ve let mine slide. I’ve now hired a team to help me stay consistent and on-brand.
My current goal isn’t immediate sales—it’s visibility. I want to make sure my voice and content are consistent across platforms. The same is true for this podcast. Reaching more than a hundred episodes proves my commitment and credibility, but now I’m using social media to expand that visibility even further.
When you approach visibility with intention, every post, podcast, and collaboration builds your authority and connects you to your ideal audience.
09:40 Setting clear visibility goals and audience focus
I’ve realized I want to be visible in ways that lead to speaking engagements and deeper business growth. My long-term goal is to stand on a stage with people I’ve inspired and helped transform their businesses.
My target audience is midlife entrepreneurs over 50—people restarting after corporate careers or building something new after becoming empty nesters. Many face age bias in hiring, but entrepreneurship gives them freedom and purpose. I want my brand to say: If I can do it, you can too.
That message defines both my visibility and my marketing direction.
12:45 Creating content that supports your goals
Visibility requires consistent content. Whether written or spoken, your words build recognition. Make sure your content reflects your message and goals.
Success is when visibility leads to tangible outcomes—clients, opportunities, speaking gigs. For me, ultimate success is standing on my own stage, hosting my own event, and seeing the people who followed my message show up in person.
That’s what visibility should do—turn attention into connection.
15:30 Building consistency across profiles and communities
To make social media work, keep your profiles updated and consistent. Use the same photo across all platforms so people recognize you instantly.
Participate in online communities. Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, and professional networks like eWomen can all increase your reach. Collaborate with others—share audiences through podcast swaps, live sessions, or events. Collaboration multiplies visibility and introduces you to new potential clients.
18:40 Measuring success and defining ROI
No matter how much engagement you get, visibility must lead to results. Are you getting clients? Are you making money? If not, it’s time to adjust your strategy.
Social media isn’t going anywhere, so we have to make it work for our businesses. Visibility should always align with who you are, how you serve, and where you want to go.
19:56 Wrap up and next steps
If you’re a business owner struggling with marketing mistakes, visit messymarketing.com to grab the top ten mistakes entrepreneurs make.
You’re also welcome to join my private Facebook group, Make Your Marketing Simple, where we’re building a community of like-minded business owners who remember carbon paper and typewriters.
Thanks for listening. We bring new shows weekly—subscribe, rate, and check back soon.