Advertising is one of the most important things you can do for your business. Some would argue that is THE most important thing you can do for your business. How can anyone know who you are or what you do if you don’t tell them?
"Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark.
You know what you are doing, but nobody else does." – Steuart Henderson Britt
In our current digital era, advertising on social media is a requirement for every business. It’s no longer optional. It’s the "light" you must turn on in order to be seen. Which light you turn on depends on your business, location, and customers. The obvious first picks are Facebook and Instagram, but there are dozens to choose from, and some will fit your business better than others.
That leads me to today’s Spotlight Project: Posting & Advertising on the Social Media Platform, Nextdoor.
In case you are not aware of Nextdoor, it is a social media app designed to connect neighbors to their neighborhoods—including the people, businesses, and public services. It relies heavily on neighbor-to-neighbor connections, tags, and recommendations. It's a smart, low-cost way to build your local business by word of mouth.
My Spotlight shines on Joshua Bivens, owner-operator of Porterhouse Lawn. He grew his business using the Nextdoor app from a handful of customers to a thriving business in just under 5 years. Clearly, this social media app was a good choice for his business model.
Bivens reached out to me for help creating 4-5 posts that he could rotate on the Nextdoor neighborhood app. He intended to use these posts in between his paid advertisements called, Local Deals. But, after reviewing the Nextdoor policies for business posting, we realized that he would be missing out on some serious free advertising if we stuck to that original plan.
Nextdoor is unique in that it allows businesses to post 2x a month for FREE! They have strict rules about what you can post in those spots, but they are an amazing opportunity to be in front of potential customers 24 times a year for FREE!
Seasonal Content Marketing
Instead of rotating 4-5 generic posts, I recommended that we create 24 unique posts to highlight different aspects of his services based on seasons. Then, we could rework those posts to use on his other digital marketing assets, such as Facebook and Instagram. This updated plan would give Bivens the ability to stay "Top of Mind" throughout the year—on multiple platforms at once.
The goal of these types of Nextdoor posts is to stay connected with current and potential customers through authentic interactions—NOT through advertising. This is, by definition, Content Marketing, and it’s a very powerful tool to build brand trust and loyalty.
There are a million ways to connect with your customers that aren’t "selling," and some will work better for you and your audience than others. If you need some ideas, check out the ones Nextdoor recommends.
Nextdoor Business Post Suggestions
Give Useful Tips, Tricks, and Hacks
Share Good News
Awards
Employee of the Month
Customer Highlight or Success Story
Anniversary
Share Updates
New Product/Service
Special Event
New Employee
New Location/ Grand Re-Opening
Interior Updates/Remodeling
Share Backstory or Deep Dive
Who You Are & Why You Started Your Business
Behind the Scenes Tour
Employee Highlight
Customer Interaction
Challenge or Contest w/ Hashtags & Prizes
Join a Social Cause/Fundraiser
If you follow Nextdoor’s guidelines and suggestions for Business Posts, not only will you have great content for Nextdoor, but you will also have great content to use on your other social media assets as well. Of course, you will need to tailor the content to fit the rules and regulations of each platform, but you will have the bulk of the work done before you even begin!
And, as always, if you need help creating the content for Nextdoor or other platforms, you know who you can contact! Your friendly neighborhood copywriter is just a click or call away!
Welcome to my blog. Here I share tips for small businesses, copywriting tips, thoughts on marketing strategies, and fun ideas for growing your business.
I offer copywriting services for websites, digital marketing, print media, content marketing, and editing.
I'd love to hear how I can help build your business better with words!
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