It's time to embrace social media this year and beyond because it offers the most cost-effective advertising, which is crucial after many statewide shutdowns, and has forced many small business owners to optimize the digital space for finding new leads and clients.

Advertising on Facebook is a vast market, and many businesses are trying to get into it. Advertising can be a puzzling challenge for some of the busiest business owners. Considering how much of our time have we all spent trying to decipher advertising jargon, getting lost in numbers (usually way too high) and battling with rates that seem more expensive than fixing a leaky tap, it’s no wonder so many businesses shy away from the idea of advertising.

Many people are spending a lot of money on Facebook Ads, and very few understand their return on investment. It is a hard platform to break through, but there are ways to succeed.

There isn’t a concrete process every business can follow and, in fact, it can be time-consuming and painful. Not to mention you may have to hire employees to do this for you if you’re running a small business.

That must change and what better way to bring about the change than by talking with Jillian Quandt?

Our guest is Jillian Fraser Quandt, Director of Business Development for MedSpa Marketing Solutions + Vector Solutions. We discuss how Vector Solutions got its start solving a problem that many businesses face: how to convert a lead to a sale?

She talked to us about her experience with how she makes it easy for small businesses with no sales process or closing process, making it easier for small businesses to be successful in their marketing endeavors. She says knowing where the new leads come from is an important part of running a successful business, so you know what kind of advertising is working for you. We discuss businesses' need to be strategic with how they plan out their advertising and sales process.

Businesses can save time and money through automation on Facebook to contact leads and schedule an appointment or a consult, but they may not have the budget for it yet.

So what can a small business owner like you do instead? A good place to start is to sit down and develop a sales and closing process that will make your employees' jobs much easier. That way, they know exactly what they need to do when a phone rings, and it's a new client.

Following up with leads can be a huge time sink, but if you have the right system in place, there is no need. And if you look at who is following up with the leads, so many business owners should become more hands-on in their lead generation.

Taking a good hard look at your process is the most important thing. You probably love a staff member and they may be fantastic at certain aspects of the business, but they are not the best closer. You need to know your conversion rate and close ratios. Because the lead generation funnel gives you the assurance that your business will survive 30, 60, or 90 days out.

Without a sales process that works and without good outsourcing for your marketing, you might try to sell your services with one hand tied behind your back. Sales processes help you work more efficiently and have better service delivery to your existing clients and potential leads.

The best companies keep a plan in place to generate sales instantly, knowing the rate at which their time investment converts. They use tools and a plan, planning the best way to schedule their tasks in order to generate conversions.

Key Takeaways

Being smart about where your money goes and how you partner is much more beneficial than doing it on your own.

You NEED a plan. Plan your leads. Plan your sales funnel. Plan your ad spend and plan your goals and tools.