In this solo podcast episode, Ruth Kusemiju (Social Media Boss Lady) reflects on the past year before introducing a four‑level marketing framework designed to help entrepreneurs cut through the noise of endless strategies, tactics, initiatives and action steps. She defines each level—strategy (the big‑picture umbrella such as digital marketing), tactics (the specific channel or method like social media), initiatives (the concrete decision to start using a tool, e.g., Instagram) and action steps (the granular, time‑bound tasks needed to execute the initiative). Using an Instagram‑setup example, she walks listeners through how to translate a high‑level strategy into daily to‑do items, emphasizing the need to prioritize and schedule the top three actions that align with the chosen strategy and tactics. After encouraging listeners to share their own 4‑level plans, she pivots to a discussion on the critical role of LinkedIn in a professional career, citing extensive usage and recruiter statistics to underscore its value. Ruth then promotes her LinkedIn‑profile optimization service, providing contact details and a brief outline of the process. The episode ends with a call‑to‑action for listeners to engage via email, a form, or social media.
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Hi there, this is Social Media Boss Lady on episode 7 of Marketing Tactics for Entrepreneurs. Yay, it's December! We are winding the year down. I mean, year 2020, we are winding down. Nostalgic but happy. And, um, a lot has happened this year from January till now. Good days, bad days, disappointments, ups and downs, heartbreaks. Yes, happy moments, meeting new clients, getting rid of problematic ones. And what else? So many things have happened this year, and it just makes me think. Realize and feel grateful for everything I've been through as a person. I can definitely say that where I am now, I wasn't there maybe ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fifteen, sixteen months ago because every day we learn, every day we grow, every day we add some. Something to our lives that makes us better. Sometimes it makes us worse, but all the same, it's for our own growth, our own development, our own future, to help us course through life and learn the valuable lessons from it. Okay, so today, um, I actually have been rummaging through my mind what to, um, do today on today's podcast. But I mean, I had so many options, but I, I just decided that, okay, you know what, let's take it one step at a time. Let's take it one day at a time. Definitely we can't cram everything into one episode, so we're definitely going to be having different episodes coming in and out, back and forth, and just ensuring that each person, as you listen to each episode, you go away with something tangible, something valuable that you can add to your business to help you skyrocket your growth, to help you advance, to help you think better, to help you act better, and so on. And definitely, I'm sure you'll let me know as time goes on, this different changes your testimonials and all. Okay, so, um, basically when it comes to marketing, there are 4 things that, um, you need for focus on. You could call it 4 levels, you could call it 4 stages, you could call it whatever, 4 steps. But there are 4 things majorly that you need to focus on, and these 4 levels are strategy, tactics, initiatives, action steps. I'll go over it— we'll go over it again. Strategy, tactics, initiatives, action steps. So I'll give you an example. So when you hop on a webinar, right, when you ask your mastermind group for help, or even when you start searching the web for answers or tools to grow your business, the number one source of overwhelm is when you hear, read, or listen to a whole bunch of strategies, a whole bunch of tactics, a whole bunch of initiatives, a whole bunch of action steps. And you honestly do not know, cannot tell, won't be able to actually spot the difference. And the fact is that there are 3 reasons really why this short-circuits your brain. Yeah, because I mean, it's mind-boggling. Like if one of my friends would say it's like mind-boggling and all that, I think it's a word he likes to use every time. So there are 3 reasons why. One is that you can't do all, right? 2 is that you can't prioritize or figure out how to think about them. 3, you can't distinguish why or how it might help your particular business. So I'm going to go through these 4 steps for you, give you vivid pictures how each of these 4 levels, 4 steps— this strategy, tactic, initiative, and action steps— how they play a big major role in your marketing in your business. Okay, now a strategy basically is a big picture area of your business. It could be a marketing strategy, it could be a sales strategy, it could be a financial strategy. So let's say, because you know me as a social media boss lady, definitely I'm going to be using social media examples for you. Okay, so let's say you come across someone who tells you on Instagram, who tells you that Instagram— well, basically tells you on Instagram or tells you on any platform really. Let's— but let's just stick with Instagram. Tells you that Instagram is an amazing marketing platform and that you're really missing out if your business is not on Instagram. And, and, um, I go ahead to tell you that I'm using it and it fits my business beautifully. And definitely you respect what I tell you and you admire how successful I have been. And then you're thinking, oh my, oh my God, oh man, this, this is all about Instagram, Instagram, Instagram, Instagram. So you're not thinking that, okay, so if the Social Media Boss Lady built her business on Instagram, I can probably also build my business on Instagram. Hold on, so let's back up and analyze that as far as the 4 levels of marketing go. Okay, so, um, let's take the general umbrella. Let's— what we all know as online marketing, internet marketing, digital marketing. Okay, so let's look at it this way. Now, digital marketing, look at it as the strategy. In other words, digital marketing, internet marketing, online marketing, all one and the same thing, just synonyms of each other. It's the big giant umbrella over Instagram. Okay, now that's the strategy aspect. Now the tactic would be social media, because there's a lot going on via the internet, via, uh, social media. I mean, for people that are not on social media, there's a lot going on on the internet. So for example, um, SEO, which of you that don't know what SEO is, that's search engine optimization. Don't worry, I definitely would do a podcast on explaining SEO and benefits to your business. So for example, SEO, your website, the structure of your web presence, blogging, podcasting, email marketing, dozens of online marketing strategies. Social media just happens to be one bucket under that. So social media is like the tactic. So I, I look at strategy as the thinking, and then social media— um, so I'm sorry, I look at digital marketing or online marketing and internet marketing as a strategy, and then the tactic is, um, how you tend to implement this strategy, which is using social media. Okay, so the initiative you would have as a business owner would be that I'm going to start using Instagram. Okay, so you see how I've gone from strategy to tactic and then to initiative. So basically I'm on the third level. So you say, I'm going to start using Instagram, I'm going to start understanding it. I might read a book, I might go to some websites, I'm going to grab a copy of Instagram 101 or Using Instagram for Business. I mean, all those fabulous resources are out there and they are out there for free. Now the action step would be, which would be level 4 or step 4, is that the action step always takes the form of a verb or noun or date. So your action steps could be like, okay, I'll set up my Instagram account by maybe Wednesday, I'll prepare my first 10 posts by Friday, then find 25 influential people to follow in my industry by Saturday, and and maybe implement the $1.80 strategy on growing my Instagram page. Then another action step could be I would identify top 5 hashtags to attract prospects by Monday. Or then our next, um, action step could be I could set up buffer.com or hootsuite.com to schedule my posts by next week Wednesday. So all these are basically action steps, and the action steps can also go on your calendar. So it really takes it down to what are you doing today? What's your priority action list today? I mean, your to-do list could be 50 things, it could be 40, it could be 30, it could be 10, it could be 12, it could be 5. But what, but what are your top 3 most important things that you need to do based on the strategies that you've selected, based on the tactics that you've chosen, based on the initiatives that you designed? What are the action steps to put on your calendar and get it done? So basically, you need these 4 levels in any aspect of marketing that you do in your business, from strategy to tactic to initiative and then to action steps. So right there, I mean, just trying to unpack those 4 levels, um, those 4 stages or the 4 steps using an Instagram account opening example, you definitely would have gotten some insights through which you can start to filter and sort out all the numerous thousands and hundreds of millions of ideas, um, notes, and all those webinars that you've listened to, all those tactics and tools and lightbulb moments, aha moments, all those nuggets and sound bites that you may have swirling or twirling in your head. And on your someday maybe list, you can begin to filter through and sort through. So if you can start to sort them into these 4 levels— strategy, tactic, initiative, and action step— you actually get a much clearer picture, a much clearer vision of all— or not just for all, but for all your marketing going forward this week, this month, And even for the rest of your professional career. Yeah. So how will you put the 4 levels of marketing to work in your business this week? What strategies, what tactics, what initiatives and action steps are you working on? I mean, you can hit me a reply on this podcast or reach out to me on my Instagram handle, um, Social Media Boss Lady, or LinkedIn or Twitter or Facebook. I really want to know, and definitely I read every single reply that you write. So I'm waiting to hear from you. So basically, that's it today on the 4 levels of marketing in your business. And this is Social Media Boss Lady on episode 7, signing out, and I'll see you on the next episode for marketing tactics. For entrepreneurs. But wait, don't go anywhere. I have just a little— not surprise, but a little question to ask you, something to tell you that's very, very important. So stay tuned and I'll see you just in a couple of seconds. Once upon a time, you graduated from college, from university, and someone told you you should really have a LinkedIn profile. It's like Facebook but for your career. And you said, oh yeah, that does seem like a good idea, and then you signed up. So let's fast forward many years and you haven't touched your LinkedIn profile since. Or maybe you've added in a job here and there when you made a switch, But well, let's just say that LinkedIn hasn't gotten as much of your love as Instagram. But now you're an early or mid-career professional who may be facing a job search in the near future. I mean, right now we are heading— we are in a down economy. Society's needs are changing, and maybe in the midst of this, of it all, even if your job is secure, you are just ready for a change. So first things first, do you really need to care about LinkedIn in your professional career? The short answer is yep, you really, really, really do. 5 reasons, Google it. 2, networking. 3, career switching. 4, recruiters. And 5, job postings. Did you know that there are a total number of 467 million LinkedIn users? And of this 467 million, 13 million— 133 million actually are from the US. And 86% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find candidates. Not only that, 90% of these recruiters definitely also use LinkedIn for candidate screening. There are 44,000 job applications submitted on LinkedIn every single day. LinkedIn has a total of 106 million active users, and every second members join LinkedIn. 40 million students and recent college graduates are on LinkedIn. 3 million active job listings are on LinkedIn. 44% of LinkedIn users earn more than $75,000 per year. 25 million LinkedIn profiles are viewed by recruiters each day. LinkedIn profiles with photos get 21 times more profile views, and LinkedIn users that list skills on their profiles get 13 times more profile views. So basically, are you convinced that a LinkedIn profile is worth your time, and are you ready to give your profile the makeover it needs to stand out? So let's get to work. It's high time to take, take care of your LinkedIn profile. So basically, don't torture yourself and just leave this boring task to professional LinkedIn profile writers. So how do you get started? I offer a service that goes through your LinkedIn profile with you to identify and improve on the areas where it is not fulfilling its potential, and then I also support you in your goals for your participation on LinkedIn. So if you'd like to inquire about setting up a session, then simply email me at socialmediabosslady@gmail.com. I'll say that again: socialmediabosslady@gmail.com. I will be in touch with, uh, with the pre-session questions to ensure that we make the best use of the time as well as organize a suitable time for the session. Well, alternatively, if you can't email me, you could just complete the short form via the link below in the episode notes with a couple of lines about, um, what you like your profile to achieve for you, and I will get straight back to you. So that's This is Social Media Boss Lady signing out, and I will see you very soon. Bye.
