Marketing your business on social media can be daunting, whether you’re just starting out or you’re trying to optimize your ad performance to take your business to the next level.

With algorithms constantly changing, new platforms taking off and stale advice still making the rounds, running a successful ad campaign on social can seem impossible,

But social media also gives you the ability to get incredibly specific in who you’re marketing to and how you’re connecting with them in a way that no other outlet can.

Jeraud Norman of Jeraud Marketing joins India to discuss why social media marketing is so powerful, along with tips and best practices so your ads get you in front of your people, not lost in the noise.

In this discussion:

• The homework you need to do before you place your first ad

• Tactics that just don’t work in today’s social advertising marketplace

• The metrics that let you write your own paycheck

• How to approach advertising on multiple platforms

Meet Jeraud

Jeraud Norman started working in the shipyard industry in 2003 in the Newport News apprenticeship building aircraft carriers and submarines. He rose through the ranks, but was often met with opposition because he didn't understand the politics of this industry.

He thought that having integrity and pride in your work and getting it done right, would elevate his career. He was very wrong. 

He tried starting side hustles, but they never fully took off. 

In May of 2012, Jeraud and his son were hit by an 18 wheeler truck. He lost his job, his house, and accumulated mountains of debt. 

Along the journey, he tried many things to take care of his family before starting his marketing agency, Jeraud Marketing where the motto is "We Turn Strangers Into Customers Using Paid Social Media Ads." Jeraud Marketing has now generated millions in revenue for their clients.

The power of intentionally growing with social media ads

Jeraud chooses to focus his business on social media marketing because he wants to help businesses get their products and services in front of the right people, “without having to run from place to place, to place, to meet people.”

India notes that for so many people, optimizing or even just getting started with social media ads can be daunting. She asks, 

Why social media ads matter so much

Jeraud says one of the biggest lessons he’s learned is that social media marketing allows you to make your ads much more personalized. 

With something like a radio ad, you may reach a large demographic by, as an example, placing an ad on sports radio targeted to men. But the age range could be 18-60.

With social media marketing, “if I knew that there was something that speaks to an 18-year-old to 24-year-old person...I can speak directly to the problems and situations” that they have. And likewise for different demographic segments.

“When you show up and you start talking to their problem directly and you start to make them feel like you're talking directly to them, that's the key.” 

India adds that “you also have to take the time to actually understand what are the challenges of someone who likes sports and is 50 plus versus someone who's 25 plus and actually get to know them.”

Jeraud agrees that one of the biggest mistakes he sees people make is putting an ad on social media without doing that work to determine what they’re selling and who they’re selling it to.

“If you show up in that ad and you don't specify what service you're going to and who you're targeting...you're going to lose me because you're not talking directly to my problem.”

He says you have to decide what product you’re selling, sell only one product per ad, and get very specific.

India says she has her own “very strong opinions about what's not working in the social media marketing industry,” and asks Jeraud,

What about the industry isn’t working

Jeraud mentions two things he sees that don’t work: running multiple products or services in a single ad and relying on stock photos.

He says photos work, but with stock photography, “there's no connection to who you are. It's all about flaunting your fire. And if you're not taking the opportunity to do that, you kind of just get drowned out with the rest of the noise. And at that point, whether you spend a little bit of money or a lot of money, you're typically not going to get the results that you want.”

He says that learning the basics of social media marketing isn’t as daunting as people think it is, and that it’s worth doing because “no one can speak to your audience like you can.”

He compares putting up an ad without doing the work to the time early on when he was struggling and he handed out business cards in a Walmart. 

“It was great, but nothing ever happened...I'm not saying that all these business owners are at Walmart handing out cards, but you know, are you going to places where your ideal customer doesn't hang out? And if you're going there and you're spending your time there, how are you making money?”

Getting more strategic and take your ads to the next level.

Jeraud says the first thing you have to do is evaluate how you’re monitoring your ads and make sure you know your key metrics: your conversion rates, your cost per lead and your cost per sale.

“Until you understand how much it costs you to get someone's information, and until you understand how much it costs you to convert those people, then your business can't ever be consistent and predictable.”

Once you have those numbers, you can use that data to adjust your ads and your budget and “You can actually write your own paycheck.”

India notes the importance of understanding what platforms your target audience uses and their mindset when they’re using those services, so you’re not throwing money at Instagram ads when your likely clients are on LinkedIn.

Jeraud also recommends testing a campaign on one platform for at least three months and if it’s successful and you can get it consistent, then add another platform from there.

“If you do your homework in the very beginning and you study those numbers and understand why you're not getting the results you want, and you keep them at the head of your decision-making process, marketing's easy at that point.”

On that note, India asks Jeraud some lightning-round questions.

The most satisfying moment in Jeraud’s business

“One of my first clients was the UFC gym and they didn't pay me; I spent my own money running their ads. But I told myself I was going to work with the UFC–I love mixed martial arts–and to go in there and close them, even though I spent my own money, I brought them customers. That was probably one of the most satisfying moments.”

Jeraud’s Greatest Inspiration and a hobbies he would turn into a profession

“Being a dad.”

India laughs, “I feel like that is a profession in itself. It's just not paid.”

Jeraud adds that, based on his experiences being a single dad, one of his goals is providing information and education for fathers navigating custody and childcare issues.

“I would say my son and myself. Because I know that we all have something special inside of us, it's just whether we choose to tap in. And I, and I damn sure chose to tap in.”

Tapping into your fire and then flaunting it!

“When I got into personal development, once I got in the accident, I realized that all the different people I listened to were basically saying the same thing. And so I, I boiled it down to, I need to be more grateful, start my day from that. We need more appreciation, which there's a difference. And I need to visualize what I want...And if you do this at the beginning of the day, and at the end of the day, it gives you more opportunity to control your life...I wear a bulletproof mindset every day.”

Connect with Jeraud Norman

• Jeraud Marketing

• Instagram: @jeraud_gave

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