How to market your business: top tips from social media guru Ross Testa

For Ross Testa, grafting has always been part of his nature. From the age of 14, the young entrepreneur spent his weekends working in the Camden meat market, hauling pork from four o’clock in the morning until three in the afternoon.

Since then, Testa’s swapped meat packing for running his own social media marketing and video production company 3 Heads Agency, yet his drive has never dwindled.

While at university, Testa began managing small business social accounts, all while working at Microsoft.

“I’d get to Microsoft super early, the same time as the CEO in most cases. Then I would spend some time in the morning working on my degree, schedule socials for my clients, and then get started on my day job at Microsoft.”

Since his university days, Testa’s business has grown massively. From making £174,000 in the first year, to well on the way to £2 million by the end of this year – four years since his first client.

Managing campaigns for huge household names that include Just Eat, Silverstone, Chelsea FC, and Lego, Testa reflects on the philosophy behind his agency’s success.

“We deliver for every single client, by sweating the small things. To be a successful agency you need to focus on every tiny detail, everything you do for your client has to be on point.

We deliver for every single client, by sweating the small things. To be a successful agency you need to focus on every tiny detail, everything you do for your client has to be on point.

“From the way they are onboarded, to how you communicate with them, all the way to the outcome and results. Everything has to deliver.”

As for his top tips for small businesses wanting to market their products and brand on social media effectively, Testa has reams of advice.

Understand your buyer persona

“My first tip to any business is to consider precisely who you want to reach, and then spend time understanding exactly who they are. Only then can you target them in the right way and convert them into a customer.”

For 3 Heads Agency, this is a massive consideration when it begins working with clients. When working on campaigns, the teams work together to answer vital buyer persona questions. These include:

• What are they actually interested in?
• Where do they go to view content?
• What do they watch?

Testa likens marketing to sales and believes that in order to market effectively, you must fully understand your buyer persona just as a salesperson would.

Explain who you are

Another Testa pearl of wisdom is that far too often businesses jump straight into trying to convert customers and push sales – before they have even introduced the brand.

“You need to get people to understand what you are about first. Start off with placing some budget on producing content that explains exactly who you are, and gives an insight into your business.

“What has been working well for our clients is the production of video content we call journey videos.

“We sit founders down and interview them, and they explain the journey they’ve been on in their business.”

The success of these videos has so far been huge, and in some cases has seen the highest level of engagement of any social content posted by many of 3 Head’s clients.

Testa believes this is because producing content like journey videos is “open and honest” and “breaks down barriers” between user and brand that are often so difficult to part online.

You need to get people to understand what you are about first. Start off with placing some budget on producing content that explains exactly who you are, and gives an insight into your business.

Don’t underestimate the power of video marketing

For the 3 Heads Agency, video production has always been a massive part of their business model. Testa’s agency has created videos for big brand names that include Lego, Volvo, and PrettyLittleThing to name a few.

And demand is growing, particularly as 78% of marketers felt videos have directly increased sales for their clients over the last year.

But why does video content get higher engagement?

Testa, through his own experience, believes that videos perform so well because ever growing emerging platforms like TikTok offer you the content you want to see, without blatantly pushing any sales agenda.

“When I go on social media, I’m going on there to engage with what I want. I’m not going on there to be sold to but to enjoy content and watch something I’m interested in.

“But ever growing platforms such as TikTok are clever because without even knowing it users are being moved down sales funnels, slowly but surely. This is why it is such a clever marketing tool to use”

Get creative when producing video content

As a video production company, and a specialist in the art of creating thumb-stopping content, Testa believes that if you want to market right, creativity is key.

“I’m not suggesting you hire an agency, as it doesn’t necessarily matter whether it’s filmed on an iPhone or on a camera. But either way, you need to have some really engaging creative video content.

“The most important part of any video is the first three seconds. This is your chance to hook people in so you need to get even the smallest things right.”

Testa says any startup creating a video for social media should think about:

• Where you’re positioned – are you easily visible?
• What sounds can be heard – is there a lot of background noise and will this distract from the video?
• Is it going to start with music and if so, is it a trending or familiar track your target audience is familiar with? Music is a great way to keep users watching
• What is viewable – is it going to entice users and capture their attention?

If you nail these considerations down, you’ll be better poised to achieve great results in terms of video engagement.

The most important part of any video is the first three seconds. This is your chance to hook people in so you need to get even the smallest things right.

Make use of the data at your disposal

Testa has lots of other tips, but one he stresses is the importance of analysing, and utilising data through consistent posting.

“You’ve got to learn through data. Without it, you won’t be able to understand what’s working and what’s not.”

Testa suggests delving into the average watch time of your audience is a sure fire way to plan successful video campaigns in the future.

“The importance of data shouldn’t be underestimated. Particularly when it comes to video marketing, which harnesses the power to retarget further ads to those users that have watched your videos for the first three seconds.”

Focus on developing your team

Ross Testa clearly knows his stuff, and the 3 Heads Agency has ambitions to double last year’s revenue figure, which has already been hit just eight months into the year.

However, as well as focusing on the latest digital marketing trends, Testa emphasises the importance of investing in your employees.

“We’ve got a great pipeline of work with some amazing clients. But at the end of the day, you can’t grow without a great team. So the future is helping our employees develop, allowing them to build up experience and continuing to attract new talent.”

For more information on how the 3 Heads Agency can help your business market successfully, visit their website.