Love or hate, social media is the future.
I Hate Social Media…
“We don’t need that. Our clients aren’t on social media…” orrrr “I hate social media…” – If I could get a triple decker cheeseburger every time I heard one of these two statements, I’d be able to abandon my car and become the first-ever human hot air balloon!
Jokes aside, these are very real comments made by many business owners, and unfortunately, it’s a very short-sighted (and in most cases, a flat-out false) view. This blog will not list out the reasons why you need to be on social media (because I don’t want to waste my time convincing you if you’re not already convinced), but it will provide some answers to key questions you may have along with strategies you can incorporate!
Oh and in case you think, “this doesn’t apply to my business”…it applies even more.
All businesses need social media.
Not a Fan of Social Media? Tough.
I was speaking with a client recently who muttered out the title of this blog and then said, “I just think everyone is fake on social media and I don’t like to talk about myself”.
My response: “Soo when clients fall back on their payments, do you say “ughh I hate following up, so I’m ok with not going to get paid”?”
The answer is inevitable.
Don’t get me wrong, I hear what you’re saying LOUD and CLEAR because I was also this person before. Want to know what I said to myself?
“Stop making excuses, nobody cares. Just get on with it!”
No, seriously.
Don’t like social media? Well, I’m sorry but that’s too bad. We can’t always do what we like (though it helps) so if you can’t afford to delegate it out, I believe you have your answer.
Alternatively, you can outsource it out to a marketing agency like us to take the load off (I had to throw in that plug!)
Lesson #1:
Change your way of thinking about social. media. It’s an essential part of your business. You need it even if you don’t want it. It ain’t optional!
Lesson #2:
Social media for your business is NOT the same as your personal page. Treat it as you would any other strategic initiative. Set objectives and metrics – track, track, track!
Now that we’re on the same page, believe it or not but there are ways to make social media more manageable, and even appealing to a naysayer.
“Ok fine, I’ll do it. How Often Should I Post??”
Ah. Once the “hate” part is resolved, the frequency of posting is normally the next immediate question.
My answer: “Posting anything is better than nothing!”
Of course, there’s a desirable goal you want to work towards (posting daily or better yet, multiple times a day) but as with anything in life, we crawl and fumble before we sprint like Usain Bolt.
When I coach clients on their fitness and nutrition (which admittedly has dropped significantly since starting this agency), I suggest phasing out sugar and fried foods over multiple weeks. Don’t reach for the stars immediately because not only will you fall face-first (say that 5 times as fast as you can), you’ll also be so deterred and abandon ship completely.
Same principle applies to social media. Pick a day and frequency i.e. “I’ll post bi-weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays” – I don’t give a monkeys if your fingers are broken, you better find a way to post! (Ok, that’s a little extreme…but you get my point).
Where Should I Post?!
With so many options to choose from, it can be overwhelming to pick where you post. You may even be tempted to post everywhere….don’t do that.
Using the same principle as above, don’t shoot for 7 social media platforms when you haven’t even posted to one consistently for 90 days.
Pick 1 or 2 platforms – and this is the important part – where your clients and subject matter experts “hang out”.
If you’re a doctor, LinkedIn may be the way to go so you can connect with other docs.
If you’re a tattoo artist or beauty salon owner, Instagram would be the ideal platform to showcase your work.
In both of these examples, the tattoo artist, beauty salon owner or doctor may choose to also have a YouTube channel where they can expand upon their ‘style’ and approach – enabling dynamic content.
“What Type of Content Should I Create?”
Back when I first started my IG page for training and nutrition, I thought posting about anything outside of these two subject matter areas were off-limits because, you know, I had to be “on-brand” all day, errrr’day…WRONGGG!
I had 2 options to consider regarding the type of content I wanted to produce:
Option #1 – I can post daily shirtless selfies with a motivational quote for the likes (c’mon son, you know me better than that!)
Option #2 – I can post value-added content segmented by different audiences I coach (pregnant women, significantly overweight people and busy professionals), while showcasing my crazy personal hobbies like scuba diving with sharks.
But on a real, don’t just blend in with the ‘noise’, really identify how you can offer something different and valuable to your audience.
I often use and suggest this framework:
For every 5 posts, 4 should be of value (80%) and 1 can have a “sales” component (20%)
Having your “hand out” in every post asking for a “sale” equates to 0% value for your audience. Furthermore, it’s a sure enough way to scare your following away into your competitor’s arms.
Lastly, mix up the medium for the content: written captions are the most obvious form but there are so many more ways:
- Videos (I’ll talk about “The Fear of Video” in a separate post)
- Visual illustrations
- Informational quotes
- Snippets of blogs or interviews
- Bonus: Sharing other people’s content which you find genuinely interesting. Give credit where credit is due, don’t claim it as your own!
If you follow the approach of only posting about your industry or services, you run the risk of being one-dimensional. BOOORRINGGGGGGG!
‘Cor’ Blimey – How Can I Do All Of This?!
If you’re a business owner, you may be feeling an immense amount of anxiety at this point because of all the different components relating to social media. You’re in luck because I have a solution to minimize this anxiety.
As with anything in life, structure is everything. I often say that we falter when we start “guessing” so remove the guess-work out of the equation!
Another relevant scenario from my nutritionist life:
Most people’s fitness goals revolve around losing weight. In line with this, many people are unsure why they aren’t losing weight because they eat healthily.
I hear this all the time and after conducting an ‘X-ray’ of their eating habits, I’d identify that they’d eat healthily Mon-Fri but FriNIGHT to Sun, they’d turn into a human vacuum. Those 2.5 days would equate to 36% of the week meaning that over a third of the week would end up in the shi**er…and that’s why they’re not losing weight.
This happens simply because most of us are in-routine during weekdays, but not from Fri-night through the weekend. How can this be resolved? By creating a plan and meal prepping for the weekend.
Back to social media…
The same principle above applies to your social media – your strategy will falter if you do not have a plan!
How can you create a plan?
Through a social media content calendar *annddd cue angelic revelation sound*
A (good) content calendar will include the following things:
- Name of social media platform
- Date and time of your posts
- Assignee (i.e. who is responsible)
- Type of content (video, blog, image, etc.)
- Purpose (branding, sales, subject matter, etc.)
- Social media caption
This content calendar will serve as your ‘Social Media Bible’. It holds you/your team accountable while completely eliminating the guesswork; enabling a higher rate of posting.
Social media can be a fantasy but that doesn’t need to be your reality.
Key Takeaways
This was alot to digest, I know. It’s important to note that an effective impact-driven social media strategy can hugely amplify your brand among new consumers in new and existing markets.
- Think of social media as an essential part of your business; not optional
- Invest in your social media as you would in other parts of your business (nice graphics, strong content, etc)
- Remember, content should be 5-dimensional and 80% value; 20% sales
- Start small: Pick 1 or 2 platforms, work towards posting daily then build
- Create a content calendar to provide structure and hold yourself accountable
