We all know that we’ve got to do it. Get on social media, that is. The problem is – it can lead to huge overwhelm….and where do you start? If your business has zero social media presence at the moment, the idea of getting yourself out there can feel daunting. Who’s going to follow you? How are you going to find the time? Which platform is going to work for your business?
Let’s Break It Down…
The first thing you need to give some serious thought to is what you actually like doing online now. Given the opportunity, a few spare hours, where do you gravitate to? If you can spend hours on YouTube, and love using it, that could be an option for your business. If your day isn’t complete without seeing what all your friends are up to on Facebook, an online presence there won’t be too hard to maintain. On the other hand if your worst nightmare is trying to start a conversation on Twitter and you can’t see the point of Pinterest – they are NOT compulsory!
Pick your favourites and start there. If you really feel you have to cover all bases and add the platforms you don’t enjoy, leave that until later and you’re already active on the networks you’re familiar with.
Does Your Business Lend Itself To Great Visual & Images?
Sometimes, the type of business you run can influence where you hang out on social media. If you’re a writer or accountant, and don’t really have an awful lot of visual information about what you do, Pinterest and Instagram, however popular, may not work as well for you as Linked In or Facebook. Think about where your clients and the people you want to work for might hang out; if you make gorgeous, creative products, art, food, jewellery, fashion or anything that’s inspiring to look at, people want to see it so get snapping and uploading your images.
For non-image led businesses, blogging and content sharing are your best friends. Choose social media that allows you to share useful information and link to articles you’ve written, or found, that will be useful to your client base. Join groups, then get chatting and interacting so that you can show you’re good and knowledgeable about what you do.
How NOT To Use Video!
Be choosy with how you use video – for some brands it’s a fantastic way to get a message across. Use it to give people an insight into what you do, or give them helpful information. Don’t overdo it unless you have something they really want to hear…the last thing you need is people deliberately ignoring any video you appear in because you just keep repeating yourself or waffling.
K.I.S.S. = Less Overwhelm
When you’re starting out, concentrate on your two favourite channels before you even think about branching out, If you enjoy them and do them really well you can use your momentum there to help if you decide to build a profile on another channel, but you can’t be everywhere at once.
Don’t be afraid to just drop social media that’s not working for you, or you hate. If you’re not enjoying it, you won’t bother with it, and a half-hearted effort is totally pointless. Focus on really making an impression on the one or two platforms you understand, know your way around and love to use, and your enthusiasm will come across, attracting more people to you…which is exactly what you want!
I hope this gives you some ideas on get your message across without overwhelm or stress.
If you would like some more pointers or you need to get unstuck, do get in touch, or head over to my Facebook page for daily hints and tips. If you want to book a call with me to talk it all through, you can do that too!