What’s Next? Social Media

 

Fifth in the What’s Next? Series

As a small business you will be wearing many hats. Getting lost in the rabbit hole of any one of them can easily derail your day and your week.

To recap, here are the tasks to consider when focusing on what’s next:

  1. Website- August newsletter
  2. Niche- September newsletter
  3. Tone, branding, personality- October newsletter
  4. Marketing – November newsletter
  5. Social
  6. Business name

The last newsletter left you with some homework…Where does your ideal client scroll? Facebook? Instagram? LinkedIn? TikTok?

First step is knowing who your ideal clients are. Who are they? The demographics of your audience will influence what you say, how you say it and where you say it. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have a broad audience, just that you need to be consistent in who you are and what you say.

As usual, there is a lot to think about in this blog post but it’s up to you to search further depending on who you are and who your niche is. It’s not a cookie cutter situation.

Here are some general guidelines to follow but also search further depending on your specific audience. Watch what other coaches post, keep in mind who you are and who your niche is.

  1. Identify your audience: Who are you trying to reach? Again, think back to your niche; what generation(s) are they in? Speak to them not at them.
  2. What’s your goal? Promotion? Engagement? Website clicks?
  3. Build relationships: Engage, engage, engage
  4. Share and comment on relevant content
  5. Social calendar (see below)
  6. Hashtags- yes or no? While hashtags may seem a bit played out, and they’re frequently on the receiving end of jokes in media, they’re still critical for social media.
  7. Graphics: Do you have the rights to the image? Is the image the correct size? Is it relevant?


What are some differences between the platforms?

 

  • Facebook is casual and focused on connections and community. Don’t be afraid to engage with others. Keep it friendly!
  • LinkedIn’s focus is on business and the content shared tends to reflect that. Keep it professional!
  • Twitter is rapid-fire conversation between both businesses and individuals, but the character limit means it’s best for shorter posts.
  • Instagram is the perfect place to share something visual, this is where those motivational posts can be found. Be sure that’s who you are and that you’re not following another coach’s path or intentions.
  • Is video your thing? Try TikTok and/or YouTube. TikTok focuses on short, fun or educational content, while YouTube is best for longer video. You can give tips, toss out some conversation starters for engagement or discuss a relevant coaching topic.

Do’s and Don’ts

DO: Separate your business & personal profiles

DO: Post regularly

DO: Prioritize your networks

DO: Interact and engage your audience

DO: Watch grammar and spelling

DON’T: Be needy

DON’T: Be a spammer

DON’T: Complain

DON’T: Write in all caps

DON’T: Abuse hashtags

DON’T: Recycle posts. Change the image, wording etc

Be sure to always give credit in regards to photos used and posts reshared. And have fun! Show your personality, as a coach that’s what you need your audience to see.

Finally, it goes without saying to handle criticism gracefully. In the era of social media that we’re in, reposts and reshares can spread the word faster than a speeding train!

Wrap up

Social media can be a rabbit hole of information, confusion, knowledge and candy (of sorts). Don’t get lost in it! Schedule time to plan, create and learn. Add the time to your regular calendar and also create a content calendar. This can be handwritten, an online calendar or online social media calendar/planner platform. It doesn’t need to be fancy but you do need to be intentional about a few things:

 

  • Who is your audience/ target?
  • What two platforms are they on?
  • Do you know how to post to those platforms?
  • How many times per week will you be posting to those channels?
  • What will you be posting? See what other coaches are doing, What stops you and catches your attention? Do you share characteristics with your intended target? Post at least twice a week NEW content and reshare RELEVANT posts.
  • Keep the DO’s and DON’Ts in mind
  • Have fun with it, ask your friends and family (people that will be honest with you) for feedback on what you’re posting.

The goal of your social media shouldn’t be to blast out posts. Make it authentic, purposeful and relevant to your target/ audience. Keep it professional and don’t overpost, no one likes a spammer! Being too promotional is the number one reason people will unfollow you on social.

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