2018 is coming up quickly so naturally, we’re all doing business planning. I’ve decided that the theme for my first quarter is Visibility.
I’ve already gotten a head-start with that with the challenge I’m in: showing up on Facebook live every day for 100 days. And I have to say, it has been pretty transformational.
I have grown my following. I have more fans (and some new raving fans!) I have built trust and curiosity. I’m getting more engagement. This is what I want for you and I know it’s something you want for yourself.
The key to being successful on social media is to become an authority. And the number one most effective way to become an authority is by creating content.
Pretty simple!
Think about it: Gary Vee, Marie Forleo, Tony Robbins, Gabby Bernstein – they all have followings of raving fans who are highly engaged on social media. What do they have in common? They’re creating consistent, high-value content.
Consistent Content
Consistency is key when it comes to anything in business: sales, education, planning, etc. And consistency is so, so important when it comes to social media.
When you are showing up regularly, three things happen:
- You stay top-of-mind with your audience
- You are showing up as someone who they can trust (remember, people do business with people they know, like, and trust)
- You are nurturing a strong relationship with them by showing them who you are and what value you have to give.
Now, I’m not saying you have to post a million times a day every day. All I’m saying is show up regularly. And if for whatever reason, you can’t show up as often as experts say you should, start out small.
With social media platforms that go at an easy pace, like Facebook or Instagram, best practice is to show up every day. But if it’s too much for you to post every day, then start out slower with every other day or 2-3 times a week.
With social media platforms that move quickly, like Twitter or Pinterest, it’s best for you to show up multiple times a day. If that’s too much for you, then start out slower.
High-Value Content
It’s not enough to create the content and show up consistently. You need to craft the content with intention and in a way that provides value to your audience. Social media users go on social media to be entertained in one way or another. They don’t go on social media to be sold to (I go over why your promotional content doesn’t work on social media in this blog post).
Bottom line: They aren’t on social media to be bored.
You need to create content that provides value and is entertaining. Think tips and tricks, things for them to consider, memes, industry news, etc.
Remember that they are experiencing your brand at the same time. If they are getting value out of the free things you publish online, they’re much more likely to purchase from you because they’re confident they’ll get value out of working with you.
By the way, I’m not saying you shouldn’t promote your business at all. You can and you should! Just do it in moderation. Most of your social media content should be value-based and entertaining.
Show Up Outside of Social Media
Those influencers I listed earlier are also creating content outside of social media as well which supports their social media content. Social media marketing doesn’t live in a vacuum. Consider the content you publish on your website, other websites, and via email.
If you are struggling to start your social media presence, I say just START. Create something and throw it up there.
If you are struggling to get more engagement, take a look at what you’re creating and ask yourself: does it bring your audience VALUE? And if it does, have you created it in a way that entices them to stop and absorb the content? It can be the most valuable information in the world but if it’s not positioned correctly, people will scroll on by.