Social media marketing for your business truly can be more enjoyable and simpler than you might think.
But it has a lot more to do with the way you THINK about it, than how you use it. And how you prepare.
Like landing a plane. It's all in the approach.
Here are 7 shifts that might just open up the joy of social media marketing for you again (and make it way more effective in helping your small business hit your goals):
1. Reframe success on social. We’re often so caught up in the likes and follows that we forget that social is a small part of what plays into our end-game goals – bringing in the right clients and customers for our business. More likes and followers do not always equate to more clients – and sometimes, accidentally growing a watered-down audience is hurtful to a brand. Keeping the focus on what you need to communicate (that comes directly out of your well curated brand values) is going to help you hit your end goal more effectively, even if the likes and follows aren’t as fast & furious as you’d like.
2. Stop trying to do it all. Focusing on one or two places on social (& doing those places well) is going to be way more effective (& less stressful) than trying to be all the places (until or unless you have a team to help!). And if you can't keep up on even one just yet, give yourself grace -- keep doing the best you can!
3. Let go of the frantic need to "be consistent." I know, I know… all you hear is “consistency is key.” And here’s the thing – yes, you want your brand & messaging to consistently feel the same across all platforms – so a consistent voice and message is crucial. But... if you're trapped in the "I need to post every day" level of consistency you might be doing yourself more harm than good.
This can be stealing time and attention from behind-the-scenes deep work that will help your business thrive in the long run. Give yourself freeing permission to cut ties or post less often and go master your messaging and get those brand story foundations in place first!
4. Stop thinking of your social marketing as a constant rush of new information (with a constant need for new likes)... and start to think of it like a repetitive magazine or brochure for your perfect audience to open up when they're ready.
Your readers may or may not click like on every post while they're there, but when they do pop by to explore (and see if they experience the same feelings they get from your brand in other online places), it can leave them with an impactful glimpse into how you can change their world (and that "glimpse" might just turn into a $5000 sale).
5. Don't feel like you have to follow every trend to see success on social. Embrace what works for you, let go of what doesn't. Yes, you're capable of learning new things, but also... you don't have to become a master at every new trick of the trade – and sometimes those tricks are earning likes, but not clients (read that again). Even the simplest social features can serve you well -- when they're created with intention for the audience you want to serve, directly out of your repetitive brand messaging. In fact, sometimes simple is the MOST effective.
6. DO take the time to prioritize a deeply-rooted brand story plan. Before you put the time and emphasis on social media, you need a clear-cut, long-term, deeply rooted brand story. This is what all of your messaging, graphics, and social will stem out of (and what we love to help you create). Your strategically designed brand story will make it crystal clear to your perfect buyers that your small business is the right fit for them (and encourage them to open their wallets).
This brand story plan might take a handful of weeks or months, but it will help you emerge with exactly the kind of content your perfect audience needs to say YES to what you have to offer! In a world flooded with generic AI wording and frantic disconnected posts, having content that truly connects with your perfect buyer's heart is exactly what you need to stand out. (And quite honestly -- it feels good to be part of the meaningful impact in the world online, not more noise).
7. Curate your own social feed to avoid discouragement and distraction. Nevermind the marketing for a minute... the fact of the matter is that by posting on social, we all have to spend time on social. This means we’re ripe for distractions, feeling comparison, or even discouragement or fear when we see other’s successes or bad news.
Avoid being pulled down by negative feelings by choosing carefully who you follow so you can curate your own feed with things that fuel you. Choose what you want to see (whether that’s your cousin’s cat or that inspiration post by an artist you love) and cut out what’s pulling you down. Gift yourself a hit of encouragement & motivation, not frustration, anger, or worry. If you have to be on social for your own marketing, you might as well get fueled by what you see while you're there!
Above all -- you are not a slave to social media.
