Happy New Year! I’m so happy you’re still riding the wave with me into 2023, and the shellrific news is that the coming months are going to be better than ever for your social media presence.
Why? Because around here we are saying ‘Aloha!’ to a brand new mindset that’s going to make posting a lot more plain sailing and more fun than ever before...
I’m coming to you with 5 social media tips, but this time they’re all about how you can reframe your thinking and make the content creation life a beach in 2023. So, for the first time this year, pop your snorkel gear on because we’re about to go below the surface!
Social Media Tip One: No More Filler Posts
Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there: it’s getting towards the end of the week and we remember we told ourselves we were going to post again, it was one of our business resolutions and we’re already lacking wind in our sails. So we quickly throw something together and get it out there - a mediocre post is better than no post at all, right?
While I’m a big advocate of ‘done’ being better than ‘perfect’, I am putting a big veto on ‘filler posts’ in 2023! No more posting for the sake of posting…filler posts are like the plankton of the social media seas; there are loads floating around, nobody is that interested in seeing them, and they get swallowed up by the way bigger and more exciting sealife anyway.
Whether you’re on board with my drawn-out analogy or not, the point is that we should only be posting with purpose this year. The best way to do this is to ensure you have a great strategy, which leads me onto…
Social Media Tip Two: Simple Strategies
Next up in my mindset shifting social media tips is to keep your strategy simple. The easier it is to adhere to, the more your posts will make a splash out there in the world. Grab yourself a coconut, put your feet up, and browse my top tips for strategy simplification:
Keep it strong, fresh and realistic (this last bit is key!)
Choose how many days you will post, and break this down into feed posts and story posts. Having an attainable goal is important, so don’t go crazy
Decide what time you’ll be posting, using Insights to inform this
What is your goal for each of your platforms? Maybe you want to build brand awareness and community on Instagram, network via LinkedIn and so on…
Choose 3-6 content pillars, topics or themes to work with in circulation to help your audience understand what you do, how you do it and how they can work with you
Identify your 3 main competitors on social media (but don’t lose any sleep over them and don’t get into a scroll-hole on their accounts!)
Select 3 reference profiles to inspire you, and aspire to be influenced by them for your own profile
Create hashtag sets with SEO in mind. Social media is becoming more keyword focused than ever before
Get your toolkit ready to help you make waves with ease. Some of my favourites are Meta Business Suite, inShot (for reels!), Asana and Canva
Identify which content of yours performs well and keep producing more of it!
For some inspiration on creating content that is perfectly aligned with your brand, check out my deep-dive into a familiar business’ social media strategy - they’re acing it, and we could all take a palm leaf out of their book!
Social Media Tip Three: Community And Connection
In 2023 we’re focusing less on churning out content and more on building a community of real people and real connections. Engage with others on your feeds and respond to comments and messages, but do it authentically and organically. Pinpoint those who regularly engage with you and think about incentivising or thanking them for doing so - this can be in the form of a simple thank you message or even a cheeky discount code!
Finally, remember we are back in the wonderful world of in-person events! Attend networking events to mingle with new, like-minded people. Sitting on your online desert island won’t cut it, unfortunately; time to row to new lands!
Social Media Tip Four: Take a Break
Being more intentional about taking social media breaks is good for you and your business; it’s self-care for your brand! Schedule some time off socials and use the time to brainstorm, research and let fresh ideas flow. Your social media platforms and your audience will appreciate a breather - it helps the algorithm and allows your past posts to filter through a wider reach, as well as allowing you to get inspired with new ideas and trends in your industry or niche.
Last but not last, it’s great for your mental health! Give your brain some time off from scrolling, and you’ll find you are refreshed and inspired when you come back to it.
Social Media Tip Five: Outsource!
It’s about time we all stopped trying to do everything! Getting into the mindset of allowing yourself to outsource some tasks in your business is going to free up so much of your time and brain space. In fact, social media tasks take up about 30% of your business jobs, especially if you’re a small or freelance business! Consider outsourcing any social media tasks that are taking your focus away from other important things.
Find someone whose vibe you love and who you feel really cares about and understands your business, and you’ll be amazed at how much freer you feel. There are a few levels and options for this:
A social media manager (SMM) can take on all your social media tasks, usually running your accounts on your behalf. Pricing for this can vary hugely depending on their experience, the number of posts you require, and the scale of your social media following
A social media strategist is going to give you a behind-the-scenes boost, consulting with you on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis depending on your budget and goals. Your strategist will help you align your social media goals with your business mission, vision and goals while feeding you some tips and inspiration to keep everything moving in the right direction
Brainstorming with a coach is also a great option if it’s the ideas and inspiration you find hardest. Get the help of an expert you trust and like, and you’ll find ideas are generated with ease! They’ll help bring content ideas, trends and suggestions when you may not have the brain space or time to think about it yourself, keeping your socials on brand, on-trend and consistent
Content creation is a great alternative to full social media management, and could be for you if you’re great at the writing part but don’t have time to piece the content together. You can outsource this and hire someone to create content artwork, provide royalty-free high-quality imagery, and even create reels for you (yeah, your ears pricked up at that one!)
To choose the right person for this I recommend reading testimonials and asking for recommendations, or connecting with a social media specialist via social media. If they are a good fit they will be an incredibly valuable asset, especially when the relationship is nurtured and a collaborative approach is employed.
I hope my social media tips to flip your mindset have started the cogs whirring! It’s time to get excited about your content and strategy in 2023. If you’re considering outsourcing, here’s how I can help:
For travel businesses wanting to outsource to a social media manager, you’ll find tiered options to suit your budget and goals here: Social Media Management.
For scroll-stopping content creation, head to my Content Marketing page.
And finally, for some consultancy, coaching and strategy support to inject fun, energy and creativity back into your socials you can check out my Social Media Coaching options!
This is the perfect time to reframe your thinking about social media for the year ahead, start strong and build a strategy with longevity that will help you smash your big, dreamy goals.
Let’s FLOW!
Yasmin 🌺
