Strategy, content planning, content creation, writing captions, researching hashtags, scheduling, engagement… aaand breathe! There are so many different cogs in the social media wave machine and it can feel like there’s always something to do, making it feel more like a chore rather than a creative, not to mention, invaluable task.
As a small business owner who is already spinning all the plates that are dished up when running your own business (especially a social media one #socialmediamanagerslosetheirlovetoo), I completely understand how we can sometimes lose our social media spark; particularly if we’re not seeing the results we hoped for. But don’t worry, I have put these tips together in order to help you to get back on the surfboard, riding the social media waves with more love, in no time!
So when it's grey skies in your virtual world, how can you gain back some excitement for creating a post and setting sail on all things social marketing?
Plan plan plan!
You may not be a massive fan of planning or perhaps you’re thinking you can just go 'with the flow', but the truth is ship-mates that if you plan and schedule content in advance, you’ll save yourself a LOT of time and wash away that last minute frenzied panic #trustmeidosocialmediaeveryday.
Think about why you’re using social media and what you hope to get from it. Perhaps you’re aiming to sell more products, get more newsletter sign-ups or simply grow awareness of your business. You have to also have in mind: what would you like your audience to do when they see your post? Each piece of content should have a purpose in order to save valuable time, resources, content, and creativity and maximise opportunity.
It’s a good idea to have specific metrics in mind, such as more website traffic, greater brand awareness (reach), or increased content engagement so that you manage your expectations; the good news is that in 2022 it seems to be more about making consistent, on-brand 'noise' versus how many likes a post gets to validate your efforts.
Having set goals in mind with a timeline to reach them should give you the motivation that much-needed power up your content production and overall social media activity.
If you’re feeling a bit lost at sea when it comes to 'what to post' (I completely empathise!), it’s a shell-rific idea to come up with 3-9 topics or content pillars that act as 'content prompts' for when ideas run a little dry. These can be topical keywords or phrases such as:
Promotional 👉 promote your service or product(s)
Educational 👉 top tips, stats, facts and 'how to's'
Behind the Scenes 👉 what's happening in your business? Share any 'processes' of how you do or sell, what you do or sell #staywithme
About 👉 share something about you, your business and/or your team. This gives you some creative freedom and allows lots of room for creativity - yeeeees!
Be platform savvy
One reason you might be feeling social media burnout is that you think that your business needs to be everywhere at once. To reach your intended audience and achieve your goals, you’ll need to be strategic about which platforms you use - think of every piece of content as a 'resource' and you, are the 'energy' from which your resource comes from. With a bit of trial and error, you can refine which platforms are most effective for your business (this may only be one or two) and the same goes for all other aspects of your social media strategy including hashtags, content, who you follow, your inspirations and so much more - it's all coming together, and it WILL come together.
Get creative and have fun
It's great when you get a wave of creative inspiration, but we have to be waiting along the shores to welcome this wave. Dedicate time to batch-create content when you’re feeling ‘in the zone’. Mix up content types, such as Reels, longer videos and carousel posts for variation and to keep you engaged with creating them! And, remember that you don’t need to use every single social media feature that gets introduced (they never stop coming!), think more about which content has worked well for you previously. As we always advocate, why not go green and recycle, re-purpose and re-use content?
Feel inspired
We all need a match to light our creative brains from time to time. What better way to do that than checking out what others are doing?
Take a look at social media profiles in a similar industry to yours and note which content is receiving high levels of engagement. Look at which hashtags are they using. Are there any topics or ideas that you haven’t addressed and could put your own spin on? And be sure to keep these ideas stored as 'references' for use later on.
Schedule time away from social media
Ah, if only there was a magical creativity button we could press! Sometimes it can feel like our creative batteries are running out of juice and are in desperate need of a recharge. I am telling you that it's OK To take a break!
Turn off all notifications and go for a wander in the fresh air or read a few chapters of a book you haven’t picked up in a while. Taking a step back occasionally can make a huge difference and help to clear the brain fog ready for a new day, week or month full of social media productivity.
Make your interactions positive and authentic
The most epic part of social media is the turtle-ly awesome community of small business owners that you can find. Engage with them regularly using Instagram's 'following' feed and you’ll really start to reap the rewards while building the community of your dreams with positivity and authentic interactions! After all, we have to remember the fundamentals of social media - SHARING and being SOCIAL. That sounds dreamy like I'm sipping on a mocktail on a white-sandy beach beside crystal-clear oceans full of flourishing life...
No one is an island
As strong independent business owners, it can be easy to feel like we have to do it all ourselves, but you don’t have to do it alone – it’s absolutely okay (and necessary) to get some help. Outsourcing work, or even just having someone to bounce ideas around with, will take a massive weight off - like having your own human lifejacket! You could outsource or get support for things like accounts, administrative tasks, marketing and of course, social media marketing to make you feel like you're on the ship, with some shipmates who all want to support your business and cheer you on.
I truly hope this post has helped you to somewhat fall back in love with, or top up those social media energy levels. Be mindful that if you're having a positive experience, your audience will have a positive experience too. So if you need to practice any of the above, then it'll not only help you but help your community to understand your business in the best light possible.
And if you need someone to brainstorm your socials with, why not check out 1:2:1 social media coaching ideal for taking that weight off of your shoulders, and making things happen on your socials? Take a look and don't hesitate to reach out if you would like to book a free chat with me, your pocket social media manager.
Happy posting Islanders 🌺
