There are so many options when it comes to social media. I accidentally stumbled upon a new tool just yesterday that I had never heard of and yet there it is. I think I had better get used to it because the pace of change in this area is not slowing down! It’s almost a full time job staying current with technology, and most of us don’t have time to get a Ph.D. in social-media-ology.
BUT! It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You don’t have to spend hours a day posting, tweeting, commenting and “Instagramming.” (Yes, I just used the word Instagramming as a verb). Here are three (3) keys to doing social media the right way:
- Add value to your audience. Don’t just spam them with coupons and sales or updates about you. Remember that your business is not all about you, it’s about a comfortable customer.
- Be consistent. The whole point of social media is to remain in the forefront of your ideal customer’s mind without being annoying.
- Schedule it in advance. Create social media as if it were an appointment. Just the same as you don’t show up at the doctor’s office without making an appointment, you shouldn’t just show up with social media. Spontaneity is good but don’t rely on it for the majority of your posts. Write up a month’s worth of value-added posts and then pop in the spontaneous ones whenever they come up. Many businesses use an aggregator/ publisher like Hootsuite.
Call to Action: Create a theme for next week. Then write a blog about it and three (3) social media posts. Try out Hootsuite or another social media publisher to schedule everything in advance. If you do this once a week or once a month, you’ll always be in front of your customers without having to physically be present at that moment. it’s like being in many places at once!
