Do you struggle with the social media for your brand?
You could be having a hard time finding the time to post consistently or you’re getting discouraged by a lack of results.
Sound familiar?
Maybe you aren’t getting many new followers and when you post something only a small fraction of people see it.
Trust me…. I feel you.
It can be frustrating and can feel like you have to pay to play by buying ads if you want your content to be seen.
Luckily that’s not necessarily true.
Consistency can help you grow your reach on any social media platform.
It can help on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn and anywhere else your ideal clients hang out.
This brings up an important point.
Before you invest a lot of time and effort on every social media network, take a look around.
Where are your people hanging out?
What media do they prefer?
THIS is where you need to be!
If you’re running a recipe blog, you need to be on Pinterest. Depending on your particular niche, you may also want to be on Facebook too. With a group. And maybe even a YouTube channel. If you’re into sourdough, you have got to be on Instagram.
Do your research to determine where you want to be before you get started.
Now that you have that figured out, it’s time to come up with a posting schedule.
Keep in mind, consistency is key.
You’re better off with fewer posts and sharing consistently, rather than overdoing it.
And getting burnt out.
Create a plan with a few posts where your ideal client spends their time.
Start small.
You may choose to do 5 Instagram posts per week, 10 pins, 3 Facebook posts, and one Facebook Live every other week. This is just an example – not what I’m saying you need to do. That’s going to be based on your research and what you are comfortable with. Don’t forget to check out my article on growing your brand with social media stories.
Once you have your posting schedule, it’s time to schedule your content using a calendar.
You can use Google Calendar, a spreadsheet, a project management app, or even an old-fashioned paper one.
The key is to develop a system where you can stay organized.
Having your social media goals in writing will help to ensure it gets done and posted regularly. How far out should you schedule? That’s up to you.
If you prefer to plan in batches every few months, go for it. If you prefer to be more spontaneous, do it weekly. When you know the topic you’ll be posting about. And have the text and images ready ahead of time, it’s super quick and easy to keep up with social media. (Canva has a great article that you need to check out: ‘Intro to brand building through social media‘.
You can save even more time and energy by using a social media scheduling tool.
Some social media schedulers include HootSuite, MeetEdgar, Planoly, and Tailwind (for Pinterest). You can use them to schedule posts without logging into your social media profiles every day. Instead, you just set aside some time every couple of weeks to do the majority of your work.
>Engagement is just as important as being consistent though.
You need to check in throughout the week (daily, if possible) to interact with your followers. This shows that you’re present with them, but also helps to keep your posts in the newsfeeds, etc.
Getting organized and developing a system that works for you can be a real game-changer when it comes to being consistent on social media. It will help you build and grow an engaged following. When you have your posts going out on schedule, you can then pop in and interact. It will also give you a chance to post in real-time as and when time allows.
