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Making social media work for you and not the other way around

Let’s not beat about the bush: social media has tonnes of benefits. It empowers people to stay connected across huge distances, it has kept people motivated during crises such as the coronavirus pandemic (you thought you could read a blog without that being mentioned?), it empowers quick and simple customer service, and for businesses, it’s a free way to demonstrate your brand values.

But that doesn’t mean that social media can cure the world’s ills. It has plenty of disadvantages, some of them more personal, some of them more business related.

Bullying is a huge challenge on almost every social media platform. Social media can become a huge time suck, as people can be trapped in the scroll of death, always looking for the next best meme. Social media is a distraction, even when used professionally, as the algorithms attempt to suck you in for another six minutes...and another six…

And if we’re honest, there are few tech businesses who can honestly say that they have made a direct sale through social media.

It’s a challenging landscape up there, so it’s critical that you ensure social media is working for you and your business, and not the other way around. how can you protect yourself, leverage the absolute best of social media, and not allow yourself to be trapped in the ever-scrolling news feed?

Here are some of our tips, shared with you from an expert:

  1. Consider where your customers are

You do not need to be on every single channel, tempting as that is. There was a feeling about five years ago that unless you were on every single social media platform, you were going to miss out on connecting with a customer - but your customers aren’t aren’t on every single channel. Find out where they actually are, and if you don’t know, ask!

  1. Don’t over post

We all have that one friend who we've had to mute because they just would not stop posting! The same thing will happen if your brand constantly posts over and over again, even on the same day. Spamming will switch people off and actually downrank you in the algorithms, so it’s a lose lose. Learn to step away by restricting yourself to one post a day per platform unless some breaking news means you need to change your strategy.

  1. Find your evergreen content

Evergreen content doesn’t have a specific time limit, which means you could share it on social media six months after you posted it. Don’t share too close to the first time (see the previous point!) but if you’re struggling to keep on top of all the new content you need to create for social, stop and remember the content that you’ve already created, and refresh it to release again.

  1. Test test test!

You cannot do anything with meaning on social media unless you are testing. Does posting on a thursday or a wednesday deliver better results? Is it the same or different on all your channels? understanding exactly what works through constant testing will help you optimize, further reducing the need to overpost.

  1. Set a limit

If you are finding yourself overwhelmed with the social media needs of your business, take a deep breath and step back. Social media is intended to be fun and informatie, and as soon as it stops doing that, it is no fun at all. Take a step away. The world will not end if you don’t tweet today.

When social media gets too much, it’s often easier to just delete the accounts, but your business needs to be present on social media. These tips should help you streamline your output so that you control social media, rather than the other way around.

Disagree with me? Email Claire now!