Back to basics with social media

Get the basics right before you do anything else!

We can work so hard on building our businesses, but one of the things we must get right are the basics of social media.

On Monday in my group I did a video covering how to get the basics right for social media. And I wanted to share the tips with you here.

1. Be in the right place
There are so many platforms to choose from and it is vital to choose the right social media platform. So how do you do this?

• Identify where your ideal client is
• Identify the best platform if you are a selling to a business or a person.

If you would like more assistance on identifying the ideal platform, then check out my free quiz here.

2. Set it up well 
There is no point in being on social media if your profile is not filled out correctly. Make sure your bio or about me section tells your followers:

• who you help
• how you help them
• what is special about you

Social media platforms regularly change so try and check this every month.

3. Social media is not marketing
Promotion is one part of marketing.
Social Media is one form of promotion.
As social media is one form of promotion, you need to combine it with other forms of promotion, such as email marketing, networking, exhibitions, leaflets and advertising etc.
You can grow a business with just social media, but it will be a lot harder to do.
The businesses who utilise social media in the best way possible are the ones who combine it with other promotional methods.

4. Remember your overall goals
You need to set marketing goals regularly (for more information on this have a look at my DIY marketing planning package).  To achieve your goals you need to make sure all of your promotional methods contribute towards these goals.  If you want to attract more people to your website, make sure your social posts direct people to your blogs.
If you want to attract customers, include sales posts on your social media page.

If a cake represents marketing. The cherry represents social media.

5. Plan & Schedule
A few weeks ago, life got a little hectic. As a result I missed a few days of posting. This would not have happened if I had scheduled my posts in advance! It had a negative impact on my business as it meant people were not hearing from me.
Now there are lots of ways to plan your social media, from the old school spreadsheet (which I use) to specialist programs. It doesn't matter how you plan, it just matters that you plan.
Depending on the platform that you are using, you may be able to schedule your posts in advance, which can definitely help when life gets a bit crazy!

6.It's social media NOT selling media
The idea behind social media is to create links with people and a community. Your posts should encourage interaction and engagement, from asking questions to commenting on what others are saying. All of this will help build a community and increase engagement. In other words it will make people love your brand and also spread the word. A great way to do this is to also show insights into your personal life.

7. Don't overpromote.
Do you know one of the easiest ways to loose followers is to just sell? People do not want to see sales post, after sales post. They see this everywhere and social media is a place to switch off from this. Now I don't mean don't ever sell. But keep your selling posts to every 1 in 4. The best businesses use a mixture of posts for social media (more about this next week!)

8. Value, value, value.
We are using social media to promote our businesses. If we are in the early stages of building a business (or we have been in business a while) we need to prove what we can do. Your audience probably doesn't know you from the women in the street, so why would they buy from you? They buy because you give them value and they like you. So make sure you are always giving value in your social media.

9. Visual is king.
Whatever platform you use on social media, visual is king.  Always include images (or videos if you can) as visual posts will be seen a lot more than plain text posts.

​Now if you follow these 9 steps you will have the basic foundations of your social media sorted. It will mean that the hours you spend online will be worthwhile and you won't feel frustrated with the lack of likes and sales. As with anything social media is NOT a quick fix. Instead it takes time and energy but when used well and with the right mixture of other things it can help you grow your business.

As always if you need help planning your social media, get in touch or why not check out my Skyrocket Your Social Media workbook. If you want to understand all of the elements of marketing check out my Attracting Customers Bootcamp.

If you have any additional hints or tips please share them below.

Lots of love
​Carrie x