fbpx

Tools to use to create amazing social media posts: What’s in my camera bag?

christie Social media tips and tricks, Uncategorized

Questions people always ask me or in the online groups I’m in:

  1. What do I use to create social media posts?
  2. What camera do I use?
  3. I don’t have a huge budget, what other equipment do I need?

So I’m going to tell you what’s in my camera bag when I cover social media for an event or even just a short shoot, and no, it’s not complicated or expensive! I’m also going to give you some other tips & tricks to covering an event for social media so stay till the end.

  1. Phone. Yes, my phone. I have had clients ask me where’s my fancy camera. And yes, I do have one but I don’t use it that often and I only use it for specific things. Why do I use my phone? Because the platforms mostly require it. I recommend you ALWAYS go live from the event on each platform, Facebook, Instagram, and if you’re on it, TikTok too, and that requires a phone (or a camera with an internet connection, but that’s expensive, phone is fine.) Also, you need to shoot vertical video for Reels & TikToks (and stories), and those platforms work best if you edit your video within the platform (you can edit it elsewhere and upload it to the platforms too, but I find it easier to shoot on my phone and have the video already there to make TikToks and Reels.) If you’re wondering if other people also use their phones, we got TV coverage from a local TV station for one of my clients and they left their fancy camera outside and shot inside the business with their phones…. which is also what I did when I worked in TV, so yes, it’s very common. Make sure it’s fully charged!
  2. A microphone. There are tons of little mics for $7-$40 (I have both), I use a Purple Panda lav mic with an iphone connector to do interviews with people at events because events are usually super loud with music and crowds, so a mic in this situation is helpful. You don’t need it to just get video, but it’s helpful for interviews. It even comes with a cute, fuzzy little wind screen to block out the wind and other noise. If you’re going live for yourself, Air Pods or earbuds with a mic will work too!
  3. A tripod. I have this ring light and tripod, and most times I just bring the tripod (and leave the light at home.) But both are good to have. You can use the tripod to hold the camera steady for a live stream if there’s not closeups you need to get, and you can use it for interviews.
  4. A handheld phone holder helps keep shots steady also when you’re roaming around an event. I have a phone holder/table tripod one kind of like this from 5 Below ($5) but I really want this one called a Gimbal that I used to use when I was in TV (but it’s not necessary, it’s a fun toy.)
  5. Backup external batteries. Your phone being on the whole time WILL ABSOLUTELY drain the battery so always bring one or two backup portable batteries. I have one regular and one solar powered, which can continue to power the phone in the sun. (Don’t forget the phone cord!)
  6. If you want to know which non-phone camera I have, it’s the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III. I added a Rode external mic to it so it picks up better audio. Make sure to charge that battery before you leave and that your memory card is in the camera before you leave! (I’ve made that mistake.) Also make sure you have a backup and that your memory card has enough memory on it (or save stuff off it beforehand – I’ve also made that mistake!)
  7. OTHER THINGS: Sunscreen, hair ties, and WATER! It is BRUTAL in Florida so these are must-haves for me. This past weekend I went from presentable to Frankenstein in the heat and forgot my sunscreen so I got a nice little burn on my arms. But think about the environment you will be shooting in and always make sure you’re prepared ahead of time for the weather or if it’s indoors, a mask and/or sweater/sweatshirt, and in either one, you’ll be on your feet a lot so wear comfy shoes. (I’ve also made that mistake).

In my next post, I’ll talk about what content to get at your event and how to prepare for it on social in ways that will actually get some traction organically!

***This post contains contains Amazon affiliate links, but I support you wherever you purchase from! You don’t have to use my links.

How to get started on TikTok and Reels as a business

christie Social media tips and tricks, Uncategorized

I wish I could say businesses could ignore video and just do pictures and statuses on Facebook like the good ol’ days, but things are evolving and they’re changing quickly. In fact, even the changes are changing quickly as the platforms try to copy each other!

Recently, I wrote about how Instagram announced it’s no longer going to be a photo-sharing platform, and as the platforms move even further toward video, it’s becoming clear that it’s time to be on video as a business if you’re trying to reach audiences for your organic social media. It’s time to come out of the shadows.

Yes I know it’s uncomfortable but don’t worry, as a person who usually produces behind the scenes, I’m doing it too.

I’m doing a 30 day video series on TikTok and Reels on how to get your face on those platforms successfully, so it’s a great time to hop on if you’re not! It’s also great even if you’re on it because I’m going to be sharing my tools and tricks that I use to produce content on those platforms. You can follow me on TikTok here and on Instagram here.

Before we get started on how to get started, I want to share why you should consider being on these platforms:

  1. I got one of my clients on Reels for the first time this spring and one of the reels I created went viral, getting nearly 5 million views. That’s great, right?! But what’s greater? Doubling their sales and quadrupling their web traffic. So when people say you can’t make money off organic social media and that organic social media is dead, I can tell you for a fact that it is not!
  2. Because Instagram is pushing Reels so hard, Reels is the best way to grow your Instagram account right now.
  3. Because Reels is similar to TikTok, you can be on both without that much extra effort. However, if you want to pick one platform and do it well, PICK ONE. That’s fine too! To me, it’s more about becoming comfortable on video as a business, how to produce the videos simply and meaningfully, and how to leverage these platforms to make more money.

So let’s not even talk about how to do it well yet, we’ll get there over the next 30 days. Let’s talk about how to feel comfortable there in the first place.

Here are the things you need to do to get started:

  1. Obviously, first you want to get on the platforms, which means downloading the apps and signing up and creating an account. You may already be on there as a consumer. Bonus! A “Creator” account on Instagram give more access to more of the trending sounds and music. A business account with the sub-category “entrepreneur” also gets the same features. Business accounts have limited music & sound access. On TikTok, a regular account gives access to all sounds/music.
  2. Try to have your business name the same across all platforms.
  3. Scroll scroll scroll. Before you get started creating content, get to know the platforms. Press all the buttons! On Instagram, find the Reels tab and start scrolling through and taking note of what creators are doing, short videos, music, talking, what they’ve done to make you watch, what sounds and music keeps popping up over and over again, what’s popular. Save sounds that you like and open up notepad (or whereever you jot down your ideas) and start saving links to Reels you like so you can use them as inspiration later. On TikTok, do the same thing. I like to look through the Discover page to see the hashtags, sounds, and trends that are on there, and I look through the For You Page, which is content that will eventually be curated to show you the stuff you like (algorithms!) Once you start following people, there’s a “following” page where you can see the content only from the people you’re following.
  4. Go look to see if businesses you consider competitors are on there. Look at what they’re doing! See if it’s getting views or likes. See if you can do better! But don’t get caught up in the comparison game. Use it only as a data point! Otherwise, you’ll get overwhelmed and paralyzed and not create content. I’ve been there, don’t do that! Creating is the only way to grow.
  5. If your competitors are on there, that’s your sign to get on there! If they’re not on there, that’s your sign to get on before they do!
  6. Once you feel comfortable, start creating. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT. DO IT ANYWAY. If you don’t want to do it yourself, hire someone – outsource it so you can focus on your business. By now, since you’ve been scrolling, you’ll know you can have a successful 7 second video! It doesn’t take much!
  7. Build in “research” time every day. I say build it in because if you don’t cut yourself off, you’ll find yourself caught in the vortex and scrolling till 4 a.m. Don’t do that! You have a business to run. (ha)

Yes, a lot of this information is super basic, but we are starting at the very beginning and you’d be surprised how many businesses ask me where to get started. So if you’re further ahead, stay tuned, there’s more for you too! I still VERY MUCH do steps 3-7 on a daily basis.

RELATED:

Big news: Instagram says it’s “no longer a photo-sharing app”

christie Social media tips and tricks, The latest in social media, Uncategorized

“We’re no longer a photo-sharing app,” the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri says.

This is a big deal! So I’m going to break it down for you real quick.

If you’re on Instagram as a business, and you’re not doing videos, it’s no longer an option to ignore it if you want engagement.

In fact, if you’re on any of the platforms, video is going to win in most cases.

For months now, I’ve been talking about how businesses need to get on Reels if they’re on Instagram and this latest announcement from Instagram confirms it.

Instagram has been putting an emphasis on Reels for performance as TikTok’s popularity rises so businesses that have been adapting to Reels have been seeing more engagement from it.

So, here’s what this latest announcement means.

“No longer a photo-sharing app” doesn’t mean you CAN’T share photos on Instagram. It just means that the Instagram algorithm may not show it to as many people as it would show videos to people. So, it works in your favor to put up more videos.

Instagram is competing in a major way with TikTok, so they are putting an emphasis on video for entertainment, helping creators, shopping, and messaging.

Watch here:

Or you can listen to the full announcement here.

Do I personally love this switch? No, actually.

I love Instagram and I have always loved it for the beautiful artistry of photo creation. I love photos! I loved the uniqueness of Instagram being a “photo-sharing platform” because video was already in other places.

So I am sad to see that it is not embracing this and instead chasing after TikTok, to be honest, but… I equally love TikTok in its own uniqueness and I personally get sucked into the TikTok vortex and the brilliance and entertainment of its videos, so I can see how Instagram would be wanting a slice of that.

That being said, I have written about creating TikToks and repurposing them as Reels at length to streamline the workflow (I do still believe in that!) But if you are a business and are only on Instagram right now (and not yet on TikTok) I will be starting a series on how to quickly do Reels for your business – so stay tuned! I have put up a few tutorials on Instagram already so make sure you’re following me there at @christieomedia.

Obviously in social, everything changes ALL.THE.TIME and I’m here to help you stay on top of that.

In fact, TikTok broke this week for a few days (views were all over the place if you noticed that, videos wouldn’t upload, etc. But it’s fixed now.)

Hit me up at christie@christieo.com if you need help! I consult, I coach, I do quick workshops and give thorough audits of your social platforms if you need them, and I also do social media FOR you in some cases.

Talk soon!

How to create social media content easily in four quick steps

christie Social media tips and tricks

Just like The Godfather is the answer to all questions… (What day is it? Maunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday… What do I take on vacation? Leave the gun, take the cannoli– or is it the other way around?)

“Everything the light touches is content,” is the same answer to, “What do I post?” In fact, it’s actually more about “What NOT to post” because content is literally everywhere! Which is a good reason why people are paralyzed while creating it. There’s so much content, so little time (don’t know where to start!) or I can’t figure out what to create once I have ideas (Also – I don’t know where to start!)

So, here’s where I would start if you’re stuck.

1. You’re going to create content under the umbrella of these three topics: Entertainment, Educational, Emotional

2. Take some time, put some inspirational music on, whatever sparks your creativity, put on your affirmations, your favorite podcast, and then brain dump under these three topics everything you’d like to talk about in relation to your business & possibly even venturing into your personal life a little (if you want).

For instance:

Entertainment: What photos/videos of your products or scenarios at your business make people ooh, ahh, or laugh? Do you like memes? Are there quotes about your products (“desserts is stressed spelled backwards” or “Coffee Spelled Backwards Is Eeffoc I Don’t Give Eeffoc Until I’ve Had My Coffee,”) quizzes, polls, etc. How can you entertain people?

Educate: Identify the paint points of your ideal customer and create content that gives people easy fixes. In this scenario, do not worry about giving away your secrets. Many people think, “Why would I tell them this? Then they won’t need me!” But that’s not true. You are positioning yourself as an expert in your field. You’re a resource. And you’re there for them when they give up (which is many times!) This gives people a place to get to know you BEFORE they book your services, program, or buy your product. By the time they buy, they don’t just like you, THEY LOVE YOU. So, in this umbrella, include your passions as a business/business owner, and philosophies. Find parallel industries that work alongside of yours like real estate works with finance or home decor. Find ways to collaborate with other businesses who have social followings. What are YOUR favorite things that help you? What are LISTS of your favorite things and/or resources? This category answers the question: How can I help, or even better, SERVE, people? How can you guide them through their problems? Each problem is a piece of content. This is giving without the expectation of receiving. (However, in many cases, it does turn into your receiving.)

Emotional: How can you dial into peoples’ emotions? Is there a cause that you are particularly tied to or something you’ve gone through that will help others identify with you, what are you passionate about? This is a good time to TELL STORIES. In platforms like TikToks/Reels, you don’t even have to say anything you can just put words on a screen to music! This is a powerful way to tell stories! (And no, you don’t have to dance!) Do you have success stories from former clients or customers that are just unbelievable and give people all the feels? Do you have stories about how you went through the same thing and that’s why you started your business in the first place? Is there a journey you can take people on – a series you can create, or a way to serve that helps others get involved? Yes, so many options, but think about your stories, the stories of your customers, the stories of your employees (that you can tell with their permission). This is your place to identify with your clients and help them get to know you.

3. So after the brain dump, pick 5-7 of those ideas that you can execute easily in one day. And then schedule them out on your platforms or put them in drafts. Maybe it’s just a photo and a story. Maybe it’s a 10 second video of a problem your customers/clients can identify with. Maybe it’s a blog post (which you can turn into a video/photo/email to your list – 4 pieces of content!) Doing this gets easier over time. You can begin to see what works and what resonates with people, and you can do more of that. You can really see in real time once something hits a nerve, it’s magical!

RELATED: How to turn one piece of content into multiple pieces of content easily

4. Once you have all these ideas in place, take out a calendar and decide what goes where, write it into the calendar. Start with a week’s worth of content and then, eventually, work up to a month planned out. For planning a month of content, maybe you break it down even further to have a series each week. (Ex. This week we’re focused on choosing the right paint colors…this week we’re focused on KETO, this week we’re talking about gratitude…) Remember – you can also repurpose a live video into a shorter video which can also be a photo and also a quote graphic. That’s FIVE PIECES OF CONTENT IN ONE EASY PLANNING SESSION. That’s a start!

NEED MORE HELP? Grab this FREE “All in One Guide to Social Media Planning Guide for Businesses” which includes a content calendar, content ideas & inspiration, and a guide of free (or almost free) tools for content creation!

Better yet, book a call to see how I can help you! Email me at christie@christieo.com.

How to take the TikTok watermark off videos and turn them into Reels

christie Social media tips and tricks

As TikTok takes off for businesses and creators and Reels gets in on that competition, Instagram has made it clear that they don’t want the TikTok watermark on their platform.

So, how can you post the content you’re creating on TikTok on Reels and vice versa (to work smarter, not harder!?) Because it’s all about repurposing and being as resourceful with your time as possible.

NOTE: This information keeps changing, so I will keep this post updated with the latest.

It used to be that you could use the phone apps, TikSave and SaveTok, to strip off the watermark. However, SaveTok has recently stopped working for most people, so that’s out. And while TikSave still works, if you are doing a lip synch video, the words don’t always match up – there’s a little lag, and that can be annoying.

RELATED: 10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT REPURPOSING YOUR TIKTOKS INTO REELS

So, if you use TikSave, it’s best to use it when you have just a video where you’re using your own audio or just music.

If you are lipsynching a piece of audio for your video, Snaptik.app works on desktop to strip off the watermark and there’s little to no lag on the lipsync.

Another way to do it is to actually create your Reel in your Instagram stories, where you can add music and add captioning also! Then you can download the videos you created and upload them to TikTok.

RELATED: HOW TO ADD CAPTIONS TO YOUR VIDEOS

They also have different fonts on the captioning to use, some of them are a little prettier than TikTok.

But remember, you only get 30 seconds in Reels, so make sure it’s not longer than that. This is great way to create videos for sharing information and for short, educational videos. The only disadvantage is that not all the trending sounds that are in TikTok are on Reels.

So, there are pros and cons to all of these little tips and tricks, and as you get used to the platforms, you will get used to each of the platforms’ nuances.

Remember though, no matter what – keep creating! Get your business on TikTok and Reels!

Increase your watch time ASAP by adding captions to your videos

christie Social media tips and tricks

Here are some important stats for you to know:

80% of people who watch videos are more likely to watch it to completion if there are captions.

Facebook says video watch time increases by 12% with captioned video. And there are billions of Facebook users, so…

These are the top reasons people watch video with captions (according to Verizon):

  • They’re in a public place
  • They didn’t have headphones
  • They were waiting in line somewhere
  • They were multitasking
  • They’re in the bathroom (I added this one)

Pair that up with the fact that you are also helping those who are hearing impaired to enjoy your videos and there’s zero reasons for you to NOT use captions on your video. No matter what, more people watch video when it has words on the screen and people are also encouraged to turn on the sound if the words and the story are compelling to create a more magical experience for themselves.

So, here are some super easy ways to add captions:

  • Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok all have built-in captioning functions. They are auto-generated, all you have to do is enable them and proofread them before you hit publish.
  • Use the Captions app. It’s a free app you can download to your phone. Just upload a vertical video one minute or less to the app and it will autogenerate the captions for you, and you can edit them and customize them. You can use these on TikTok, Reels, Facebook and on YouTube shorts.
  • Use the text overlay on TikTok & Reels (You can do it once in TikTok, then strip the TikTok watermark off to post on Reels which I show you how to do here.)
  • Custom create captions for your video yourself. Yes this takes a little longer, but captions are always worth it. Go into your video editing software, find a nice font, and type in the captions manually. You can dress them up with text boxes if you like. If it’s a long interview that you don’t want to transcribe yourself, you can always hire someone on Fiverr to do that, but, I do it all the time for myself. (Transcribing interviews also gives you a ton of other content like quotes for quote graphics and mini stories you can tell in different ways through other photos or shorter videos. I’m a big fan of making 10 pieces of content out of one.)
  • Add captions to your video files in Google Drive (here’s how). In this one, you have to transcribe the video first, then upload the transcription.

Keep in mind that 75% of the people watching videos are on mobile devices so make sure the words are not too small, and you should be good to go!

How to batch your content as a business

christie Social media tips and tricks

There’s a chance that right now you’re looking back on your week on social media and thinking that you were more “reactive” than “proactive” this week, and wishing it were the other way around.

Sometimes posting and flying by the seat of your pants pays off because you have a vision and you want to execute it right away. Sometimes that means you post only when you feel like it, which gives you no chance to get into the platforms’ algorithm and stay there.

For a longer, big-picture strategy, that’s not sustainable.

Here some ways to build a content strategy that you can create content for:

  1. Begin with WHO you’re creating this content for in mind, first and always. Identify your ideal customers and their biggest pain points, wants, and needs. How do they actually *feel,* who are they?
  2. How can you use the 3 Es of content creation for your business and ultimately “make people feel things?” What content can you create that EDUCATES, creates EMOTION, or ENTERTAINS? Strive for at least one of these with every post you do. (If you can hit all three in one post – that’s magic!)
  3. Brainstorm your educational posts, your emotional posts, and your funny posts.
  4. Pick ONE DAY of each week to content create, then try to create at least seven posts in one day, one sitting. This is called “batching content.” Then, schedule one post for each day. (If you have more, BONUS!)
  5. If you can’t create seven, try five. (Monday through Friday.)
  6. If you can’t create seven, try 3-4 and strive for more each week.

Batching content helps you to be able to actually focus on your business rather than stress out each day because you’re staring at the clock knowing you haven’t posted a single thing yet. Eventually, you will get into a flow and creating content will become easier.

This process may be difficult for you at the beginning because you may not know where to start, but KEEP GOING. You will figure it out and you have to start somewhere.

Once you start posting consistently, pay attention to the likes & shares of your posts and create MORE of what’s been successful.

This process is also good for realizing after a while that you DON’T WANT to be the one person creating content. That’s OK TOO! You may want to outsource this.

If you need help, I do brainstorming & training workshops to get you started, one on one coaching so we can get a system down for your content creation and planning, and in some cases, I can create the content for you. Until then, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok where I offer regular tutorials on content producing!

Work smarter not harder: How to turn your TikToks into Reels and why you should be doing both as a business

christie Uncategorized

Don’t you love it when people say you should do something but they don’t tell you how?

BUT YOU JUST FOLD IT IN. 🧀😂 (My favorite scene from Schitt’s Creek).

I didn’t mean to but apparently this is now social media explained through Schitt’s Creek.

So here are 10 things you should know and DO right now on TikTok & Reels for your business:

  1. You need to be doing more Reels on Instagram. I can’t stress this enough.
  2. When I do reels for my clients, they get thousands if not millions of views and that, in turn, boosts their follower count. EXAMPLE: One of my clients wasn’t on it at all (one of my bigger clients who already had an established following.) We started Reels and their reach EXPLODED. Millions of views and and an explosion in follower count, within a MONTH AND A HALF. For my smaller clients who are still trying to build, Reels are building views, awareness, and followers, and their Reels get thousands of views (sometimes within minutes.) They are by far the best performing posts and I will tell you why in a minute.
  3. Try to do at least one Reel a day and if you don’t know what to make, watch Reels and take note of trends and types of videos and try to figure out how to apply those ideas for your business. Take some time to do this! Write down your ideas! And then, when you’re ready, make a bunch of Reels in one sitting and try to spread them out in posts during the week. (Keep them evergreen.)
  4. Related but unrelated: TikTok is also an amazing place to be as a business right now- businesses are exploding there because humans are spending HOURS on it.
  5. Totally related: Which is WHY INSTAGRAM IS PUSHING REELS SO HARD and why your videos will get more views RIGHTNOW. Because obviously they want to keep people on their platform.
  6. SO, if you do both TikTok and Instagram you don’t have to work harder, just work smarter.
  7. Put your TikTok on Reels
  8. However, you have to take the TikTok watermark off before you post, this is important. Instagram will penalize your posts for having them (if they’re not already).
  9. This is really easy to do and I’m going to show you how, I’ve already posted it on TikTok and Reels myself (Here’s the video tutorial – and while you’re at it, follow me on TikTok and Instagram for more video tutorials.) You use the free app TikSave, and I walk you through the process in the tutorial.
  10. All I did to create the video was screen record the process and use the voiceover option and a trending song, it took me just a few minutes to put together so if there’s a tutorial or a demo you can provide as a business, brainstorm some ideas, post on TikTok then repost on Reels using that process

BONUS: Use 30 hashtags relevant to your business and ideal client in your Reels post

DOUBLE BONUS: Once you get the TikTok/Reels process down it goes much smoother and quicker and it’s totally worth it to do both.

Are you on these platforms and doing these things? Follow me and comment if you need any help!

MORE:

FREE RESOURCES: All-in-one planning guide for businesses (including content ideas, a content planner

Four mistakes almost every business makes in social media (part two)

christie Social media tips and tricks
How to do social media for your business (and what not to do)

First we’re going to take a look at what people aren’t doing enough of on social media as a business, and then we’re going to dive in deeper into what you can create. These are four MORE mistakes most every business makes on social media.

(Clilck here for part one)

  1. Not enough personal connection. They don’t get personal enough on social media to form a personal connection and vibe with their audience. You don’t have to spill all the tea about yourself and there is always “too much information,” but you’ve gotta give people something to know about you, especially if you’re a small business. This opens up a whole pillar of content you can dive into. I touched on it in the last post, but showing who you are, your passions, your *why*, your background, life stories, help people bond with you. Storytelling is such a big must in social, it can’t be ignored. But you do have to be comfortable with it. You can tell your story through old photos, photos of your favorite things, videos, and sprinkle them in throughout your content about your business. It doesn’t have to be every day. Start with once a week and see how the posts perform over time.
  2. Not going live. Many business owners either don’t feel comfortable on camera or think they’re not good on camera or think they need to be in the shadows and only show their business. But the truth is, very few people actually are comfortable on camera, it’s a work in progress (I am one of them!) Also, there’s a chance you have more gifts than you give yourself credit for (one of my clients says they’re awful on camera when actually they’re magic!) But live video engages more people at one time, and on Facebook, an alert is sent to people telling them you’re live, and the posts performs longer. People see them long after you’re live. There are even little tips and tricks to keep people on your Facebook Live longer. If you’re afraid to go live, here’s a few ways to get around that at first:
  • Have an event and go live from the event, use the emcee to explain to viewers what they’re seeing
  • Rope someone else into being in it with you, interview someone or demonstrate something with someone
  • Go live more often to feel comfortable. Just get comfortable with it. Don’t run away.

3. Not tracking analytics. Grab a spreadsheet and start tracking your likes & followers each month, your top five best posts from the month, your monthly engagement, and your video views. You can access the 7 day or 30 day views in your insights on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. We talked in the last post about going back and looking at how individual posts performed, but you also need to see the big picture. Sometimes things look bleak until you see the numbers and they actually show an upward trend! If the numbers are dipping, you can fix that too. Numbers don’t lie! Set yourself small goals each month to reach and focus on one of those areas, and then track the numbers every 30 days.

4. Not listening to their social media manager’s advice (or consulting with one) to learn about trends or how to connect with people. There are companies without social media experts on staff, and there are companies with a full staff of social media experts. I know there are social media managers who have less experience than others (I’m not one of those), so it’s hard to trust outsiders when it comes to your company and its message, values, and reputation. But try to work with your social media person and really listen to what they’re saying. If you don’t have one, it really is a good idea to consult with one so you’re not wasting time throwing spaghetti at the wall, or if you have a budget for one, bring one on so you can run your business without the stress of social media on your plate. So often, even in large companies with full staffs, businesses operate from a place of fear. They don’t want to try new things. They only want to post their product. They only want to be a megaphone. It doesn’t work. You can ignore trends and conversations that are happening online but the truly successful businesses in social are the ones who are dialed in and can seize upon an opportunity to insert themselves into these conversations that are happening literally all around them. A good social media person will help you do it strategically, so you don’t look out of place, so you can draw people in with your social savviness. You don’t have to say yes to everything. All I ask is that you listen to what they’re trying to tell you.

Need help?

Head over to www.christieomedia.com or email me at christie@christieo.com. (Read about me here).

Four mistakes almost every business owner makes in social media (Part One)

christie Uncategorized

These four mistakes almost every business is making in social media may surprise you!

  1. Too much self-promotion. When people don’t know what content to post on their business pages, they turn to what they know the most about: their products and services. BUT, too much self-promotion can come off as sounding like a megaphone. If you want to talk about yourself with complete wreckless abandon, there are ads for that. People get hit with ads all the time, but on social media, they’re looking for fun content to engage with. And since you don’t want your content to be mistaken for ads, how do you find that sweet spot – getting engagement while promoting? Good question! It’s the biggest struggle for every social media content producer, business owner or manager. But it IS POSSIBLE to showcase your products without saying, “Buy my product!” and you can showcase your skills without saying, “HIRE ME!” The number one way to do this is to produce content that visually answers the question for your customer: “What’s in it for me?” Which brings us to….
  2. Not producing enough content surrounding the BENEFITS of your ideal/client customer. Make the following lists:
  • Benefits of my products or services for my clients/customers (You’ll never need another piece of jewelry again, your social media is done, a place for your family to gather.) These benefits have to invoke feelings of things like relief, love, FOMO, happiness and sheer joy, laughter & “wishing” (nothing negative – stay away from anger). Emotions are what cause people to respond to posts, which is why Facebook put all the different emotions on posts. If you look at something you’re about to post and it does none of this, don’t post it.
  • What you love, why you love your business, all the success stories, your *why* – because you CAN showcase your love for your own business and products, and you should. What fueled you to do this? What’s your backstory? How does doing this help you? Help you help others? Help your family? Telling these stories helps your clients and customers to be able to identify with the real you and ultimately engage with your content and your page. You can be a nameless/faceless product if you want to try that, but even we know the guy behind “MyPillow” or Dave, the creator of Wendy’s or Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx…
  • Any other parallel services/businesses/topics: If you’re in real estate, you can post about interior decorating, Pinterest-worthy holiday decorating, quick DIY upgrades to your house that up the value, think about your industry and what other interests your clients and customers have surrounding it. One of my clients is a cafe and they’re avid runners, they created a run group. Business owners have passions too! Think about visual, creative topics you can take pictures or videos of.
  • NOTE: Post wording is important. Remember, DON’T: MEGAPHONE: “GET THIS CHOCOLATE CAKE!” DO: SHOW BENEFITS: “It’s been a stressful day. Here’s some drippy drizzly chocolate cake to think about. We’re here when you’re ready.”

RELATED: HOW TO BATCH AND PLAN CONTENT

3. Not looking at the posts that performed well and REPLICATING THEM (scrapping the duds). I KNOW you love that post and you worked so hard on it and you’re convinced it’s the best post ever, but numbers don’t lie. If it didn’t resonate with people, just don’t do it again. Look at how many reactions it got, comments, shares, etc. (note: this may be hard in the building phase of your page because you have to start somewhere, so my advice here is to DUPLICATE SUCCESSES ALL THE TIME.) Facebook loves it when you have an engaging post and when you do more of that, Facebook will show your future posts to more people. But what happens if you have a bunch of duds in there? Facebook decides, “This person’s not engaging, I’m not going to show it to people.” So it can ruin future engagement. Get into the algorithm and stay there by producing consistent engaging content.

4. Not doing enough beautiful videos: Videos are just so big right now on every platform, everyone should be doing more of them. Not talking heads (although that’s actually better than no video at all), but pretty videos that make people stop and watch. You have 0-3 seconds to grab someone’s attention, make sure that first 0-3 seconds is the best part of your video. You can always start with the best shot and work backwards. If you want any examples of this, head over to the Tasty Facebook page, they do it every.single.time. You don’t need extravagant editing equipment and cameras, just a phone will do and you can edit on free apps like iMovie or “No Crop,” or get a subscription to Adobe for Spark or Premiere (a little more advanced, but I taught myself on YouTube so it can’t be THAT advanced.)

Stay tuned for the next four mistakes to avoid as a business owner doing social! In the meantime, grab these free resources and tools for you to create amazing content with!

Get free content ideas & favorite tools bundle, subscribe here!

* indicates required
Email Format