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.
- 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.
- 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).