Socially (media) awkward? Build a social media strategy with these tips

As a solopreneur, content manager is another hat you wear. Having to create content for your business's social channels may be something you enjoy (or once did). If you like making reels, replying to comments, packing orders on your Instagram stories, then posting on your social media can be very fun and exciting. It's the part of entrepreneurship where you don't feel alone, you can let your target audience in behind the scenes of your business, and show the human side of your brand. And you get to interact with the people who use your services and products.

But once the algorithm picks up that you're a business owner who's looking to up their social media strategy, say hello a deluge of ads from social media coaches and tools. You may get messages for paid or free resources to coach you to get more followers, or implement content strategies with guaranteed results.

I respect what these social media coaches teach, and I admire the way they keep themselves updated with the latest social media strategy. However, I don't believe that your content marketing strategy needs more work by you showing up with more and more social media content.

If you ever find yourself thinking you need to share content more frequently, remember that you're an entrepreneur first, and content marketing manager second (even third or fourth). It's your business objectives that take precedence over your social media marketing strategy.

If you think you need some help with your social media strategy, get the extra help and learning you need. It may help you meet your marketing goals. But be wary about social media marketing tips that encourage you to post a couple of times a day, or go live often. As fun as it will be, it can lead to you constantly thinking about what you need to post on your social media channels, feel anxious that you're missing out on leads or nurturing engagement if you don't post often, and eventually social media burnout. Studies have shown that social media fatigue is linked to high anxiety and depression.

Being burned out from social media marketing can result in your losing energy for other parts of your business, like running it! Until you can hire a social media team, make these following tips a part of your effective content marketing strategy.

Less is more

Given the evolution of social media in the last decade, it's tempting to think you need to be on all social media platforms, in alphabetical order from Facebook to Twitter. Think about where your audience hangs out online, and set up a presence on that social platform alone. Sometimes you may start with a small handful of platforms, depending on the data, decide to cut it down further depending on what you can manage or engage with. You're going to want to taper your content creation to the platform(s) where it makes sense. This way you eventually end up creating a content experience that's built exclusively for your ideal target audiences.

When you prioritize quality over quantity, you'll find a little effort goes a long way.

Also, choose channels that complement or spotlight your brand. I have a presence on Pinterest and Instagram because they are visual platforms that align with the nature of my work.

Build your content pillars

While there's plenty of inspiration around, sometimes you can keep drawing at a blank when thinking about what to post on your platform. On days like this, content pillars can break that creative block. Content pillars are the broad themes under which you plan your content. I've written about content pillars in more detail in this blog post. They are the foundation of your content marketing strategy, and help you map out the editorial calendar for months in advance. Once you have that down, you can schedule your posts in advance with a social media scheduling tool.

As much as content pillars act as creative resources, they also help slim down ideas when you have too many, and keep you on track with your overall marketing strategy. With social media, it is so easy to get swept away in creating video styles and posts that don't align with your brand's look and feel.

Analyse the analytics

While social media marketing is fun, you have to do the boring work as well. I personally love analytics. I know there are entrepreneurs who hate looking at numbers in any form. But reading through your social media analytics and matching it with your Google Analytics can help you determine which posts funnel into your audience onto your website. Studying both reports can help you make an extremely effective content marketing strategy. You just need to find the pattern in the numbers. Social media post performance analytics can surprise you when you try to understand why one post is all the rage over another.

Lean on your Google Analytics and social media reports to make strategic decisions about your content strategy, you may have to change it if you find a certain format of social content is not working. The opposite can also happen. You find what content works, and can style more of your content the same way.

Leverage the platform

You don't need an exclusive content marketing manager to help you grow your following. It's the small things peppered in your online content that can make this possible. Using the right hashtags in your posts lets more people find you when they search the hashtag on the platform. You can partner up with other companies for giveaways. If you're a service provider, host live sessions about best practices in the industry.

If you sell products, get user generated content by asking your latest customers to tag you in posts of your products.

Reply to comments on your page or where your brand is mentioned, it also encourages other users of your brand to mention you in their posts.

These efforts over time will have more customers being drawn to your platform, and get converted from observer to follower and one day, a customer. Consistent brand voice and link sharing can build brand exposure, drive traffic to your website, and over time improve your website's SEO.

Resist the temptation

Social media apps are designed to be addictive. And when you run an online-only business that markets itself with social media, it can feel like walking a fine line between sanity and generating a livelihood. To avoid the trap of checking your business social media too often, set up a timer and schedule your social media posting and audience engagement for certain time slots. For example, check your social media channels at the start and end of your work day. It's easy to get carried away with the dopamine hit that comes with replying to positive messages and absorbing how many likes your last post received. An overdose of social media can lead you to getting wrapped up in your brand's external image, and you focus less on actually boosting your brand. It's tempting to want to check engagement on your post every 5 minutes after you post it, but tell yourself you'll check it after 5 hours.

Check out this article by Sarah Peck on how she tried different practices to manage her social media addiction. Your audience does not expect you to be perpetually available on social media, they're there because of what you do as a business person, remember?

Social media is fickle

You don't have to nail your social media marketing goals 100% all the time. Unlike other marketing mediums where you can start marketing initiatives on your clock or manage the content distribution, social media dances to a tune of its own.

It's governed by an algorithm that no one can predict.

You are not expected to create content that goes viral or have a packed content calendar. Your audience will understand that you have a life offline because they do as well.

Social media can feel like a popularity contest and keep you wondering where your brand ranks. What if you post about your vulnerabilities as an entrepreneur and that post does less well than the other content? Post what feels authentic to you and your brand. Your audience will create the energy you intend with your posts.

Stay steadfast

It's only natural to follow brands you admire or share the industry with. While scrolling through your feed, you may come across a post that knocks it out of the ballpark and this makes you wonder if your content has the same punch. Don't ever let someone else's social media content make you feel like yours is lacking some pizzazz. You are creating content that aligns with specific goals unique to your business alone. Someone else's social media strategy is not yours. Always have a clear picture of how you want your online content to look and sound, and stick to the plan.