When it comes to social media and what you observe other businesses and people doing to attract attention, it can be easy to assume that going crazy with your social media content is the best way to go.
But in reality, as always, the answer is… it depends.
It depends on your own business and type of clientele you aim to attract.
Though I have experienced watching plumbers and landscapers put out crazy videos, lawyers and doctors are not immune.
Regardless, whether you are a fancy pants executive or a local small town business owner, you must remember that everything that goes online has a tendency to stay online, and people will judge, it’s just human nature, and when it comes to representing your business… it matters.
In the age of social media, you cannot prevent people from reaching their own ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ perception of you.
So, before you go creating social media content, it’s important to plan what your intentions are, from the beginning, to the middle, and at the end of it all.
In other words, you should thoughtfully plan out your entire social media journey.
I know that some would say, that for anyone to be successful on social media, all you gotta do is… ‘be yourself.’
Well, I know of some individuals, who’s very own family and closest friends, have some reservations about who they are, so throwing out that ‘be yourself’ advice may not be the ‘best advice’ when it comes to social media.
Through no fault of your own, no matter how hard you try, you will create an image (intended or not) that others will perceive in their own mind, and this image may inspire, in some people, a ‘liking for you’, and yet, in others, it might inspire some dislike.
Unfortunately, it’s just the way it is with social media.
So, as for me… I don’t judge, but I will offer some advice that you are welcome to incorporate into your own social media journey, or toss into the ‘crazy can’… you decide.
So let me start with this… when it comes to your business and your social media presence, everything you do and say reflects on your ‘personal’ and ‘business’ brand, so, before you begin:
1) Think Way-Way-Far-Ahead
It would be a good idea for you to think way-way-far-ahead into the future, and ask yourself… how do you want your business to be perceived?
It is important to note that you are in total control at this point, but once you POST-IT… it could very well take on a life of its own.
So, have someone you trust give your content a good-look-over, and then, have them offer their hard honest opinion of whether your media is GOOD TO POST or maybe you should do some further editing.
2) Post with a Sense of Service
People can sense whether you care about what it is that you do, and if you create the sense that you are creating content for the sole purpose of ‘creating content’, then you may not stir up the ‘good feelings’ inside of people that make them believe that you are the right business for them.
Granted, some ‘good people’ are masters at their craft, but are just not good at creating content, images, or video, and that’s OK, so long as you recognize this about yourself, and then actively recruit someone to be your ‘creator of online content’, so that your business can be put in the best light.
3) Don’t Waste People’s Time
People that engage in social media have a desire for one of three things:
- to be informed…
- to be educated…
- or to be entertained…
that’s it.
People will engage with your content, and also come back for more, regardless if it is written, or an image, or a video, but only if you can deliver to the viewer the value of information, education, and/or entertainment.
So, when creating content for social media, ‘always do it with a purpose’, and create content that is either Informational, Educational, or Entertaining.
If you can manage to wrap all of those ingredients into all of your postings, you will get a Yahtzee every time.
4) Attract Your Loyal Customer
There is a lot of talk about generating hundreds of thousands of ‘views’ and hundreds of thousands of ‘likes’ to feed the algorithms, and I get that, but to be honest, when it comes to MY business, I would rather have 800, 900, or 10,000 LOYAL subscribers, who are also my loyal customers, as opposed to 50 thousand or 100 thousand views, likes, and followers, who only come to see my content to be entertained.
Now, unless I am in the business of solely creating entertaining videos for the purpose of generating clicks, likes, and views, and that was my goal, to get clicks, likes, and views, then absolutely, I would focus on just that.
OK, now that I have said all of that, if you are a Small Business Owner, there is value in creating entertaining content, because if you can attract a large enough audience that watches your videos online, this can create a nice side revenue for your business.
However, it is important for you to always keep this at the forefront in your mind: your BUSINESS SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT will inevitably BRAND YOUR BUSINESS, regardless of whether your business is large or small.
5) Keep Away from Controversy
Yes… we all have opinions, but not everyone cares to hear our opinions, and even when someone might ask our opinion about a controversial topic, it’s most always best to keep our opinions deep inside, because let’s face it, your opinion may not change the world, but it may change the outlook of your doing business in your community.
So, when interacting and exchanging ideas and engaging in social chats online, and your intent is to promote and talk about your business on social media, put the sticks down, and always remember to be social, nothing serious happening here, just friendly chatter.
So, if I were to wrap all of this up in just a few simple words…
Think Before You Post.
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