How to Start, Manage, and Grow Your Social Network Without a Huge Time Commitment
Even if you missed my recent training sessions on Smarter Social Success, you’ve probably heard me argue that as busy solopreneurs we need to be careful and wise about where we spend our marketing time on social media. Be where your best clients are! LEARN where your best clients are!
Don’t you love it when you find things that reinforce what you know, do, or teach?!
I like how this business’s post echoes many of the same thoughts I’ve written about and taught on – being wise about our social presence, learning to curate content (not create everything from scratch), being consistent online, and using automation in a smart fashion (among other tips).
While I wasn’t a big watcher of the show, I certainly appreciate this quote that 3 Girls Media shared from character Ron Swanson of the show Parks & Rec says, “Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.”
It’s much better to have a strong presence concentrated on one or two sites where your core constituencies exist than seem noncommittal on four or five.
We can’t half-ass our marketing and especially not the quick-moving nature of social media. If we can’t commit “whole-ass”, then step off the merry-go-round. It’s ok.
Don’t pop in and out, inconsistently, from every platform on the planet right now
Yes! You gotta do your homework and go where you ideal clients are hanging out – AND where they want to interact with you. And be fully engaged with your audience THERE. (that was a core part of the recent training I offered – how to know where your best customer is on social media)
Which also ties in to this quote on consistency …
Sharing interesting links as you find them is a recipe for inconsistency.
Yep. I admit I am sometimes guilty of this on my Facebook Page profiles – going for weeks with nicely curated content, neatly scheduled out (I prefer tools like HootSuite, AgoraPulse, or PostPlanner), as I keep reading interesting articles that I think my community would benefit from. Or just sending an article directly from Feedly to Twitter or one of my Facebook Pages. BUT … then life and work and news and the world rise up and my consistency suffers! See, just like all of you. 😉
But I also know that if I don’t keep up with finding, scheduling, and sharing – I will never build community or engagement. Posting when something catches our eye is also a time waster – and we solos don’t have time for that! We can’t just ‘do’ social when we have a whim, or on the run, or a catchy quote pic hits our feeds. We need a plan and schedule.
So, how about together we re-commit to making consistency a top priority. (psst – it’s easier when you’ve pared back WHERE you are on social media – see tip #1 above)
If you’ve wondered how you up your solopreneur social media marketing, go check out the 3 Girls Media post. But then come back here. 🙂 Or come hang out in the Mighty Marketing Mojo Facebook Group and let’s chat about how taking back control over social media and other marketing tactics. If you’re interested in help on getting clear about our community on social media, how to use it for market research, or just want to get even smarter with social media – you might want to click that and grab the special deal on the training I just offered. 😉
Five Core Competencies or Skill-sets All Solopreneurs Need
We may get to a point in our business’s growth where we can hire a VA, intern, or team member to help us with social media marketing – but for most of us in earlier growth stages, we are own social media managers.
While we already wear lots of hats in our businesses (sales, marketing, customer care, all the money stuff), it help to know the core skills that are looked for in serious, talented social media managers. That way we know what to look for when hiring that VA, or what skills we need to brush up on while doing it ourselves.
Visual skills – posts with compelling, engaging graphics perform better. You don’t need to be a graphic designer, but do know some basics (and then use a tool like Canva (affiliate) or Stencil).
Customer service skills – don’t forget social media is, well, social! Listen, answer questions, and engage. Customers frequently turn to social for assistance, and to vent.
Content skills – know what’s seen as valuable by your audience and don’t forget basic, good writing practices.
Advertising skills – it’s become a pay-to-play, or be seen, world.
SEO skills – part of the point of social media is to drive targeted, qualified traffic back to our home bases – our websites. Social media management needs to understand the connection between traffic, social, and SEO influences.
And I agree wholeheartedly with this statement on what kind of content we need to be producing and sharing …
… brands really need to think hard in terms of coming up with great content that resonates with the users. Images of cats and dogs might work sometimes, not always. You need to experiment. Provide value. Content, in every sense, should inform, entertain, save money, inspire and more.
Yes it’s a short list of skills, and seems pretty straightforward. I know from experience and working with other solopreneurs that these skills aren’t so simple to put into practice. As solopreneurs we can’t master all of these alone or when we’re just starting out.
Which areas do you feel it would serve you and your marketing best to work on? Leave a comment and let me know! I want to work on being more proactive with client and customer care via social media.
I suggest you pick one area to work on strengthening this year, or pick a competency you will hire out for. And keep coming back here as we work together to make our marketing mightier!
The Questions You’re Asking to Figure Out If Your Solopreneur Biz REALLY Needs Social Media
Social media seems like it could be a solopreneur or small business marketing dream come true. Places online where you get to talk about and promote your business for free?! Millions – no BILLIONS – of people all online in the same spots, chatting about their interest, sharing pictures of their past-times/hobbies/workouts/meals, and even places just to connect with professional colleagues. But still some people are wondering if they really need social media for their business.
It actually didn’t take long for business owners – very small to very large – to realize their clients and customers were on social media AND talking about them or the products and services they sold. Business went ALL in on social media. [if you need some numbers and stats to convince you on who’s really using social media – and yes, your customers ARE there – then check out my post busting some myths and bad advice about social media]
Maybe too much in and on social media though.
We’ve come to realize social media isn’t always rosy or positive and can be a scary thing personally or professionally. Being “ON” on social media can also take up a lot of valuable time. Those of us using social media to ‘get the word out’ about our businesses (aka marketing) feel pressured to be on EVERY social platform, ALL the time. That’s not healthy, or helpful. And with literal billions using some of the social platforms, does anyone see or hear what we say? You may be wondering if you should even bother.
So, Do You NEED Social Media In Your Business?
I’m here to say that YES – your business should be on social media. That includes your solopreneur business, even if (especially if) you’re just starting out. BUT … that recommendation comes with some caveats and tips.
Caveat and tip #1 – You do NOT need to be online or on social media 24/7, 365 days a year to find success.
Caveat and tip #2 – (this could feel controversial to you) You do NOT need to be on EVERY social channel or try every new app that pops up. Stick around here and I’ll show you why.
Caveat and tip #3 – You don’t have to be perfect on social media, you do need to be human, real, and consistent. Don’t jump into something that you can’t keep up with.
Still unsure about how and why social media makes sense for your small business? Read on … AND click the button and join my group training on Smarter Social Media Success!
Here’s How to determine whether marketing via social media is a good fit for you and your business.
Do You Have Enough Business to Last You Until You Retire?
If the answer is yes, you don’t need social media. Cool and congrats! Let’s have a separate conversation on all the great things you must already be doing in your biz and why you’re still hanging out with me.
But let’s be honest, do you really have that much business? I surely don’t! I’m busy, and lucky to lead a good life, but I still want to help more clients in both sides of my business. I still want my business to bring in more money so I can travel to more events, or pay to outsource things I’m not great at doing. I bet you feel you’re not done helping your niche and you could definitely use more money to grow your business and boost your life plans.
Do you want your business to grow or possibly stall? The adage and advice that it’s easier to keep and please existing customers than it is to find new ones is 100% true. [some stats say it’s 7x easier to retain, others say 5 times easier to keep a customer and HBR gives a range of acquiring new as 25x more expensive – point is, do NOT ever forget about your existing customers!] If you aren’t on social media, you’re not only missing a lot of opportunities to get new customers, but also to connect with your current ones. More and more people turn to social media for customer service and getting help.
Do You Have a Process That Is Already Generating Enough New Prospective Clients?
Your process or plan probably has a few leaks in the old ‘customer pipeline’ and could use help. Ask yourself, can you really have too many prospective new clients, or too many actual customers? Well … for us solopreneurs who offer services or work with clients 1-to-1, we could kinda run into problems if we hit the client jackpot or our pipeline floods! But usually, it doesn’t hurt us to keep bringing in new prospects and new paying customers. That’s sort of the point of business. It’s how a business grows and expands and keeps going. Social media could open you up to a whole new audience. It can drive new traffic back to your website and your email list. Smart social media use could raise your visibility and build your reputation at the top of that path of new clients.
A lot of the consultants, coaches and others with service businesses who I know, still rely on word-of-mouth as their #1 marketing tactic – if they even think of WoM as ‘marketing’ at all. Hard truth time pals- these days that isn’t always enough. (and you need a process, a system, for your word-of-mouth – but that’s a different post and training.)
Having a good, consistent, engaging social media presence can work like word-of-mouth if your followers share your content with their followers. What’s a RT or a Share from Facebook but a new twist on word-of-mouth. However, you need to create a compelling social media posts that people enjoy and want to share. Being seen as helpful and real on social media could have your posts spreading and really expanding your audience.
Can You Afford Traditional Advertising Methods?
Most small businesses, and certainly the vast majority of solopreneurs, can’t afford TV, radio, or newspaper ads – and they wouldn’t be very effective in most instances even if you could afford them. You’re probably not buying a billboard outside of town. I bet most of my solopreneur pals aren’t running print direct mail campaigns either. You may not be able to spend much on PPC (pay-per-click) ads or Google AdWord campaign.
So, pretty high chance your answer on most paid advertising is “no.” That means social media advertising could be your cheapest, most affordable advertising option. And honestly, social media ads can so narrow down and hyper-target your ideal client, that traditional advertisers could only have dreamed about back in my ad agency days. Paid social media advertising is way more targeted and cost-effective than even the best local cable ads, direct mail, or any other ‘traditional’ sources claiming to be targeted. You don’t have to jump straight to paid social ads, but do know it’s a tool that solopreneurs should keep in their marketing kit.
Note: I say “advertising” up there and I mean just that – paying to promote, share, or place ads. Advertising is one part of the whole marketing process. On social media today, advertising could be a boosted post or event, a supported Tweet, or straight-up social ads. Do NOT buy into the myth that social media is ‘free’ – because while you aren’t paying to join the social platforms, you ARE paying in your effort, time, and resources. Social media can cost blood, sweat, and tears – and sometimes some cash too. But don’t ignore social ads.
10 Tools for Social Media Success
Sign up below to get your FREE guide to my favorite time-saving, budget-friendly social media tools for solopreneurs!
Do You Have a Faster Way to Interact with and Answer Customer Questions?
Social media is a great place to get feedback from your customers or your potential customers. As I said, more people are turning to social media for customer service and to get direct answers, not just for research or asking their friends about favorite products. In many cases, they head to social media before the phone or email.
You can answer questions via social media and get to know your current or potential clients on a more personal level. PLUS, all your other potential clients will see your answers, your honesty, and your customer service in action. PLUS, research says consumers are 71% more likely to make a purchase based on a social referral. Personal service is extremely important to people these days. You can build a life-long customer relationship simply by making people feel that they matter, they are important and that you desire to cater to their needs as best you can.
To be successful at building a business today, you need to be building relationships. Forget about “B2B”, “B2C” and think “H2H” – human-to-human. We have better buying experiences when there’s a real human element and we connect with the person selling us something, especially if we think – no KNOW – that other human has our interests at heart. Client loyalty, repeat business, referrals, even that vaunted ‘word of mouth marketing’ comes from good relationships. Building a solid, meaningful social media presence that responds to customers is an excellent way to build those relationships.
Convinced Now That Your Solopreneur Business Can Use Social Media for Growth and Success?
Look, this isn’t about whether or not YOU personally think much of social media, like, love or hate it, or are a high user of social media. I’m not saying do something you hate and dread … BUT … it matters more that your prospective client and customers ARE using social media. They’re out there looking for answers, for services, for products, for help, and even researching YOU.
Unless your market isn’t online at all anywhere (doubt it!) and never touches a computer, the chances are that your business can benefit greatly from being on and using sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Instagram or Pinterest. I am NOT saying go join ALL of them and start promoting like crazy! “That’s not how this works, that’s not how any of this works!”
DO go take a spin around the major social sites and check out how solopreneurs like you are using those platforms and reaching their customers. This will help you decide if it’s a smart move for you. [That and joining my Smarter Social Success group training program so you can learn about finding where your ideal clients are hanging out – because you don’t need to be everywhere all the time! That’s not smart social.]
Gaining visibility, building your reputation, speeding up KNOW-LIKE-TRUST process, sending targeted traffic to your website, building your prospect list, listening to your customers, researching your marketing – the many ways you can use social media for biz wins. Smart social media use can do wonders for many businesses. No, it won’t be a key marketing strategy for every business, but it’s becoming more and more common.
Still wondering how social media can translate to paying clients? Need to know where YOUR clients are likely to be hanging out on social media? Time to get even SMARTER in how your business uses social media – time to join me for Smarter Social Media Success training!
Don’t Fall For These Social Media Mistakes and Bits of Bad Advice
Solopreneur pals, I’ve heard and seen a LOT of bad social media advice lately – much of it shared ON social media. Don’t fall for any of these myths or pieces of misguided advice. I’ve done the research for you and will hook you up with what REAL experts and data say. Your social media will get mightier and smarter!
“I can just post/repost the same message on multiple platforms – isn’t that why tools like Hootsuite and Buffer let us cross-post?”
NO, Please Don’t!
Just because there are tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, PostPlanner, AgoraPulse or others that let you, doesn’t mean you should post the exact same thing everywhere! I get that it can seem time-saving to just cross-post the same thing to Twitter and Facebook, or push your photos straight from Instagram to Facebook or Twitter. But please stop!!
Take an extra few minutes and tailor your message – it’s smarter and leads to better engagement. Each social platform is different, with different core audience types, different expectations, different etiquette, and different ‘unwritten rules’.
Twitter fans don’t like it when your Tweets trail off into bunch of ellipsis ( …) since you used more than 280 characters because it was really a Facebook post. And your Facebook audience is different than your Twitter followers and wants more of a story and content, not quick, sharp soundbites.
DO take a few extra minutes to tweak and customize your posts (inside tools like Buffer, HootSuite, PostPlanner, or the native social platforms) and optimize for each social network. Also, make sure your images are sized for optimal viewing on each platform. Tools like Canva and AdobeSpark with templates built in for all the sizes are your friend. Check my page on fave tools for more info on social media tools.
“I’m excited my follower/fan/Likes went up! That means I’m successful on social.”
Congrats on getting more fans/followers! But … don’t be quick to literally count on those counts. Dig a little behind the #s:
Are they active?
Are they definitely real or maybe bots?
Are they in your niche?
Do they just follow/unfollow? Do they expect you to follow immediately back, and if not, they drop you?(ugh, I hate this behavior and trend. Follow who you want and who fits/matches your ideal customer!)
Do they engage and have conversations on social media or just blast, blast, blast?
You don’t want artificially inflated numbers, nor a disengaged audience who won’t interact with you on social media. Fans/followers/Like counts are mostly considered ‘vanity’ metrics now and aren’t the real measure of social success.
Engagement matters more – to the social channels and to your bottom line. Marketing these days is much more (if not only) about sharing content that’s valuable, helpful, educational, and sometimes entertaining – quality over quantity. Start with the built-in analytics tools for all the major social platforms and see which of your posts get more engagement, impressions, shares, comments, RTs, your mentions, etc.
Don’t forget – the metrics that matter most to YOU are the ones that get you closer to your overall marketing and business goals. [Need help getting clear on your SMART goals? Check out my SMART goals worksheet]
“Social media is my main marketing tool, because it’s free.”
Social media HAS really leveled the playing field for small businesses and solopreneurs and given great opportunities to reach larger audiences for less. BUT… it is NOT free.
Social media costs plenty of time- time that you may be better off spending on other parts of your business. It takes resources – you need content (original and curated), graphics, tools (and you might need more than the freemium versions), and yes, we often have to buy ads, promote, or boost posts now to get them seen. Remember – your time is VERY valuable, so don’t discount it.
My solopreneur pal Anne is wise to social media having a ‘cost’!
“I have to figure out Snapchat, and Pinterest, and Instagram, and …. I need to be everywhereon social for my business.”
Not necessarily.
Where are your ideal clients? What social platforms do they use most, and on which ones are they willing to interact with businesses, people selling/promoting? Have you done your social media market research yet? Play to the strengths of each social platform AND your business and style.
“My clients aren’t young people. They’re serious, mature adults. They aren’t using social media.”
Don’t be so quick to make assumptions or jump to conclusions without checking the data! Ask your clients what they use and why. Don’t ever assume.
Here are some quick social media facts to check –
52% of 55-64 yr old internet users have joined a social network
Facebook is often the ‘entry’ social platform, thanks to ease of use and its ubiquity. 68% of all US adults are on Facebook. It has become more popular with Boomers, 41% of those 65-74 now have FB accounts.
“So, I have my marketing plans for this year, and here’s my email marketing plan, and over here is my social media marketing strategy and plans … “
No, no, no. Social media IS marketing, just one part of your total marketing plan. It shouldn’t have its own team, plan, or separate strategy.
Your social strategy needs to hold hands and integrate with the rest of what you’re doing to promote your biz and fill your client list. It supports you, helps you get to your goals, drives traffic to your website and email list, lets you talk with potential clients/customers, and educates your audience. You absolutely can NOT build a marketing plan or your whole online presence solely on SM. Social can drive traffic, create more awareness of other content, amplify your other marketing and PR efforts.
Love this quote from Jay Baer:
“content is fire. Social media is gasoline.”
“Hashtags are important so I use them everywhere.” And “I’ve heard more hashtags are better.”
Well, #ItDepends. Hashtags are pretty darn important on Instagram (but don’t use quite so many), sort of important on Twitter, less important now than the beginning of Tumblr, and oh for the love of donuts please stop using them in all your posts on Facebook! They are NOT a thing there, no matter how hard Facebook itself tried and wants you to believe they are. Yes, yes, they’re still active on FB – you can add them and even search by them. But outside of some groups, they’re mostly used ironically, tongue-in-cheek, or almost to prove how unhip they are on FB. Please don’t look spammy, overly promotional, or clueless by using the wrong tags, too many tags, or tags in the wrong places.
UPDATE: I’m forced to eat my words and earlier advice – as of mid 2020, hashtags really are a “thing” and strategy on Facebook. <facepalm> The only rule with Facebook, is that Facebook changes. All. The. Time. As of summer 2020, the official line from FB is that hashtags will improve reach. And if this info didn’t come from FB Guru Mari Smith, I probably wouldn’t have believed it – but she KNOWS FB. Check out the link for her definitive guide to FB hashtags as of 2020.
Example of new Facebook hashtag notification
Here’s some hashtag research:
using more than 2 #hashtags on Twitter leads to 17% drop in engagement, tweets with only 1 or 2 #tags have 21% MORE engagement than tweets with 3+ tags (research done originally by Dan Zarrella when he was at HubSpot)
NOTE: while FB is pushing hashtags now and they’re an option – there has NOT been an update to the large scale research that Buffer + BuzzSumo did. FB may promise more reach, but as of late 2020, there’s no data yet to support.
Some big name marketing sources, like Hubspot, do recommend judicious, strategic use of hashtags. AdEspresso, from Hootsuite tested hashtags in FB ads and saw them do well.
The Mav Social guide to hashtags has advice on ‘properly’ using them on Facebook for the changed world we live in as of 2020.
“We must post multiple times per day on every social platform.”
Again, it sort of depends – there are some accepted guidelines for different social platforms AND your audience may react quite differently. Just like there are optimum times of day to post for YOUR audience, on EACH platform (check your analytics) – there are best practices on the number of times per day to post – but it varies by platform.
For example, while it seems counter-intuitive, try posting LESS to Instagram (i.e. no more than 1x/day, maybe only 3-4x/week. Better to post consistently, with quality, than too often)
Good news – some of the big names in social media have already done the research based on thousands (maybe millions) of posts and so we have some guidelines for how often to post (remember – consistent is best, quality over quantity):
NOTE: some things have changed (well, social media algorithms change all the time!) and especially in 2020 the ‘best times’ to post on social are in flux. What all is going in the world at large can impact marketing best practices.
“I just haven’t seen any return for my time spent on social media marketing for my business.”
It’s so tough when we try things, spend a lot of time and effort, and aren’t sure it’s worth it. The phone didn’t start ringing more, we didn’t get emails from new prospective clients dying to hire us. Do we give up? Nope! Let’s dig a little…
How long did you try on the optimal social platform for YOUR business with YOUR ideal clients?
Did you see some things work? What if you tried more of that?
Did you send traffic back to specific landing pages (not your home page)?
Did you engage and have conversations or just blast away like social was a big megaphone? We have to stop treating social media like we just blast promos with a firehose – it’s about conversations.
Jay Baer, of Convince and Convert and work for the CMI:
“social is extremely measurable, but first you have to do something that can be measured.”
Did you set things up so that you COULD measure what you were doing on your chosen social channels?
Did you have a clear, singularly focused CTA (your ask) on your social messages?
Can you track traffic input to your website? Clicks to register for a webinar? Increase in email opt-ins via social?
It IS possible to tie in ROI and social and there are plenty of tools for social metrics that aim to help you do just that (e.g. AgoraPulse, SproutSocial, SocialBakers, etc).
“Our clients are in really respectable, kind of stuffy fields – so we need to sound super professional all the time. But I think maybe our social media posts are getting boring.”
You’re probably right. Humans don’t like boring! And we are marketing human-to-human, no matter what niche, field, or profession our clients are in. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, c-suite executives, and other small business owners all have personalities, and want to be entertained as well as informed. We need to appeal to, and trigger, emotions. We have to talk and act like the interesting, passionate humans we are, including on social media.
I’m not saying go wild, curse a blue streak, troll people, ignore all grammar and talk in text-speak. But for heaven’s sake don’t be stuffy and boring. Have a personality that’s congruent with your brand (you have a brand style guide right? With tone and voice? If not, it’s ok – let’s talk and maybe fix that.)
Share behind-the-scenes photos of you working on a project. Share your desk – yes, even your messy desk. Do live videos and not freak out if your office isn’t perfect looking (DO have good audio, good lighting, and a nice clear video pic – nothing fuzzy. But tips for videos and Lives are a whole other post, or training course!) Connect personally! Be HUMAN!
My Go-To Resources and Experts on Social Media Marketing
Jenn Herman, Instagram expert – Jenn has worked with Agora Pulse on some of their Instagram tests. She busted Instagram myths WAY ahead of anyone else. (and a friend got me in her private Facebook Group on social trends, so now I can ask questions directly! and YOU get the answers.)
AgoraPulse’s Social Media Lab – this social media scheduling and metrics tool puts up serious money to run social media experiments
I regularly check the blogs for the major 3rd party social scheduling tools as they give great advice (not specific to just their app) and because of their access to a TON of data they can run some good tests:
I hope this GOOD social media advice will help you to social media success!
Social media and the tips/rules/guidelines change FAST. That’s one reason I gave you my go-to sources for news, trends, and who can do the big research we can’t. But if you follow the tips I give here, and toss the bad social media advice, you’ll be on your way to more social success.
Let’s Get Some Tips and Fast Facts From the REAL Instagram Experts (hint: not me!)
I am not an Instagram expert nor do I play one online. 😊 Good thing I know some serious, REAL Instagram experts to turn to for Instagram marketing help. And since you now know me, you can get access to those experts too!
Look, I love gorgeous images and great photography – I photography books on my coffee table and my bookshelf, have taken classes of/off for 30+ years, and have bins full of cameras in my office that say I need to get out and shoot more. But that’s just it – I like using my real cameras, and then processing, and maybe sharing the best. Ok, I love my iPhone camera too, when I can get a well-composed shot.
But I mostly use Instagram to share food, wine, and travel pics. Not business-related pics. It didn’t make sense as a business tool for me in my library consulting and training business, and not sure it makes sense for Mighty Marketing Mojo either.
BUT I get it! I get the appeal. And like I said, I DO know research and the right experts to connect us to for Instagram help.
Hootsuite reports on how a lot of big brands are shifting to Instagram (they were already there, but are strengthening and concentrating efforts) for even more visual content and communications. And they are seeing some BIG numbers in engagement. Instagram skews younger (majority under 30) and really brand conscious (54% of users follow brands on Instagram) – so if that matches your demographics, start planning ways to amp up your Instagram efforts.
Thanks to my very plugged in, Instagram-expert pal, Ken – I’ve known for a while that Jenn Herman is a serious go-to guru in social media, especially Instagram. Look for her at Jenn’s Trends, and also read her other Instagram marketing articles at SME So it’s great she’s featured on Social Media Examiner (another site I love) explaining how to use Instagram Type Mode in Instagram Stories. Until reading this story I had no idea you could create a text-only story in Instagram!
I’m a fan of this post from Buffer with at least 8 actionable tips for Instagram marketing based on more than 20 studies of Instagram marketing efforts from a lot of smart sources and brands. Plus, they analyzed a lot of top, popular Instagram accounts and posts to see what’s really working. Great! Our research is already done. check out Tip #2 – reinforcing that earlier advice I gave you that consistency matters more on social media than quantity.
Another research-driven social media and marketing guru I’ve followed for years and frequently read is Neil Patel. So if he says he’s derived “10 powerful Instagram marketing tips (that actually work)”, then I’m definitely going to check those out.
It is important to do your homework and research hashtags first, and then keep a list of common tags for topics your biz to frequently post on. [Tip: I have a photographer pal who keeps a list of common photography hashtags and tags for our local area in a Notes file on his phone, easy to copy&paste into Instagram.]
I mention a few hashtag research options in my Top 10 Fave Social Media Tools guide – you can get your copy free here if you don’t have it already.
Plus check out these hashtag tools:
#tagdef – run a search on a hashtag or a phrase, see what’s popular, what’s trending
Trendsmap – find the hashtags trending in your local area (particularly for Twitter, but can try using for Instagram tags in your area too).
I’d love to hear more about how you’ve incorporated Instagram into a solid marketing strategy for your service-based business. Drop me a line and share what you’ve learned about Instagram – or drop a note in the comments.
Fellow Solopreneurs, It May Be Past Time to Consider a Social Media Profile Makeover
Years ago, before I actually owned a home and realized how much work it was, I loved watching those house makeover shows. I adored Trading Spaces (coming back!!!). I bet some of you are fans of HGTV and all the new wave of remodeling shows. But when was the last time you gave your social media profiles or accounts more than just a dusting, and considered a real makeover? It may be past time to makeover our social media looks for even smarter marketing.
I’m not talking about slapping a fancy, funny frame on an old profile pic. And by the way, you are using a good quality, well-lit, professional looking photo in your profile pics for your business’ social media profiles, aren’t you?
Uhoh …
Get a Good Photo!!
Sidenote: ok, we don’t all have professional photographer friends who’ll take photos of us whenever we need it (thanks Chorus Photography outside Philadelphia!). But c’mon, cameras in your phones now have portrait modes or fancy apps, and if you get a friend to hold it nice and steady in some good light with a clean, uncluttered background, you’ll be better off than most I’ve seen online.
Time out – you’re not are using a cartoon character are you? No good unless you’re a children’s book author or a graphic novelist. Please tell me you’re not still the generic avatar! You also don’t want a photo more than 2 years old, even slightly blurry or pixelated, or a pic that shows you in a t-shirt (when you’re not a t-shirt designer), or was cropped out of a photo of you and a pal at a bar, or anything other than seriously good looking
If any of this applies to you and the profile you use for your solopreneur biz on social media … STOPright now and arrange to get a new, REAL photo. If you can’t get a pro headshot, see my notes above, oh and go put on clothes that make you feel good and look good. Get a non-blurry, non-pixelated, well-lit picture. And if you can, have a proper photo taken by a pro – even if it’s a pro at a mall camera place.
Done?
Ok, consider that the first step in your social media makeover. 😉
Seriously, that is the first thing you need to check and make over.
Social Make-over Step #1: Good Photo
Always use use a clear, friendly, high-quality, professional-looking image as your profile pic on ALL the social media accounts you use for your solopreneur biz. Twitter, your Facebook Page, your LinkedIn profile and Instagram especially! You can show your personality and still have a polished pic.
Hey, I get it … maybe you’re camera shy, or really private, or think you’ve never taken a good photo. I used a cartoon avatar (branded, pretty well-designed, but still a cartoon) as my Twitter profile for several years. But as I did more public speaking, more client work away from the computer, I needed to show ME. The real me, and not a cartoon. As soon as I made the switch I got a LOT more followers, more positive feedback, more engagement – because I was a real person and folks could see that online. And when we met IRL (in real life), they felt like they already knew me. So be like the newer me, not the old cartoon me.
Social Make-over Step #2is super easy – use the right size profile
Make sure the image is the right size for each social platform. Yes, they change things all the time -but look for templates on sizing like this one and or the always updated ‘ultimate social media size guide’ from Social Media Today – you’re good to go. [E.g. 180x180px for Facebook profiles, 200x200px for Twitter, 150x150px for Instagram, 400x400px on LinkedIn]
When and wherever possible use the same name, same variation of your brand or business name, as the handle or name on all the social media channels where you have a business presence. Not always easy when you have a common name, like Jennifer. 😉 Or your business name is also common and was taken early. But do what you can.
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Social Make-over Step #4: Add relevant, targeted keywords to your social media bio or About section.
Fill in as much of that bio as space allows and use relevant keywords and phrases. For Twitter it might mean just keywords, one or two #hashtags. And don’t forget to include a link to your website where allowed. For LinkedIn, your About and Summary should NOT be a giant keyword-stuffing exercise. But should be up to date and include variations of words or phrases your ideal customer might search on.
Hootsuite wrote a post just on how to boost your LinkedIn profile and give your business a makeover for that platform. While I’m not on LinkedIn as often as maybe I should be, so I probably need this makeover too!
Does your summary or your About Us section answer these questions:
Who are you?
Where are you based?
What do you offer?
What are your values?
What is your brand voice?
How can people contact you to learn more?
Example LinkedIn About Us section from Shopify
Especially if you’re a solopreneur working in the B2B space, a service biz, your clients are on LinkedIn. Follow the tips in this post to give your business a more client-attracting presence on LinkedIn.
Did you know Facebook lets you add multiple links to the website field when you build a profile? Use it to include your other social channels. Consider adding your Facebook Business Page as the URL for website on Twitter if your actual website is a work-in-progress. Cross promote your social accounts whenever and wherever you can.
Don’t forget to include your social profiles in your email signature, as an option to ‘follow me on…’ at the bottom of your email newsletters, add your handle on the first slide or two of presentations, and even put your most-used social profile on your printed business cards.
Giving Yourself a Social Makeover is Easier and Quicker than a Home Remodel!
I bet those 5 steps will take you less than an hour. Schedule a social media check-in for refreshing every quarter, and a time to evaluate for a full makeover at least once a year. Now excuse me while I go update my Twitter headers and fix my Facebook covers too!
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Social media isn’t just a tool for promoting your solopreneur work – it’s a way to connect with your customers, offer customer service, and it is a great marketing research tool.
Social Media for Market Research PLUS Marketing
You can find out a lot about your niche, your target audience, and how your prospective customers think and act by doing some social listening. But it can seem time consuming, after all, there are so many platforms and the conversations move FAST!
There are tools for that …
Just like all other areas of marketing these days, there are a wide range of tools to help with social media monitoring or social listening research. Some have free versions, others lock some of the most powerful features behind the paid doors, and others – well, they’re just too big and pricey for the likes of us solopreneurs. (I might mention them from time to time, because you could grow into one of those tools, or a larger client with deeper pockets may need it – and you look like a hero for telling them you know all about AgoraPulse or Meltwater for example.)
There are specific tools per social media type, but there are also tools that work across different types of accounts to help you find out what the buzz is, know what type of buzz to create, and how to make the most of what’s happening on social media. Remember – there’s really no such thing as ‘social media marketing’ – social media is just one more tool we put in our kits and our marketing plans.
Social Monitoring or Social Listening Tools
Google alerts – Get specific search results delivered to your inbox via Google Alerts. Enter a search term and how you want the information delivered, and monitor the buzz about yourself and your business all over the entire net.
TalkWalker Alerts– a free alternative to Google – because honestly, Alerts doesn’t get a lot of love, updating, or fixing from Google and has seemed close to the Google Graveyard for past few years. (I’ve replaced my old Google Alerts with TalkWalker alerts). For TalkWalker Social Search you need to create a free account first, which gives you unlimited searching over the last 7 days of social platforms, blogs, news, and forum sites. Use keywords, then narrow by country, media, engagement, reach, demographics, etc. See results in a timeline, or change the layout to display engagement, date published, potential post reach, etc. [rest of Talkwalker tools are $$ pricey]
Socialmention.com – This is a lot like Google Alerts but focused only on mentions in social media. Type in the keywords that you want to watch, like your business name or products and services, and see with who and where they’re being mentioned. You can even get a widget to put on your website to display the results live. You can select specific social media to search or all.
PinAlerts – a simple tracking tool that tells you if someone Pins something from your website. Free tool. [Now a part of Tailwind, a major player in social tools, especially for larger businesses. Tailwind also offers Instagram scheduling and analytics. Tailwind tools start at $9.99/month]
TweetBinder – for researching hashtags on Twitter, Instagram. See the reach, likes, comments, user rankings, how often people use a given tag, and what influencers are sharing.
Tagboard– search hashtags from Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and more. See what else others are saying around hashtags you are using or interested in – double check before you use that tag in your post to make sure it means what you think it does! You can filter results by network, and you can save your results.
Klout.com – You can sign in with either Twitter of Facebook, and then you can find out how influential you are. Join and engage with other influential people to build more klout earning perks. Recognize influencers in your business and life by giving them Klout. Then, use Klout data to improve. [Fair warning – I haven’t used Klout as a measure of my social reach in years.]
Mention – (not to be confused with Social Mention). This alterative to Google Alerts makes sure you don’t miss any instance of your brand or organization being talked about online. Track keywords, get instant updates so you react quickly. Robust view. [Free for 1 alert, 9.99/mo for 2]
Brand24 – social media monitoring, track mentions of brand name or keywords; also available via mobile apps
BuzzStream – track or manage influencer outreach campaigns. Find relevant influencers in your niche, find their blogs, manage emails to news outlets and PR sources. [paid only, limited-time free trial]
TweetReach.com – Want to know how far your tweet traveled, or simply research a phrase, #hashtag or keyword for future efforts via Twitter? You have to authorize the app, but once you do the research possibilities are truly endless. Lite plan starts at $23/month.
Instagram anlaytics from Minter.io – one of the tougher social platforms to optimize cleanly for business use and to see your performance, this tool offers insights on followers and your pictures.
LikeAlyzer– a simple, FREE, Facebook metrics tool that lets you check ANY Facebook page’s metrics (not need authorization, just link to page). It grades out of 100 and compares to competitor’s pages, or ones with the same industry tags. The reports include suggestions for improvement [tool is from Meltwater].
Facebook page analysis for top nonprofit
Simply Measured– offers 4 different Facebook reports. Insights repurposes data direct from FB into better looking graphs; Competitive Analysis report – compare yours to up to 10 other fan pages and get visual metrics; Fan Page Report – more depth on engagement, community, content metrics; Content Analysis report – engagement, post types, common keywords. One of the ‘Big Biz Toys.’ [4 FREE reports, main data suite is PRICEY at $500/mo – NOT a solopreneur, small biz tool]
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Audiense– this one seems like a ‘Big Biz Tool’ – but its free version is incredibly robust in the data it offers! I LOVE how much I can get for free. The free version does have limits on the number of social platforms and accounts you can monitor, or how far back certain data goes – but the depth and breadth of the data makes up for it. Want to know when the best time to Tweet is for YOUR audience of followers (yeah you do – so you can make those scheduling tools like Hootsuite and Buffer work better!)? Want to know more about your followers, their demographics and interests, how much influence they have? You can get it – free.
Best time for me to Tweet
My Audiense Twitter Stats Data
Don’t Forget the Analytics Built-in to Social Platforms
Facebook Insights – Via Facebook Insights you can get a lot of information about your reach, who is engaged with your content, and even the viral potentiality of your posts. Find the demographic and geographic breakdowns of readers of your page’s posts. Likes analysis lets you sort organic vs promoted posts engagement. You can also see the potential reach of your posts if your “likes” shared what you posted via the “friends of fans” potential.
Twitter Analytics – don’t forget the built-in analytics on offer from Twitter. You should be looking beyond just your Follower numbers, and you can here – with impressions, clicks, engagement rate as well as standard stats like RTs, Likes, or mentions.
Analytics snapshot for @TheInfoHound
Pinterest Analytics – yes, you can -and should- measure your performance on Pinterest if you are using it for your business! And naturally Pinterest has a built-in tool for that.
Social Management Tools Have Metrics and Social Monitoring Too
TweetDeck.com– This is more of a social media management tool than a “monitoring” tool, but it enables you to do both. You will be able to filter what you see to be most relevant to how you want to use Twitter. Not only that, it also works to connect with other social media too like Facebook, LinkedIn and others. This can save tons of time and frustration. [once a stand-alone tool, now owned by Twitter]
HootSuite – Of course, no social media monitoring article can leave out HootSuite.com. This social media management and monitoring tool offers you to view, use and monitor all types of social media under one browser, or one excellent mobile app. It’s easy to save searches or save a #hashtag in Hootsuite for easy monitoring. Hootsuite offers free and paid plans. The free version may be perfectly fine for most solopreneurs with limited social media accounts to manage, and if you aren’t trying to bulk schedule many posts in advance [since late 2017 free plans are limited to 30 advance posts]. The paid plans start at $19/month, which is not expensive and can be very useful to business owners who use multiple types of social media. You may need nothing else if you have this tool. [Caveat: I use Hootsuite, Buffer, AND a few other tools to help me schedule and promote.]
AgoraPulse – a tool for social management, monitoring, and distribution. You can schedule, push content on all channels, look at your metrics, see per post analytics to help get more engagement from audience and on each platform, look at it all in nice charts, and more. Plus run quizzes, sweeps, and contests. AgoraPulse offers some free tools (Facebook Page stats, Twitter stats, Timeline contests) and then paid plans start $49/mo Another free tool is AgoraPulse Barometer – free access to 8 competitive analysis stats for Facebook.
AgoraPulse Competitive Analysis sampleAgora Pulse social data heat map
However, with everything it offers, the price could be worth it for a business that is actively and consistently engaged on all the major social platforms and is serious about managing and monitoring all their social media under one service. Chances are, that’s not you or I, solopreneurs!
Social Monitoring Needs to Be in Your Solopreneur Skills and Toolkit
It’s clear that monitoring social media is an important component of doing business on the web today. Just like tracking your own metrics, you need to have a plan and know what you’re looking for and what you will do with the data you unearth. Don’t search or monitor blindly! Even if you have a bricks and mortar store, it is imperative that you’re the one creating the buzz for your business and (if needed) redirecting buzz leading in the wrong direction. With these tools you can be back in control.
Add social media monitoring or social listening to your skill set and part of your solopreneur business routine.
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