Stress Less Social Media

We all know by now that social media is something that we need, but some of us may be paralyzed by the idea of starting. 

According to Hootesuite, 68% of Americans are on Facebook; making it the top choice for reaching the broadest audience. Compare that to the 35 percent of Americans using Instagram, 29 percent using Pinterest, and 24 percent using Twitter.

Here are some simple steps for beginners to make social media stress free.

Make a goal. 
Decide what you would like to accomplish on social media and base your posts around this. Some of my goals are: to teach and serve my audience with meaningful content, to be authentic and inspiring, to speak to my ideal client. Once you have goals in mind, it becomes much easier to create your content. These goals will create a frame work for everything you post. Ask yourself, "Which category does this fit into?" If it does not fit, don't post it!

Start small.
As a business owner, it's important to know who your ideal client is so you can speak to and relate to them. Once you have your ideal client in mind, do some research and decide which social media platform(s) will serve you best. By picking a platform or two, you will be able to focus your energy on this and not feel so overwhelmed. I like to think of the metaphor of watering plants. Let's say you have 20 plants all potted in separate  containers and one cup of water. Do you think all 20 of those plants will survive if you water each one just a little? Your energy is going to be better spent watering and caring for 1 or 2 of the plants so they can grow and blossom!

Create a plan.
As Alexander Graham Bell once said, "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success." I would suggest using a paper planner, printing of a calendar, or using an Excel spreadsheet to plan out your posts. Then, decide how often you would like to post. Maybe twice a week is good for you or maybe you want to push yourself to do a little more. You can now use your calendar to write down your posts. I'd suggest setting some time aside to schedule them out for at least one week at a time.

Assess your work.
At the end of the month, take a step back and analyse your work! As a business page, you should be able to look at the analytics of your page/posts and see who your audience is. Make sure you are aligning with your ideal client and posting on a regular basis. If your plan needs to be tweaked, don't feel discouraged! Connecting to your customers on social media can take some time and practice!

The best thing to do is just get started! So many times in life we feel like we should wait for the "right" time. Maybe we're waiting until we have more time or until there is more going on in our business to share about. The truth is that there is never going to be a better time than now! Do your best and adjust your strategy as necessary. As always, Spark Marketing is here to help with any questions or training you might need. Comment below or send us a message with any questions and we will be happy to help!