In 2022, social media has become a necessity. Facebook has fractured to a new, expansive network called Meta. TikTok is changing the view of short videos for business showcases. Clubhouse allows business professionals to connect and discuss important topics. It can be overwhelming, but there is hope: a social media plan.

Our TLC team is happy to offer you some quick things to remember when you’re formulating your social media plan. Check out our tips below!

Start with a Single Platform

The easiest way to avoid burnout is to focus. Every platform has its own etiquette, usage, and benefits. However, your audience isn’t always going to be on these platforms. Connecting with your audience is crucial and instead of splitting your attention, it’s best to come up with a strategy at first for one platform.

When beginning your social plan, having a calendar for one platform allows you to prepare content ahead of time and most likely schedule ahead of time. Think about the benefits of being active on the platform your biggest audience potentially is using.

The question then becomes, which platform should you try? Here are our suggestions:

• Facebook is always a safe bet. It indexes into searches, it shows on feeds to customers through suggested posts, and you have the ability to run ads.
• Instagram is our second suggestion, as users are able to see your posts as well as “Stories”. Stories are limited time videos or photos that are great for candid and more personal businesses. We recommend utilizing Stories often.
• Linkedin, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, and Pinterest are all good platforms that serve unique purposes. Linkedin is great for B2B. YouTube is a perfect host for moderate to long video content. TikTok attracts younger fans to your brand but may not convert easily, Twitter provides small updates that can help you connect with your industry, and Pinterest allows you to pin pictures and index easier into Google Image searches.

They all have benefits, but thinking of where your audience is should be the number one cause for choosing.

Get Comfortable with Telling a Story

Our favorite analogy is that no one will buy from a pressuring, creepy car salesman.

This much is true even with marketing.

We believe there are three major qualities of a good story for marketing: feelings, facts, and fun. People connect through sharing stories and seeing themselves in the story. Ultimately, by giving your customers or clients the ability to trust you also increases their chance to contact you and use your services.

Telling a story on social media isn’t about characters and fairy tales – it’s about showing off your existing clients or the impact your goods/services will provide them.

Some excellent ways to tell your brand story is to let people know about you. Here’s a few examples of story-driven posts:

• Highlights of your team and their accomplishments
• Client testimonials
• Descriptions of your goods/services and who they work best for
• Behind-the-scenes photos or video to showcase your business culture

These don’t just show off a product, claim it’s the best, and hope people click ‘buy’ on their website. Having these on your social media allows people to connect and trust with you.

Most importantly…

Don’t Be Afraid to Have a Social Media Team

The biggest piece of advice we have goes into your time and wellness. We believe wholeheartedly in TLC, and wellness is part of that. Building a business and running it can be quite time-consuming: but you don’t have to do it alone.

It’s time to stop wasting precious time trying to figure out the ever changing social media landscape. It’s time to take a break and delegate so you can grow.

The first step to growing a business and developing a presence on social media is to have a team to support you. Having someone come up with approved and thoughtful social plans helps you move quickly when you don’t have time to think about social media. Your energy as a business owner is best served on connecting with your audience and selling your business as a viable and important asset.

By hiring a team like TLC or having a dedicated in-house social media manager, you’re investing in your success. Someone who is trained to run your account and tell your story can help your business grow in ways a business owner that is spread thin can.

If you’re interested in learning more about our social media management services, click here and we would be glad to discuss options! We believe all businesses should have the tools to connect to their audience – that is the brilliance of social media.