I’ve got a fantastic free resource for you today, Seriously Simple Social. It’s a guide to the major platforms (with my commentary, of course) and some helpful links to get you started with the various aspects of each. You can create your own simple social media strategy! Keep reading to learn more, or pick up your Simple Social Media Strategy Starter Guide NOW.
Listen to Episode 58 – Seriously Simple Social Media Strategy
This week, Blab died. Did you know Blab? It came crashing onto the scene a little over a year ago with it’s four-way split screen, live chat, and the ability to create what was essentially a live TV show without needing to know any tech. I hadn’t used the platform in months (mainly due to scheduling conflicts, in turn mainly due to four children), but I am sad to see it go.
The reality of social media, however, is that it won’t all stick.
And even if it DOES stick, how can you manage all the platforms? Secret: you can’t. I mean, you can have a presence on a lot of platforms, but if you’re trying to be active, managing multiple accounts is overwhelming. Spreading yourself too thin may make you less effective, not more.
How Do You Create a Simple Social Media Strategy?
I’m all about the strategy. I’m all about the WHY. If you know the purpose behind everything, things fall into place with more clarity and cohesion. (For more on this, check out my Foundation Series mini-course!) The general why behind a social media strategy is to make you more effective without wasting your time or resources. You’ll also have a specific why that centers around what you hope to accomplish.
To create a simple social media strategy, you’ll need to consider four main things:
Your Purpose: the specific why of your blog or business and the goals that you have.
Your Platforms: the social platforms you will use.
Your Plan: the way you will handle the posting and scheduling.
Your Particulars: the details about how many posts, when, and what your specific follower counts are.
Sometimes I think the hardest part of this altogether is the platforms aspect. Because there are SO MANY. How do you choose? How do you manage them all, or even the few that you decide to use primarily?
I created a resource that I hope will make this simpler. It breaks down the most used platforms and provides links & resources to help you utilize them. Plus you’ll be guided to create your own simple social media strategy. Because who DOESN’T want a strategy that is smart, but also SIMPLE?
The key with social media is to find the platforms that fit your goals, your specific content, and your audience. (Need help with your audience? Check out my Find Your Perfect Audience series!) This will not look the same for everyone, even in the same niche. It’s great to know where your kinds of people hang out, but you also might find that YOUR people, the ones who really jive with YOU, are somewhere else altogether.
Managing Your Plan and Particulars
After getting past the overwhelm of the social platforms, people often get stuck when it comes to setting up workflows and systems to keep things running without taking up all your time. Systems are processes that you use to simplify, schedule, and automate your workflow.
For example, if you were just trying to manage Twitter through Twitter itself, you would be logging on multiple times a day, trying to find content to share, sharing your content, sharing other content, and spreading these posts out across the day. Whereas using tools, you can have one night a week (or choose your own time) where you schedule content to share for the week. You could set up a time to check your notifications daily and use an app to kick you off Twitter after 15 minutes so you don’t fall into the abyss. This will save you time and make your strategy more effective.
The tools to do this can be super overwhelming! You will need to choose a few tools to make these platforms work well and to set up systems. You’ll need to balance interacting in real time, automation, and scheduling. (Know the difference between scheduling and automation?) The Seriously Simple Social Media guide will also help you navigate the various tools, but you’ll have to try on what fits for you.
Keeping Up With Social Media Changes
As I mentioned at the start, platforms come and go constantly. As I started writing the guide Blab (RIP) was one of the major platforms that I planned to feature. Then I heard rumors Blab was going away, so I downplayed but still mentioned it. And moments after I finished what I thought was the final draft, I saw the headline that Blab ended. Like, right that second. Making my guide out of date, five minutes in.
IT’S HARD TO KEEP UP.
The best way to keep up is to follow the people who know what’s up. Subscribe to relevant emails (see my list of favorite email lists to subscribe to) and listen to weekly podcasts or check blogs from people who are keeping up. Here are a few great people to watch:
Social Media Examiner– everything social & internet
Sue B. Zimmerman– Instagram
Jenn’s Trends– Instagram & more
Madalyn Sklar– Twitter
So, How Do You Get Started?
Take some time to think about the platforms that are already working or that you already have an audience. If you’re totally new, check out my guide to see the platforms and hop on a few to see what’s happening and what feels good for you. Don’t give up on any immediately. I was a slow go-er on a few, then really ramped up. And some that I used to use a lot (*cough* Instagram *cough*) I rarely even open on a weekly basis.
Use the free guide to plan your strategy, then stick to something for a few months, evaluate what’s working and what’s not, and adjust as needed. You can TOTALLY create your own simple social media strategy to make your more effective and keep you from overwhelm.
Just get started. Like NOW. Grab this free starter guide that will help you manage the overwhelm.
You end parenthetical statements at the end of sentences with .) instead of ). – why? Is there some style guide or new convention that I missed?
Still reading. I have SO much to learn . . .
If the parenthetical statement is on its own as a sentence, not in the MIDDLE of a sentence, the punctuation goes inside. If it’s just a phrase in the middle of a sentence, it stays inside that sentence’s punctuation. Does that make sense?