If you’re exhausted just watching the list of things you “must do” on social media grow like an especially demanding child’s wishlist, you are not alone.
In even better news; you actually don’t have to do all of that stuff to absolutely rock at social media.
Take a deep breath, open yourself to the idea that maybe you aren’t a total failure because you can’t do everything, everywhere all the time, and let me share my total non-secrets with you.
One platform is enough
I know, you’re already squirming at the idea of only posting on one platform. What about all those billions of people you could reach if you were on just one or two others too? What if a couple of your clients aren’t on that one platform? What if…? WHAT IF…?
Here’s a reframe for you; what if you’re spreading yourself so thin across all the platforms you’re currently trying to maintain that none of them are actually effective?
Focusing on one platform at a time enables you to build a really engaged audience who are super invested in what you do. It gives you the ability to truly test what works there, get to know your audience and create a real community. A community which, at a certain point, becomes self sustaining; leaving you more time to spend starting to grow on another network.
Trial and error
I’ve had posts flop before. Lots of times. I’ve had content I thought would perform OK take off and I’ve had content that I really loved fall flat. Social media is an art, not a science. For all the “5 steps to a viral post” and “foolproof ways to social media success” there is no one size fits all. Every audience and every business is different, you have to find your own way.
For me, that’s some of the joy of social media. The constant creativity, testing and tweaking. The true successes on social are the people who adapt to their audience and their needs rather than sticking to any rigid plan.
*My usual phrase is “suck it and see” but Lea’s much classier than I am!
More ≠ better
Listen, I like Gary Vee, I’m sure he’s a lovely chap but most of us do not have a whole team who can create 5+ posts a day for every platform and have it all be awesome content. If you have the means to create hundreds of pieces of quality content every week I will absolutely not tell you that’s not better than one post a week. Go for it!
If you don’t have the means to do that though, please don’t fill up your content calendar with mediocre filler content just to be posting “enough.” One amazing post a week is enough if that’s what you can manage. Quality matters, now more than ever. There’s so much noise on social media, people are bombarded with mediocre content; post once and stand out.
You do you
Ultimately, you know your audience and that is the key. Trust yourself, your experience and your knowledge. Nothing I, or anyone else, can tell you will guarantee you a million followers and amazing conversion rates. And when it comes down to it, do you want a million followers who like your posts and scroll on? Or do you want a thousand followers who really engage with your content and will buy from you?
Give yourself a break and be brave enough to do things differently.If you want to quiz me about the finer details of your social media strategy you can book a power hour with me.
Olivia Bushnell
Olivia Bushnell is a social media manager and copywriter at Bushnell Community Solutions. She is passionate about helping small businesses succeed on social and using the power of the internet to do good. Priding herself on an ethical attitude and realistic results, she believes that quality is more important than quantity.
Outside of work she enjoys agility training with her Bichon Frisé, TiLi, who she competes with in the UK and France. She also loves yoga, self-development, and cooking new recipes while dancing round the kitchen to music from her teenage years. You can find her on Instagram talking about social media and running a business with a mental illness, and in her Facebook group supporting small business owners.
