I talk to lots of clients getting started in social media. They have read the articles and are diligently posting at the proper intervals. They carefully craft their messages but are getting no response. Their follower count is not going up. Their messages don’t get shared. Are they wasting their time? The sad answer is often yes. Many people are wasting hours on social media because they just don’t understand how to harness its power.
Here are my top six tips to stop wasting hours talking to yourself.
1. Don’t send out the same message all the time
While you do need to repeat your message, to get the most impact, it doesn’t hurt to do some slight editing. For those that do log-in regularly, seeing repetitive messages can quickly become boring. Rewording your content is also a great way of finding out what approach gets you the most response.
2. Use analytic to monitor if your activity is working
Get some analytics. If you don’t know if people are clicking on your links or sharing your content, how can you tell if you are on the right lines? Most popular social media applications like Hootsuite and Buffer include analytic. Find a package that suits you and start regularly monitoring your activity.
3. If you are not getting any results try something different
Social media is all about experimentation. You have to find a strategy that works for you. If it is not working try a different approach. Look around in your industry and find the voices that are being shared regulary. As you gain experience and monitor your activity it will soon become obvious what approach will work best for your business.
4. Create Discussion
Too many people starting out with social media treat it like a one way broadcasting medium. The power of social media is its strong sense of community. Ask questions, pose ideas. Look for questions posted by other people that you can answer. Before you know it you will be making new contacts and even learning a thing or two.
5. Don’t shut down the computer after sending out messages
Be on-line for a while after sending out messages. People often react within the first 5 minutes of a message being sent out. If you then need to react to a reply or question you don’t want to be doing it 24 hours after the fact. Social media is a fast medium. Being on-line for another 10 or 15 minutes is hardly going to put a dent in your day but might gain you a new contact or lead.
6. It is not all about you! Share other peoples content
Getting a following relies a lot on having something g interesting to say. Haven’t we all been bored to death by the person who can only talk about themselves? Sharing other peoples content shows you are aware of what is going on in your industry. Show an interest in what other people are saying and they will share an interest in you.
It is time to stop talking to yourself and join the discussion.
Need more help? Checkout my free workbook:
‘How to get the most from social media‘. Download now
