Social media marketing - top tips for beginners

Q. I’m kind of new to social media marketing and would love some tips and advice on how to do it better.

A.

Creating, sharing and monitoring social media content (for myself and my clients) has become second nature, so I forget how daunting and tricky it can all seem when you’re just starting to use platforms like Instagram for the first time.

In this week’s blog, I’m taking it back to basics with 3 simple tips to help you feel a little more calm and in control.

1. Who are you?

Consistency is key - and I’m not talking about how often you post! I’m talking about, Instagram or Facebook accounts with strange names that don’t make sense, are totally different to one another or to the name of your business or website.

Using a variety of different or ambiguous names, as well as different or odd cover and icon images, is confusing and doesn’t present the most credible or professional version of your brand.

Heres what you need to do:

• Step 1: brainstorm and come up with the preferred name you’d like to use for all of your social media handles/ accounts names e.g. @oh_my_yoga

• Step 2: Check to see If the name you want is available across all of the platforms you plan to use. If it’s available, you’re free to go ahead and set up the accounts, otherwise go to step 3.

• Step 3: brainstorm alternatives or variations of your preferred name. If you can’t have them all exactly the same, try to keep them as similar as possible. Add something that won’t distract or confuse people e.g. @oh_my_yoga_AU

Similarly the images you use for the icon (circle image) and page header (wide image at the top of your Facebook page) should also be the same (or at least have a similar look and feel) across all platforms. This will help people identify you quickly and and access your content without doubts or confusion about who you are and what you offer.

I recommend signing up for a free Canva account and spending some time creating your images; there are even templates you can use - see tip 3 below.

Finally, your bio is also pretty important. Please don’t leave this blank, and keep the messages and tone consistent across all platforms and your website. First impressions do count and details matter.

2. Plan ahead!

Trying to come up with interesting and engaging things to share on social media every day can be time consuming and frustrating. This can often lead to days or weeks without content being shared - not ideal! Planning out your content in advance removes the daily burden and allows you to think more strategically about your communications.

It takes far more time to come up with something on the fly than it does if you have a plan - even a rough one!

Here’s what you need to do:

• Step 1: once you have worked out your ‘why?’ and content pillars (see this earlier post for details) - list all the events, offers, classes, blogs, quotes and products (etc) you have coming up or need to promote/ share.

• Step 2: decide how often you want to post. I suggest starting with a minimum of three (3) per week, but it will depend on your ‘why?’, the type of content, how much you have going on and the time and resources you have.

• Step 3: Allocate each item or content theme to a day and date - you can literally use an old fashioned calendar to do this. You’ll end up with a clear content plan of exactly what you need to create or source as well as some deadlines to keep you accountable. You can then create your content all in one day; week by week, or even for the whole month.

Of course, unexpected things can and do happen. You will still need to be flexible and respond to day to day issues, changes and opportunities, and you may have to shuffle the plan around. By being a little organised, however, life’s little surprises won’t throw you totally off course - you’ll have a base to return to, and keep things ticking along smoothly.

3. Make friends with technology…

Many of us can’t afford to pay a professional, and initially may have to work out how to use all the gadgets and technology on our own. From taking and editing good photos and videos to designing social media graphics - It can feel like you’re standing in the middle of a minefield and will never get it right. While it may be time consuming at first, I assure you it’s not difficult - you just need a good dose of patience and determination!

Here are two tools I recommend you spend time becoming familiar with:

• Smartphone - whether you’re an apple or android user, your phone has loads of handy content creation tools already built in. Play around with the camera settings and filters, and you’ll discover lots of cool features, including basic editing and touch up functions. You can create folders in your photo/ video library to keep content organised and of course you can download all the social media apps and use them directly from your phone.

  You almost don’t need a desktop these days!

• Canva - you can use Canva to design and edit just about everything, from social media posts to brochures and posters - you can even create and edit little videos. The right sizes/ formats are all set up for you and there’s lots of templates you can steal or use for inspiration.

  You can also upload and/or create your brand colour palette and preferred fonts - so all of your content looks consistent and professional.

Again, create folders to keep everything organised, and you can even share directly to social media from Canva (a new feature) - I haven’t tried this yet, so let me know if you' have and what you think?

The free version of Canva is sufficient if you’re starting out, but its worth paying for a premium account to access more features.

Like yoga or learning any new skill, practice makes improvement and I promise it will get easier and better the more you do it!

Whether you ask someone (like me) to teach/ show you or just figure it out on your own; remember to be kind to yourself and take a learning attitude. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Do you have a social media or marketing question - or 10? Looking for step by step guidance or more tailored advice for your business? Get in touch for a personal consultation session.