Legally Bold’s Social Media Adventure – How I’m Creating A Social Media Presence That Doesn’t Suck

I’ll admit it.  My social media presence for Legally Bold is less than robust at the moment. I have plenty of valid reasons and excuses, but the bottom line is it’s time for me to “make that change” as Michael Jackson would say.  It’s time to create a social media presence that doesn’t suck.  

The problem is that with all of the social media strategies, tips and tricks out there, I have no way of telling which one was the best method.  I also need an approach that doesn’t feel like I am adding too much to my very full plate. 

Where is the Yelp of social media strategies when you need it?

Despite all of this angst around my social media problem, recently the answer came to me quite simply – just try something.  

The truth about business strategies is that you can research them until you are the most knowledgeable person on a particular topic, but you won’t know what works for you until you actually implement them. Strategies require action not review.  If you get the strategy right the first time, great. If not, it’s time to pivot. It’s just that simple.

So for my social media presence adventure, here’s what I’ll be trying out for the next several weeks…

The Platforms

By the last count, there were almost 200 hundred active social media platforms. Even though that means that there are a lot of opportunities to market my business, the number of choices can be a bit overwhelming.  Even if I just look at the top few (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, MeetUp, SnapChat, Google+, Tumblr, Flickr, Quora and Ask.fm), I feel the urge to lay down.

Instead of trying to manage it all, I’ve decided to focus on 3 based on where my ideal client hangs out and my personal preference. For me, those 3 are Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Do I have more than 3 social media accounts? Yes. Am I aware that other social sites are considered to be better for networking with professionals? Yes. However, I based this initial list on my ideal client and my personal preference because I recognized that if I don’t like the platform, I won’t use it.

The Aggregators

An aggregator is a social media tool that allows you to bring all of your social profiles and messages in one place.  Instead of creating a post on Facebook and then logging in to Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn separately to post that same message, an aggregator will allow you to create the post once and then send it to as many linked profiles as you like.

It seems like a new social media aggregator is popping up every day. Aggregators vary in terms of the social media platforms supported, aesthetics, and whether the platform will curator a suggested feed for you.  They also vary widely in cost. Some aggregators are free, and others will cost you around $100 per month. As for me, I’m still testing to see which aggregator works best, but here is a list of the ones that I’m considering or have used in the past:  Hootsuite, Buffer, SmarterQueue, eClincher, and Meet Edgar. Most aggregators offer a free trial so you can test to see which aggregator works for you too.

My strategy for a social media presence is threefold

1. Establish a Habitual Routine – For me, routines free up time and space so that I can work on larger projects. With the repetitive tasks virtually on autopilot, I don’t have to worry about how and when they will get done.  So the first step in my strategy is to establish a set of rules around when I post and what I will and will not include in my social feeds. I know that once I create a routine, I’m extremely committed. The hard part is going to be setting up a routine that works with my schedule.

2. Batching – If I had to source content to post on social media every day, the likelihood of me consistently posting is slim to none.  There are too many variables during my day that would push this task way down the to-do list. Instead, I plan to batch this task. 

Batching is the process of grouping similar tasks that require related resources in a specific block of time instead of spreading them out over time. To batch this task, I will be creating several days worth of posts in one time block, and then posting them via my social media aggregator over time.

3. Get Social – I find that I get more engagement if I engage with other people.  I think that’s why they call social media, SOCIAL media. So, I will be setting aside time each day to start and join conversations on social media platforms. By responding to comments and showing genuine interest in the work of others, people will naturally become interested in my work too.

Getting Help

If I were to tackle this social media adventure alone, chances are that I’d spend hours, days and weeks poking around these platforms to figure out the best ways to use them.  But experience has taught me that the more cost effective and prudent thing is to get expert help. Experts quickly show you what you need to know so that you can get to implementing swiftly.  Rather than mulling over what I need to do for the next several weeks, I can set about the business of actually doing it and connecting with others. This gets me one step closer to nailing down a process and deciding what pieces I can outsource.

Is it time for you to up your social media game too?  What can you do in the next few weeks to turn the volume up on your social media presence?