If you'd like to know which social media tactics you need to stop wasting your time on and which ones to focus on in 2023, read on...
With the constant changes and updates, social media can feel overwhelming and time-consuming, a feeling that's made worse when your posts aren't getting enough reach or engagement.
Too often, I have seen business owners jump on the bandwagon of a recent trend, or keep pushing content that just isn't going to work and it makes me sad to see them wasting their time.
Because I know how busy you are, balancing family life with work life, and I know that every minute you get to spend on your business is precious. You don't want to waste a single moment on marketing ploys that aren't going to work, you need to focus on what will work.
That's why I've compiled a list of tactics I want you to stop using on social media in 2023, and my tips on what you should be doing instead:
Keeping up with trends
Social media is constantly changing, and it's hard for small business owners to keep up. You'll spend hours getting your head round a new feature so more people can see your content, only for a new one to come along and for the algorithm to start favouring that!
To an extent, you do need to know what trends work best on social media - but what I don't want you to do is waste time on things that might give you a short term boost, but have no long term benefit.
Take Clubhouse as an example. Remember that?
The new social media network launched in late 2019 and became really popular in the UK in about 2021. The exciting thing with this new app was that, rather than communicating via posts, messages were sent via audio notes.
For a time, everyone was talking about it. Entrepreneurs flocked to the site and spent hours learning how to use it, searching through the chat rooms and growing a new audience from scratch.
But, as with most trends and fads, the fuss soon died down. I personally think it didn't work for those of us who lack the time to be able to listen to voice notes, or the peace and quiet to be able to record them!
And so, all that time people spent on this new app was essentially wasted. Something I don't want to happen to you.
So, here's my advice. I want you to swap stressing about keeping up with trends for creating a social media strategy that works for you, your business and your life.
Once you have a plan, stick to it. Don't become distracted by the shiny new toys that are going to get old and boring very soon.
Hiding your face
Without exception, there is one type of social media post that excels in engagement and reach for both myself and my clients: Selfies. I know, scary thought. So many people cringe when I share this advice!
But it is absolutely key and you are doing yourself a real disservice if you don't share your picture, your story and your personality, because it is that which is going to make you stand out from the crowd and be remembered.
So, here's my advice. I want you to swap hiding your face from your timeline for confidently and consistently putting yourself out there for the world to enjoy.
I need you to put on those big girls' pants and start showing your beautiful face much more often on your timeline. because, when your followers are scrolling through your content, they want to see the woman behind the business, the lady they're keen to work with an support.
Here's a quick tip that will help you with that: go through your phone today and find all the pictures of yourself that you actually like. Have a look on your laptop too and even your Facebook profile.
Think outside the box, it doesn't have to just be you working. How about your wedding photos or the family ones you had done by a professional? Pictures of you having a family day out or some old favourites you can dig out from the albums you've got tucked away on a shelf.
Set up a folder on your desktop and save them all there, so that next time you have content to share about yourself you can confidently choose the perfect, pretty picture to go with it.
I want you to get more confident about putting yourself out there for people to get to know, love and support you - so make sure you're signed up to my mailing list for weekly tips that cover the topic of Confidence.
Being scared of Reels
Unless you've been under a rock for the past 12 months, you can't fail to have seen how popular Reels have become. Following the explosion of TikTok in 2020, Instagram adapted quickly, favouring this short video format on their platform and introducing it to Facebook now too.
Creating a short video, adding a trending sound and adding a short, snappy caption has been the recipe for success on this platform, with relatively small accounts gaining incredible reach and engagement on their posts as it is shown to a wider audience than just their followers.
In 2022, 16 of my top 15 posts on Instagram were Reels. One video I posted in December featuring a simple shot of the sea at Scarborough with a trending audio that consisted of an inspiring quote as recorded a reach of of 7k in just 4 weeks.
So, you see, this is a form of content that you really can't afford to ignore. But I know lots of you find them daunting, as did I when I first started using them, so here are my quick tips for you to remember:
Spend time scrolling through Reels for inspiration and save your favourite ones to re-create when you have time
You don't have to dance around like a prat to make these videos work, do whatever is comfortable for you
You can even create videos that don't show your face at all using graphics, Canva is great for this
KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid! Don't worry about making intricate edits and spending hours getting it just right
Make sure you have consistent content on your grid for people to look through if they find you via Reels, you want them to come back for more
Try to initiate conversations with people who like or comment, pick out your ideal clients and invite them to join your mailing list or group
Don't overthink it, the best ones I've done were just me having fun and feeling inspired to create a wicked video to share my thoughts!