If you’re running a business, you know that social media is SUCH a powerful tool to reach your customers, essentially for free. Yes, it comes with frustrations, algorithm changes, “noise”, and new tools to learn constantly… but where else can you reach THAT MANY people for free every day?!

So, take social media as a challenge that you’re willing to work HARD for because you know that it can and will grow your business. Here are some of my suggestions on how to improve your social media strategy this year: 

1: Dig into your analytics from 2019 and see what types of content performed the best. If these pieces of content reached your ideal customer/audience member, by all means, DOUBLE DOWN on that in 2020! Do you get MORE reach on Instagram Stories than you do with Instagram posts in the feed? If so, maybe consider doubling down on Stories and scaling back a bit on posts in your feed if your audience is directly telling you they love your Stories. When I dug into my Instagram analytics for 2019, the post with the HIGHEST REACH was all about How to Get Content Inspiration. You can go check that out HERE if you missed it or want a reminder! Since that post had the highest reach, that tells me that my audience found it valuable. And through other forms of market research, I’ve found that my audience DEFINITELY needs help with content ideas, aka, what to post. This has been a theme in my content in 2019 and definitely will be throughout 2020 as well! So, dig into your Facebook and Instagram Insights to find LOADS of information on what your audience likes and finds most valuable. Remember, the more value you give, the more trust you’ll build!

2: Get inspiration from thought leaders in your industry. If you’re a realtor, start consuming the content of TOP NOTCH realtors that use social media as a business tool. If you’re a business coach, follow other business coaches that are further along than you. If you’re a fashion blogger, model what your FAVORITE, well-known fashion bloggers are doing. This should be a GIVEN but never take what others are doing and copy and paste. Always use other content as inspiration and put your OWN spin on it. Make sure you’re weaving your own brand tone of voice, brand colors, and brand style into your content to stay truly authentic and approachable. Another given: But always ask yourself, “will my ideal customer/audience member find this entertaining, educational, or valuable?!” before you hit “POST”.

3: Make sure you really know who you’re talking to on social media. Who is the specific person you’re targeting on social media? What is their age? Where are they located? What are their likes and dislikes? What is their income level? When are they most active on social media?

The clearer the picture you can form of YOUR brand and YOUR target audience, the more you can create content that resonates with them. Check out my blog post on Market Research HERE to get a more in-depth picture of this and also… know that many of the answers to these questions are DIRECTLY in your Instagram and Facebook Insights. 🙂 Once you have your target audience nailed down, coming up with a great social media strategy will be easy peasy.

4: Find what differentiates your brand from the competition and make sure that’s apparent in your content. There are so many ways to translate your unique BRAND into your social media feed. Think about the actual product or service you’re selling AND your target audience, because this will help you determine whether your social media brand style should be cheerful and upbeat, professional and straightforward, or cheeky and humorous. Once you have that part nailed down, you can go even deeper by showing your target audience WHY you’re different from the competitors. Can you provide 2-day shipping, while competitors can not? Does your product use better ingredients than the competition? Do you spend TONS of time researching and investing into your business to better serve your clients? Figure out what makes you stand out from the rest. Share that and share it often!

5: Do a good ol’ content audit! I challenge you to look through your past 5 posts AND your active Instagram Stories (or a recent Facebook Live) and ask yourself: Is this speaking to my ideal customer? If I were in their shoes, would I find value in these posts? Would I WANT to work with me? This is not to say you can’t post humorous memes, simple photos of your coffee, etc. every now and then BUT you have to make sure to work in valuable content that builds trust with your ideal customer as OFTEN as possible. If you do a content audit and you realize that some of your most recent posts are NOT attracting the people who will actually purchase your products/services, don’t worry! Use tips 1-4 to plan out your next few posts that WILL attract your ideal customer.

6: Start planning ahead and SCHEDULING some content! This will be a HUGE relief to you, even if it’s just planning the posts/Stories you want to share the day before. One rule that I personally like to abide by is: Create more than you consume! So, if you catch yourself scrolling constantly, and you’re not creating nearly as much content for your own business, change that TODAY by unplugging and planning your next social media post! You can always edit and refine it before it’s time to post, but having content planned out is a huge time saver and it ensures you actually stay active on your channels. When post ideas come to you, be sure to write them in your notebook or Notes app on your phone AND draft posts in social media scheduling tools such as Later or Planoly.

7: DO MORE VIDEO MARKETING IN 2020. This is non-negotiable. Getting your beautiful face and voice on video will be a GAMECHANGER for your business. I have a whole training on how to create video content that builds trust with your ideal customer in my group coaching program which will open up again SOON! My in-depth training on video marketing covers short-form video content and long-form video content. Make sure you’re subscribed to my email list (subscribe button is down below!) to be the first to know when it’s open!