It's obvious that social media is a staple to brands in today's world. Everyone including your great aunt probably has some form of it- there is however a difference between using social media and using it intentionally!
Have a strategy
A social media strategy is the difference between throwing a handful of darts at a board blindfolded and throwing 3 darts aimed at the center target. Rather than making a post just so that you have content that day take an extra 2 days off and plan out the next 3 posts. It's absolutely true that it's necessary to be consistent but the intention behind the post is just as important.
While it is a route to make more money and the time you're spending on Instagram is helpful- in business it's always important to get a return on investment. The biggest investment in your social media isn't money. It's your time!
The time you have is extremely important. Its what you invest in your passions, relationships, and of course your business. If you're handling your social media accounts without a strategy -or at least a simple plan- then you could be wasting your most valuable investment.
Know your goals
The first step is to know your circumstances. These are not connected to your feelings! So at the moment, you may be unemployed, you may have 15 followers. This is not as important as you might think.
The second step is your feelings. How do you feel about your circumstance? Unemployed? You make be feeling rejected and you may be questioning your worth. It could also make you feel motivated to find a job that appreciates you and the work you do.
Now we've reached the third step which is what are you thinking about how you feel? If you're questioning your worth you may think "I'm never going to get another good-paying job." But if you are motivated you may think "I'm going to revamp my resume and apply to everywhere I think I could do well!"
The fourth step is action, what are you doing because of how you are thinking? If you think you'll never get a good job again you may not be applying to as many jobs or maybe not good ones. If you are driven you might be visiting different offices in person to hand-deliver your resume.
That brings us to results, if you're feeling rejected will you just give up? Would you maybe take a job that isn't in your field at all?
Now you have a job that you don't enjoy and it doesn't even pay enough.
Your thoughts drive your actions and they lead to results. Goals are so important because they move us in the direction we want to go in. Make specific goals for yourself, for example, "I'm going to apply to at least 5 jobs every day, and I will call them all 2 days after," or "I want to reach _____ followers on Instagram and _______ subscribers on YouTube by August 31, 2020."
Define your goals clearly and your thoughts and actions will follow.
Change is inevitable
A social media strategy is never the same for every account or industry. You can take elements from other's strategies and use them, but mostly you have to discover what will work for you. It's not that simple either.
What works for you now may not be the plan in 9 months. Right now you may be focusing on Instagram and Pinterest, but TikTok may be a new platform for you in 3 months. To succeed you have to adapt and be willing to fail in order to make a change.
Of course no one wants to fail. The feeling of looking at your analytics and discovering that no one is really seeing your posts is less than ideal. But, you can take those analytics and use them to drive a new campaign that is better focused.
You need some help
I don't mean you have to hire someone right now. Of course, you can bring on an expert and they will guide you and provide you will all types of information. I'm talking about learning.
Help may be listening to a podcast or following accounts that offer advice. Maybe you can attend some workshops or industry lunches. Surround yourself with information and people that will help you reach your goals.
I hope this has encouraged you to look at your current "strategy" and make sure that it is aligned with your goals and most importantly you!