Social media is roundly condemned as a huge time-waster. But let’s give credit where it’s due. Social media may have revived the art of expressing yourself for many people.
This article is a further look into Task 2, which I mention in my article Intro:5 Tasks For A Website That Works For You.
Writing on my personal social media has helped me with writing longer pieces on my website for the simple reason that the more you do something, the better you get at it.
So, as my first tip, I recommend that everyone have personal social media accounts as a prerequisite to using their website and social media for promotion purposes.
My second tip: turn on your Spell-check!
Do you spend time answering questions by email for customers or clients? Think about re-purposing that answer for something you can post on your website, and then share on your social media. That is how many of the posts on this site started.
Is business slow? Create a Post about past projects. A local concert venue has been posting stories and pictures from past performances during the current pandemic. They are closed, but keeping active in the minds of concert-goers.
Here are some additional “real world” tips that have helped me.
Set up Google alerts on various topics related to your business niche, and your locale.
I have Google Alerts set up for my business topics, such as WordPress, ecommerce, trends in social promotion and for the area and events close to where I live.
I post daily to Facebook, Twitter. LinkedIn and Instagram.
Commit to sticking to a posting schedule. I have made a commitment for myself to posting at least twice a day on four social platforms, and semi-monthly on my website. I should be posting more frequently on my website. But, like many others, I find longer form writing to be not as easy to do.
My postings related to web design and web promotion have good response. My posts about my locale (the beautiful Berkshires of Massachusetts) and local happenings have a greater response.
Use a social posting service. Post once, share to multiple social platforms. I currently use Postfity.com to create two daily posts that are then shared to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Vary the soft and hard sell. Don’t overdo the sales pitch. Remember the ‘social’ part of social media. You will ‘find’ your voice over time, and that will be the reason your audience enjoys seeing your posts. Not that they will ‘Like’ them 😉
It’s no longer true that “if you build it, they will come” for the traditional website. It is true that if you build a consistent personality online, you are in a sense conditioning your simpatico audience to look forward to what you have to say. Find your voice.