Social media changes on an almost daily basis. From new features to algorithm changes, not to mention new platforms popping up all the time, it can feel like you’re always having to play catch up. But, with change comes opportunity; if you can learn to embrace the change and adapt your social media strategy, then you’ll see more success (and less stress!) from your efforts on social media!
If you want to use social media to grow your business (and stay sane in the process!) then it’s important that you take the time to suss out your strategy.
If you’re struggling to pin down your audience, then you may want to give this blog post a read >> Do you know who your ideal clients are?
Once you’ve answered those two key questions, it becomes much easier to decide which social media platforms you’re going to use and how you’re going to use them.
When you hear that a major change is coming and it’s going to affect your business’s presence on social media then it can feel like a punch to the stomach. You’ve worked so hard to build up your page and then all of a sudden something changes and you fear you’re going to be pushed back to square one.
This happened recently when Facebook announced a series of updates to the Newsfeed algorithm. A whole heap of panic ensued and the rumour mill went into overdrive, with people pronouncing the death of businesses on Facebook.
In actual fact what we saw was that those businesses who side-stepped the panic, checked back in with their strategies and took steps to adapt to the changes actually saw their stats go up! They were willing to use the changes to their advantage by, not only having a strategy in the first place, but my being willing to adapt.
The fact is, social media will continue to evolve and to change, we have no control over that. But what we can control is how we react. You can choose to see opportunity where others see adversity.
All of that is easy to say but when social media is just one of the plates you have to keep spinning as a busy business owner, how on earth do you keep on top of changes, continue to learn how to use social media effectively and keep all of your other plates spinning at the same time?
My advice is to take a bite-sized approach. No matter where you are in your journey right now, you do not have to learn everything and fill in all the gaps overnight. Take your time and focus on taking small steps forward consistently; the results will follow!
In practice, that might mean learning the basics of your primary social media platform before you start adding in more advanced strategies. Or it might mean focusing on nailing your strategy on one platform before adding another platform into the mix. Patience is key and there is no benefit to spreading yourself too thin by trying to be everywhere all at once.
Taking one step at a time on social media and being as consistent as you possibly can is the best way to achieve long-term, sustainable success.