The Social Media Marketing Secret No One Talks About
One question I continually get from small business owners is how to make social media marketing easier. Read on because I’m about to let you in on one big secret no one else is talking about when it comes to growing your business with social media marketing and how to build an effective strategy.
Habits.
That’s right. Making social media a habitual part of your lifestyle is the simplest way to be consistent and never run out of creative tactics to thrill your online audience.
This realization first came to me when I was having a conversation with my friend, sales coach and health coach, Andora Gandy of Repeat It Excellence – most of us have multi-talented friends like this, right? She has been a habits-advocate for several years now and always builds this foundational rule into her sales and leadership coaching. A couple months ago during one of our health sessions, she mentioned a book called The Power of Habit that changed my life and gave me an entirely new perspective on what it really takes to be “successful.” Why did I put that in quotes? Because everyone has their own definition of what it takes to be successful, but this is my personal favorite:
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” – Maya Angelou
Man, talk about a phenomenal woman – LOVE her.
Now, back to habits. In The Power of Habit, they give these extremely dramatic, but eye-opening, stories about how habits account for more than 50% of the things we do every day, including the way we eat, the way we shop and how we interact with other people. The story that stood out to me most was the very first example of the story of Eugene Pauly, a man who suffered from short-term memory loss from losing the medial temporal lobe of his brain to viral encephalitis. Although he couldn’t remember basic things such as how to describe his house or where his kitchen was, after walking the same route in his neighborhood for several weeks, Eugene could walk around the block and go back home without any directions – although when asked, he couldn’t tell you how to get to his house if he wasn’t standing in front of it. This is the power of habit.
What does this have to do with social media marketing?
While everyone is eager to share all the tricks, tactics and tools to automate your social media management and grow your followers, most fail to mention that if you do not actually implement your social media strategy consistently, none of that matters. What I have found to be the most beneficial when it comes to getting results from social media is making it a habit. Like most other tasks, when they are integrated and planned for in your everyday life, they don’t feel like obligations or chores. As a result of a disciplined approach, it becomes a much more enjoyable task.
Some of you are probably thinking “In what world would I actually enjoy tweeting every day?” and I’m here to tell you – it’s this world. This is why I always ask my clients which social channel they can be the most consistent with when determining which channel is best for them. I expect you to be passionate about your business, but not necessarily about marketing. However, when you are doing social media the correct way – starting conversations, building online relationships and being immersed in the community – it is in fact enjoyable. Why? Because the prospect of driving awareness, increasing conversions and revenue is enjoyable. Once you make it a habit, scheduling posts for your favorite social channel becomes a routine part of your life that you don’t have to “remember” to do – kind of like buckling your seatbelt or brushing your teeth.
How do you create these habits?
In my previous blog post, 5 Painless Ways to Sneak Social Media into Your Schedule, I offered a few tips on how to start making time for social media marketing. However, I am not suggesting you spend every free minute you have with your eyes glued to your phone. In fact, I think it’s imperative that you take a few minutes every so often to step away from the screen and simply be in the present moment. That being said, here are a few ways you can make social media a habit over time:
Do it early in the day
If you’re a morning person like me, you know that you are the most productive during the day. Making a quick 5-10 min social media check before you dive into more strenuous work activities is a great way to make the habit stick.
Do it late at night
Maybe you’re different – meaning you stay up past 9:00PM. If so, taking 5-10 minutes in the evening after a long day is a great low-stress way to wind down. Studies even show that people are typically more engaged on social platforms during the evening since most are working during the day.
Write it on your daily to-do list
To-do lists are my favorite go-to when it comes to productivity. Every morning before I start working I make sure to write down all the things I’d like to accomplish that day – including engaging on social media. We all enjoy checking things off our list and this is a simple, yet effective way to hold yourself accountable.
Automate what you can
I mentioned this one in my earlier post but cannot emphasize enough the importance of using social media scheduling tools. While it is equally, if not more, important that you make time to be live and present on social media, planning a time to schedule a few posts during the week frees you to be active and ready for when “life happens.”
The end result
This is the best part, if you ask me. This is when you realize social media marketing no longer feels like a burden and you actually enjoy making the meaningful connections online. More important, this is when the results start rolling in because you’ve been consistent, engaged in helpful conversations, and as a result, have built a loyal audience. I recognize that creating new habits is not an easy feat, but we can all agree that it pays off over time.
Get serious
If you’re serious about taking your business to the next level with social media book your discovery call with me to plan a personalized strategy for your business.
