Review Your Social Media Goals
Note: I’m publishing this updated blog post for participants in the 2023 Thriving Authors Summit. I hope you find it helpful!
Most of us realize we could do more/should do more in the digital space, but it can be overwhelming. Self-doubt creeps in...is what I’m doing interesting? Do I know enough to do this? Do I have time to do one more thing? Social media can be a scary place, too, which doesn’t make it easier to venture there. Here are three ideas to help you reconsider (or rejuvenate) your social strategy.
Commit to better social media by going back to basics. Start with strategy: purpose, audience, and capacity.
What purpose do you want your social media to serve? Do you want to share information, increase awareness, reach new people?
To whom do you want it to appeal (audience)? Who do you follow on social media? Who do you want to follow you? These things will vary depending on your work, but it’s worth sketching out a few notes.
Once you consider those fundamental questions - purpose and audience - probe further. Really examine the concept of your ideal client or follower. What do they find interesting? What do they find useful? What are they liking or sharing on social media? Who are they following?
Effective social media is about so much more than posting. Creating a FAN-tastic Instagram account doesn’t happen overnight. You need to consider how to cover a range of relevant content, stay true to your core values...and share your story while remaining mindful and grounded.
Another critical thing to consider is your capacity. What’s realistic for you to do? How much time can you devote to social media? How much time do you want to devote to it? Can you be consistent in posting? Would developing strength on one platform be better than spreading yourself too thinly on several? Sometimes, less is more.
I encourage people to ask themselves questions to discern this. Where does your energy flow naturally? What are your talents (photography, video, writing)? Where is your audience hanging out? Why do you want to/need to do this? What do you hope to accomplish?
Social media can be challenging for many reasons. But our presence can make social spaces better places. Stay in that better space: make your social media feeds a positive, thoughtful, useful and intellectually challenging place to be - both for your followers and for you. Make sure social media remains a powerful communication tool rather than a place where you feel insecure or inauthentic.
P.S. Avoid burnout by planning for sustainability and using a communications plan/strategy checklist. My colleagues at the University of California and I documented a simple process to help those we worked with create a communications plan. It appears in a free e-publication published by the Extension Foundation. You will have to provide an email address to access it.
Consider blogging. (If you’re already blogging, great!)
Blog posts provide an opportunity to expand your story beyond a succinct soundbite or caption.
I know, I know: it’s another thing. I’m restarting my blogging practice right now. (If you’ve followed my work, you know that I have produced hundreds and hundreds of blog posts over the years about gardens, food, agriculture, nutrition, public policy, history, technology, communications strategy, writing, faith, and more.)
I’m back at it with this new blog - A Polyphonic Life - which I hope will incorporate all the things I’m interested in writing about. I’ve missed blogging. Writing posts helps me work through things and enables me to share what I’m learning with others. I am delighted to be back at it.
A good blog is many things: sincere, informative, thought-provoking, challenging, or even entertaining. A blog can be all of these things across a number of different posts - or even in one post! You don’t need me to extol the benefits of having a relevant, up-to-date blog: a fresh blog will help people find your work in Google searches, allow ideas and messages to develop and build over time, and can assist in cultivating a loyal and engaged following.
So why don’t more of us use blogs effectively or consistently? Well, they’re usually not part of ‘core business’, so they slip to the bottom of the To Do list time and time again. I can attest to that. However, if you commit to regular blogging, you’ll see the pay-off. For me these days, the pay-off is the joy of writing.
There are lots of places to blog: your website, LinkedIn publishing, and more. Instagram represents a great opportunity for micro-blogging.
Be a lifelong learner.
I love to learn. The more I know, the more efficient and effective I become. Social media is a rapidly changing landscape and it’s essential to keep learning. Some of my favorite resources are the Hootsuite Blog and Pew Research. The Hootsuite Blog provides great information about a range of social platforms and best practices for social media. Check out Pew’s page and take a Digital and Online Knowledge Quiz to assess your knowledge. I’ve also found Google’s SEO guides very helpful. As you work through the online materials, you’ll be treated to “lightning talks” - short videos featuring Google’s experts sharing best practices. Also: LinkedIn Learning is loaded with resources that can help you on a wide range of topics. I’m a big fan of the official accounts of social media platforms. You can find these on blogs, YouTube Channels, and more.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. Contact me!