Let's admit it. Social media is hard work.
Social Media is hard work.
Anyone who is making an effort to promote their business, organization or personal brand knows that. The problem is, it looks so easy.
It looks easy because anyone with access to the internet can post to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, or any other platform of the moment.
It looks easy because celebrities who already have a marketing footprint can gain legions of followers overnight.
But for smaller businesses, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and individuals, it is just not that simple. It is simply a lot of hard work.
I am approached on a regular basis by people who want help getting started. Some days, I am excited to tell them some of the ins and outs of a successful social media strategy. Other days, when some amount of fatigue has set it, my response is more likely, "Are you sure?" This comes from seeing most efforts quickly abandoned.
Most begin their social media adventure with no clear plan and outsized expectations. The first days, weeks, and months, amount to the experience of shouting into an empty room.
“The biggest mistake people make is thinking that this is something that can be taken care of in their spare time.”
Before diving into a soon to be abandoned adventure into the realm of social media, here are a few steps to take. Consider it preparing for your journey. Or, consider deciding if it is a journey you want to take.
1. Get Some Training
Even if you plan on hiring a person or team, recruiting volunteers, or outsourcing the work, this is your journey. You need to understand the platforms, their varying audiences, and how things work. There are a multitude of in-person and online courses available. One I recommend is Hootsuite's free Social Marketing Education 2018.
2. Make a Plan
Consider your objectives and with your newfound social media knowledge, consider the steps to get there. Create a timetable and benchmarks to measure your work. Find someone to look at your plan and determine if it is reasonable and functional. If you don't know anyone who will look at your plan, head over to UpWork and hire a specialist for the task.
3. Count the Costs
The biggest mistake people make is thinking that this is something that can be taken care of in their spare time. Or, they think they can hand it off to someone else in their organization who already has an overflowing plate. A successful social media plan is going to take dedicated time and possible money. Either way, you will be investing valuable resources into this effort. Be sure you are ready to make that investment.
4. Be Patient
It is possible that your very first Tweet, post, or image will go viral and get you a million followers. It is possible. However, you should just assume that is not going to happen. You are going to be at this a while. You will be following and engaging with others, creating regular content, watching analytics, and constantly adjusting. You need to be prepared to keep going.
While Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and other platforms will rise and fall, social media is going to be with us for a while. It is an amazing opportunity to expand your audience and the reach of your organization. But it is hard work.