Wed Altered Issue 2 - June 2018

Have a long term formula.
Instagram feeds are the biggest example of this. Know the main types of posts you want
(i.e. dress pictures, real brides, your team and store, reception inspiration, shoes, coffee,
kittens, cookies, boats, whatever fits your brand's message). Plan the order you want them
to be in so your feed looks good and keep that guide around. You can immediately see
what topics you need more of to keep your audience engaged in your message!
For Pinterest, know what you want to post and repin each time so you can search, pin, and
hit the road and you don't get lost scrolling down endlessly. Facebook posts need variety,
like a mix of your own blogs and story telling, educational or industry articles, fun topics,
and social proof (happy customers). You also want a mix of text, pictures, and video
(preferably Live, since the algorithm likes it better). Twitter would be similar in variety of
topics, although the delivery varies.
Knowing how often and when you will post also helps you turn off without any worries or
feeling like maybe you should be doing something right then, which will be a big help in
fighting burn out.
Streamline and delegate what you can.
We talk about this a lot (even several other times in this magazine issue), but you
don't have to do every single thing yourself. Pay for help. Get photos done so you
have a bank of content. Start to train your staff to take over elements of your
social media campaigns. Automate as much as possible (see the article on tools
for this!) and repurpose content (there's a guide for that too!).
This is tough. Take an afternoon to make a good brand guide, get comfortable
with losing a little control, and take the time to properly train someone or set up
tools. It's a little work up front, but imagine how big of a relief it will be to have
whole parts of your to do list scratched off without moving a finger later on! If
you’re nervous about an employee with that responsibility, look at hiring an
agency or specialist.
Plan your interactions, too.
You need to be genuinely engaging with people, preferably your potential clients! But at the very
least, other people who are in the industry. It gets your own posts shown more, it puts your name
out there, and it builds real relationships. The problem is that it can take forever and feel so
pointless.
But you can be genuine and intentional at the same time. Keep a list of people, pages, or
hashtags you're going to check in on a few times a week for 20-30 minutes. Work your way down
the list, liking, hearting, and commenting to your heart's content. And then get off and go do
something else you love!
Just promise me you'll leave comments that are more than 4 words, make sense, and show you're
an expert while speaking in your brand voice. No emoji dumps!
MOST OF ALL: Social media is supposed to be fun and all about
relationships. If you remember that, you’ll be all set!