Things no one tells you about running your own business’ social media

Feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up with your socials while also running your business AND having a life? This one’s for you.

I had a new client call the other day with someone I’ve been speaking to since last summer. She’s a personal trainer, I’d gone through her program, and she reached out asking for help with her socials. We set up the call and 5 minutes in she was in tears. Literal tears because she felt so overwhelmed about posting to social media every day and getting low engagement in return. My heart went out to her because, as a socials manager, it was clear to me what she needed to do and the changes were relatively simple, but to her in her business day in day out, they weren’t!

Hashtags are your friend
We’ve all heard “hashtags are dead”, “they’re not getting as much reach”, etc. etc. I’m here to tell you that simply isn’t true. Yes, it can be tricky to know exactly which hashtags to post, but that doesn’t mean you should immediately throw them in the bin. When used correctly, hashtags can be a fantastic way of reaching new audiences relatively easily. The client I mentioned above went from getting minimal reach from her hashtags (less than 10%) to around 20% in less than two weeks. Typically I achieve 30-40% reach from hashtags ALONE for my clients. They work. Instead of using typical, generic hashtags, try getting specific and thinking outside the box. I use Flick to find new hashtags and create collections. It’s brilliant because it gives you in-depth analytics for hashtag performance so you can see which ones are working best.

Reels are your friend
Instagram’s answer to TikTok (kinda), Reels have been around since last summer and are being pushed by the platform in a big way! Typical reach on a grid post is around ⅓ of your audience size, but typical reach from reels can be 10x this, if not more! Before you start protesting about dancing, let me tell you, YOU DON’T NEED TO DANCE IN REELS. Shocking, I know. The important things are that they’re engaging, giving value or funny, and created within the app. If you’re not sure how to make them, take a look at the Curlyworm Insta for tips.

Having a niche is a really good idea
It sounds counter-intuitive but niching down is an excellent idea, especially when it comes to Instagram and other social media platforms. They have millions of users operating on them daily, so if you’re trying to appeal to everyone it’ll feel like you’re shouting into the void with not even an echo coming back. The more specific and targeted you can be, the better. Create content that appeals to your target audience and don’t be discouraged if it takes a while for them to find you. They will. And they’ll be grateful when they do. If you’re not sure whether what you’re about to post appeals to your target audience, ask yourself whether they’ll care and if you’re giving value, if the answer is “no”, then maybe don’t post that thing.

Planning content gives you freedom
Another tip that sounds counter-intuitive but makes a lotta sense when you think about it – planning content. Planning content ahead of time means you don’t get post paralysis because you know exactly what you’re saying, where, and when; helps you stay consistent, which means the platform’ll reward you; and creates a bank of content to reuse and recycle all over the (metaphorical) shop. ContentCal is my fav for planning content for both myself and clients. You can preview your grid, get in-depth analytics, schedule content to automatically post to a number of platforms, plan blogs, the whole thing! It really is brilliant.

Engagement matters but isn’t the be-all and end-all
We’ve all heard social media experts trotting out the old “engage for 15 minutes before and after posting, make a sacrifice to the social media gods, spin round three times, and sing Happy Birthday backwards to grow”. Uuummmm… No. Yes, engagement matters, and yes you should be engaging with your ideal audience, but surely that’s just common sense? The more you show up on people’s feeds acting as an authority and showing off about your knowledge without being a dick about it, the more they’re going to engage back. At the end of the day, all Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc., care about is pages that keep users on their platforms longer. All you’ve gotta do is be that person! Engage with your ideal audience, post content that they actually care about, be a nice person, and you’ll probably be alright.

Posting consistently to social media doesn’t have to be this big scary thing. It is honestly as simple or complicated as you make it. Plan ahead, be clear about who you’re serving, don’t worry about vanity metrics (follower count I’m looking at you), and you’ll be ok.

Still feeling stressed about socials? Why not book a Sixty Minute Strategy Session or a free discovery call to find out how we can support you?

(This blog contains affiliate links to tools we use ourselves, we’d never recommend something we haven’t tried, tested, and fallen in love with. Thanks to Inspired Stock Shop for the image)