We all wear multiple hats, and as fitness entrepreneurs, we all feel pulled in a million directions at some point during our day. We feel the need to do ALL THE THINGS, then struggle to deal with the guilt of not getting it all done. Trust me, even the most organized of us struggle with having ‘enough time’ to get everything done during the day. Can we all agree that ‘enough time’ is never going to happen?
We are busy and our time is precious. We don’t have a moment to waste in this business, especially on sales tactics that do not work.
We all know that social media can be utilized to bring our businesses more publicity and customers. But are you effectively using your social media accounts to ensure your sales tactics are bringing you clientele and not pushing customers to hit the “unlike” button?
Step 1: Know Your Audience
Social media should not be entirely focused on selling. It’s about building awareness. It’s a magnet to help you attract the clients you want. Think of it like fishing – you have to know what fish you are searching for before picking your bait and body of water. Your “bait” should attract your fish just like your posts should attract your target market.
Right now, take a moment to close your eyes and envision your dream clientele: Female or male, 25 or 55, Suburban or rural? Does this matter? Absolutely! Don’t waste your time by casting out a net that is too large. Instead use social media to help you find and target your dream audience.
Not all social media platforms are created equal. While you may appreciate one platform more than another, your client market may disagree. Research your market to find out where they live online.
In years past, there have been definitive demographics per each platform. However, in the past year, a lot of the demographics have evened out. There are some general statements that can help you find your people:
- Facebook is male dominated with 50-65 year olds being very active.
- Instagram has more females (barely) with 25-34 year olds having the most accounts.
- TikTok users’ average age is 10-19.
- Twitter has more males aged 35-49 year olds.
- Research your specific demographic to find out where they live online. Then focus your efforts on those platforms.
Step 2: Know What You Know
I am sure you have heard that your “why” should fuel your “how.” Last year, your mind probably revolved around the fear of the unknown: Who am I if I don’t instruct or coach? Fear shouldn’t be the fuel. I challenge you to create your purposeful why statement this week. It’s probably changed from pre-pause, during the actual pause of 2020, and now.
Take some time to recognize the evolution, sit with it for a while, and then use this fuel to light your next fire.
So, what is your expertise?
If I gave you a microphone and asked for you to speak about a topic for over 30-minutes joyfully, what would you share? Write down at least 5 of those topics.
Step 3. Know What To Create
Once you know who you want to talk to on social media, you need to know what to share. Your posts should blend the questions of your target demographic (their pain points) with your statements of expertise.
People are looking for answers to their problems – so, be their solution (within your scope of practce). You need to understand what your target demographic is Googling at 2am in the morning to know what content and programming to provide. What are they struggling to accomplish, and how can you be the answer or solution?
Now, how does your expertise show in your offerings? If you are using social media as a brand awareness tool, but your brand doesn’t have anything to sell, you waste your time. You need offerings that establish you as the expert while answering the needs of your target demographic. Without offerings, your social media is a personal account and should reflect as such.
You have an expertise, a level of knowledge, and a scope of practice. Stay within your boundaries. Align yourself with other wellness professionals that close the gap on your limitations. That way, if a client comes to you searching for answers outside of your realm, you can refer them to someone else and, hopefully, vice versa.
Step 4. Know What To Post
Now you know what topics to create, so it’s time to get busy.
Do you bake one cupcake at a time? No! You make 12 (at least). Well, make multiple social media posts at once. Batch your creativity and store it all for later use.
For example, your target demographic is busy moms of young kids who need to make kid-friendly meals. You have a passion for nutrition, so you decide one of your weekly posts should be recipes from your online e-book. Instead of creating your post every Monday, create 4 posts at a time so you kow exactly what you are posting before the day arrives.
Yes, write your captions, take the videos or photos, create the graphics, and research the hashtags for multiple posts in one sitting. Have a strategy and a plan versus being in the moment reactive.
The “how” of creating the content depends on the platform you choose to use. Each platform has an algorithm that determines that content that is seen most frequently. For the most part, video is the top tier. Some platforms thrive off of evergreen content (posts that live on your profile), others live off of disappearing content (24-hour lives), while others combine the two (Facebook & Instagram).
So how you communicate your recipes will depend on the platform you choose to focus based on your target demographic.
Don’t lose followers!
Want to know the quickest way to lose followers on all social platforms? The more you sell, the more you disconnect.
People are on social media to make connections, not purchases. Remember there is an 80% rule that most marketers and social media gurus follow: 80% fun posts and 20% sales. If you constantly direct sell, your audience is likely to stop paying attention to you. But you can make your ‘fun’ posts soft sales, if you are a little creative.
Step 5. Know What To Say
Remember, social media is meant to be social. While planning who to talk to, where, and when is all important, so is actually using the platforms themselves.
Think of it like a video game: the more features you use, the more points you earn. Spend time on creation but spend more time connecting with your audience, leads, and clients.
Comment, share, like, and tag (this is called engagement). Interact with the people you want to have as clients as well as those who have noticed you – your leads.
These five steps will help you build a more effective social strategy, allowing you time to focus your attention on your business itself. But before you can grow, you have to know what your current goals are for your social media. You can’t “manage” your time, effort, and energy without a set of priorities. You can’t have set priorities without an end game or finish line. So, what are your current goals for your posts? Is more website views or higher engagement in your private group? Decide so you can begin tracking your insights to see what is working and what is not. If something isn’t helping you get closer to your goal, ditch it.
We would love to know what your goals are on social media. Share with us below so we can continue to support each other & provide education to make your life easier.
This blog post was originally posted on GXunited.com
