What you should and shouldn’t schedule on social media
I firmly believe that social media is free advertising for the small business owner. Recently I’ve found that more and more of my clients need help with their social media planning – they know they should be using it, but aren’t sure what they should and shouldn’t post. I’ve put together a list the things I think you should and shouldn’t post if you’re a business owner.
What should I post?
Testimonials
Get your clients to write you a testimonial once you’ve been working with them for a few months. You can use this on your website, in your blogs, on your printed advertising and on social media. Make sure you’ve got their permission first (I’m sure it’ll be fine) then at least once a week if you can, post an extract of one (or the whole thing if it’s short) and add a relevant photo. One of my most liked and commented upon posts was the first one of mine I ever did.
Updates on your work
Tell people what you’ve been up to, particularly if it’s something a bit different to what you normally do. People love to hear what everyone’s doing, plus it gives you a chance to showcase what you can do for potential new clients and could trigger someone into contacting you.
Stories
Now, I find it difficult to share what’s going on with me with the world, but it doesn’t have to be something you’re uncomfortable sharing. It could be a story about how you got your first client, or your first networking experience. Something fun or light-hearted to show your human side but is still professional (no, not ‘that’ stag do….)
Videos
Facebook Live or Insta stories are all the thing and the internet is going crazy for them. If you’re a little camera-shy check out my blog on how to get over your video nerves. My top tip is to record one first and re-record until you’re happy with it. Then if you stumble or blank on what you want to say, it’s not out there with the world watching.
A call to action
There’s nothing wrong with blatantly asking for referrals or work. Larger companies do it all the time by paying for TV advertising. They’re telling you what they offer and giving you the chance to purchase it. That’s all you’re doing by asking for referrals. Don’t sell to the readers though, no-one likes being sold to. Instead, ask them to help you find your ideal clients. And if you think you know exactly who they are but still aren’t getting them signed up, my blog on how to get to know your ideal client might help.
Blogs
I try and write one blog a week. It’s not always easy when things are busy, but I get a lot out of writing them and I hope my clients and other contacts enjoy reading them. I write about the things I know, how to set up as a Virtual Assistant, what your VA can do to help you, what to write on social media….
What not to post
Food
One of my biggest bugbears on social media is photos of food. It’s slightly more acceptable on my personal Facebook feed to be fair but leave it off your business pages. While it’s great to show the world that you are, indeed, eating and therefore still alive, I very much doubt your potential customers really care what you had for dinner (and let’s be honest, who has ever seen a photo of Richard Branson’s dinner?).
Mistakes
I know we’re all human and we all make mistakes. The right thing to do here would be to come clean to your client and put it right if possible. It’s not something you want to shout about on your social media, no matter how funny it was, because existing and potential clients will not be impressed! Neither will the client you were working with when you made the mistake.
Holidays
Need I explain why? Again, this is one better left on your personal social media platforms because of course, all your friends need to see what a great time you had, how many beers or cocktails you drank and how tanned you are. Your clients do not.
Pets
I love my miniature dachshund Oscar, and I think he’s the cutest dog in the world. My friends know how much I love him and so do all the other dachshund owners in my Facebook dachshund group. Most of my clients don’t know and don’t care that I own a dog. They care about the quality and timeliness of my work and how I can help their business to grow.
Drunken mistakes
Never, ever… Do what you want in your spare time, but do not share this with your clients and other professional contacts (unless they were there in which case hide…)
I’m sure you’re getting the idea, try and stay away from the personal stuff that goes on in your life. Your clients won’t think you’re ‘hilarious’ they will find you unprofessional and may end up dispensing with your services.
Also, just a side note, if your personal feed is full of photos of ‘that’ stag do, (and that’s absolutely fine), make it watertight so no-one searching for you will find it.
Final tip
What really helps me is having a short list to remind me of things to post. I use a scheduling platform called Hootsuite but there are others out there like Buffer and I spend a couple of hours at the end of the week deciding what I’m going to post, and get it all scheduled. Then I sit back and let the magic happen.
If, though, after all of that you’re still not sure, or just don’t want to do this for yourself, get in touch to discuss how I can help.
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