Okay, solopreneurs and small business owners – we know you’re busy. Like, busy-busy.
You’ve got inventory to manage, networking events to rock, and work to be done – 24/7/365.
With everything you’ve got going on, it’s super easy for things to slip through the cracks. Even pretty important things – like your social media.
Social media is an easy and powerful way to connect with your customers, increase traffic to your website, reach new audiences and fans, generate leads, manage customer service, and – perhaps most importantly – up your thought leadership game.
But social media can feel like a distraction from “real work.” The truth is that social media has never been more important to businesses – especially small businesses.
According to a recent survey from Manta, social media is actually the single most popular tactic on which small businesses spend their money.
In the same survey of marketing tactics, 51% of small business owners said they most rely on social media to grow their business – more than email marketing, display ads, and direct mail, and PR combined.
Source: Manta.com
The reason why social media is so popular for small business owners is simple: Social media levels the playing field. It gives everyone a chance to get noticed on a global scale and to compete with the “big guys” for thought leadership. After all, going viral has little do to with your earnings and a lot to do with your message.
Plus, 78% of consumers say that a company’s social media posts influence their buying decisions.
In other words: spending time on social media is totally worth it.
So! What’s the state of your social media?
One of the biggest reasons people give for not being more engaged on social media is that they feel like they don’t have anything to talk about.
“What do I share?”
“Who cares what I’m eating?”
“Who wants to hear my opinions?”
“Who honestly can’t believe it’s not butter?”
These are all good questions! And you definitely don’t want to churn out lackluster content – nor pushy, sales-y stuff that just sounds spammy. You want your social media posts to be interesting, helpful, real, and (importantly) shareable.
If you’re struggling to give your social media the attention it deserves, try these 10 share-worthy thought starters.
What to Say on Social Media:
10 Talk-Worthy Topics
1. Things you treasure. It doesn’t matter how big or small your business is, people love “insider” warm-fuzzies. Posting about what makes you smile introduces you (as a real live human being) to your brand or business.
So, what makes you smile? What keeps you going after a long day? Whether it’s spiritual and personal growth stuff, yummy foods that you make (or eat!), or funny things your kids say – chances are things that lift your spirits will lift the spirits of your fans, too!
2. Things that inspire you. Even a brand or a company can be inspirational – but, as with Topic #1 – it starts with you.
Where do you go to affirm your inner greatness? What sparks your creativity and pushes you (or your business) to innovate? Do you look to art? Music? A favorite author? Leaders in your space? Post about where you go to get motivated to make things happen!
3. Favorite tools you use to make your life easier. You know what everyone appreciates? Literally anything that makes ANY TASK THAT EVERYONE DOES BUT NOBODY REALLY LIKES TO DO easier. (Edgar was founded by an entrepreneur as a better way to save time on social media – making life easier is literally why we exist.)
So what are you using that make your everyday extra nice? Astronaut pen? An ergonomic chair?
What are the online tools and software that keep your business humming, save hours of your day, and keep your brand up-to-date? Let your fans know how the things that make your life easier bring value into your life or business.
4. Bragging rights. This sort of ties back to Topic #2 – providing inspiration to your fans. But it’s you doing the inspiring yourself!
This can feel really uncomfortable at first, but the internet is a big place, and being modest is not a sustainable marketing strategy. So share your accomplishments! It shows your customers that you kinda rock and it shows your fans how to rock.
LOVED talking to @Groove about how we do things at @MeetEdgar! How we grew to $100k revenue/mo. in under a year: https://t.co/Qg5CMQfFi7
— Laura Roeder (@lkr) March 13, 2017
Did you help a client face her fear of asking for a raise? Tell people! Is your schedule booked for the next two months? Brag about it!
5. Other peoples’ stuff. That old saying about not reinventing the wheel? It’s basically social media’s unofficial motto. If someone you follow posts an amazing article or provides unique value to you – through insights, analysis, or just plain amazing products – share that goodness with your fans!
What newsletters do you always read? What blogs do you subscribe to? What events or products are your peers producing? What website offers great content for your community or industry?
6. You couldn’t stop laughing because… Everyone needs a good laugh pretty much every single day. Laughter is kind of amazing, because it’s one of those universal things that takes you out of your head and plants you firmly in the present. It lends perspective, it breaks up the day, and when it’s “contagious,” laughter really is the best medicine.
Funny stuff – that’s not at the expense of others, of course – is almost always a worthwhile share on social media. Search on YouTube for a funny video, or find a photo or GIF that cracks you up. Here’s a great example:
7. Ask questions. Get curious about your community and your industry! It doesn’t have to be about your work – focus on getting to know who you are connected with on your social media profiles.
What are their thoughts about current affairs? What are they doing this weekend? How do they manage family and work life? What books are on their nightstands or e-readers?
8. Witty musings. You know those strange and lovely things that happen to us in life? Like that time that guy took up three seats on the train for his phone, briefcase, and shoes so unashamedly that you weren’t even mad. Or that time a butterfly landed perfectly on your window the moment you were thinking about something special. Or that morning the barista drew Cookie Monster’s face in your latte.
Close enough
Moments like these show your human side, and give others a chance to connect with you through a common trait: being human.
9. Places or products you love. Where did you get your hair cut? What is your favorite “I’m not cooking tonight” restaurant? Did your insurance agent go above and beyond? Did your cell phone company correct an error they made? (Wait… does this actually happen?)
Sharing your interactions with other businesses is a simple and lovely way to build community and create fans from whole new audiences.
10. Promote your stuff! Earning a profit from your business is important, so don’t be afraid to share your goods too!
Revive those old blog posts from last year, and share ’em again and again for new people to discover. Take quotes from your book. Tell people about your next event, or that you’re open for one more coaching client, or you’re speaking on a podcast as an expert in your field.
Share about the services you offer – but in balance with the other nine items on this list. The point is to nurture a connection with like-hearted people who will love following you and your business – all because of you!
It’s been a little while since we first published this post, and we’ve added a couple of new ideas to our list! Here are two more talk-worthy topics we’ve been having fun with lately:
11. Shout-outs to our team. We occasionally feature our team members on Instagram to give people a chance to put a face to a name when they interact with our company. (And yes, we still totally love Instagram, even though they don’t allow tools like Edgar to post for you.)
12. Behind the scenes stuff. Giving social media followers a peek into the day-to-day life of everyone who makes MeetEdgar possible is a fun and impactful way to put a human face on a fully distributed company like ours!
One of the things our “behind the scenes” posts focus on is showcasing our values (which we’re darn proud of!) and how those values impact the way we do business.
What talk-worthy topics have you been experimenting with lately?
Let us know what’s been working for you in the comments below!
The post What to Say on Social Media: 10 Talk-Worthy Topics appeared first on MeetEdgar Blog.