Five New Year’s Resolutions to Level-Up Your Social Media Game

It’s time to ring in the New Year! That means celebrations, maybe some vacation days, and time to set your intentions and resolutions for 2019. We’re here to make the resolution part a little bit easier, with these five social media resolutions. We hope they’ll help support you and your business to go from coasting to thriving in 2019!



1) Wake up and smell the routine

“I posted on Facebook and Instagram twice last week, four times the week before, and I don’t think I’ve done any posts for this week...but next week I’ll try to get back into it and post- maybe three times…”

Sound familiar? You’re not alone in this struggle, but it really is an easy fix that can yield solid results. So if you only do one thing to improve your social media presence, let it be this! Get into a consistent schedule with your posts. Decide how many times a week you want to post on every platform, then stick to it. To do this, follow whichever method works for you - maybe you want to use your Google calendar to schedule mini appointments and reminders to write and/or post the content, or use the old school method of using a paper calendar as a physical visual of your plan. You also could create a spreadsheet that includes all of your platforms and the dates that you plan to post for each. The point is, get into a routine of weekly posts, and you’ll make your followers happy with the steady flow of content, plus you’ll pick up new followers along the way!



2) So fresh and so clean 

It’s time to clean up your act! But we’re not talking about literal dirt or even bad language. We’re talking about cleaning up your messaging and staying on brand. If the tone of your posts changes often, if the focus of your content seems to always shift, and if you don’t have a clear message threaded throughout all your posts, then it’s definitely time for some cleanup and brand clarity. One approach is to think about your brand as an individual person, with a personality and story that is all theirs, completely unique to them. What would he or she say? How would they act? If you’re not sure how to answer those questions, get your team together and brainstorm, so that you all know precisely who your brand is, and are all on the same page. When you get specific on who your brand is, then all your messaging should be aligned with that voice and style. And your core values should be communicated as a thread through all your posts.



3) Engage! 

Many businesses make the mistake of focusing only on the content they’re putting out, and they forget about connecting and engaging with their audience and potential customers. Don’t make this mistake! If this has been you, let 2019 be the year of engagement. Go to your followers’ social media pages/accounts, like their photos, comment when appropriate, and do so regularly. Then go to potential followers’ pages/accounts and do the same, and you’ll see your own followers increase. On Instagram and Twitter, an effective way to find potential followers is to search using relevant hashtags. If you already know the "how to" and the "why it’s important", but have had trouble making it happen, then add engagement as part of your scheduled weekly routine, in the same way that you set up time to create and post your content.



4) Should auld acquaintance be forgot… 

Something we often see when we start working with new companies is that they’re following a multitude of accounts on their social media platforms, many of which aren’t connected to them or to their business in any meaningful way. If that’s you, then it’s time to let some people go, so to speak. Set up some time to go through the list of who you’re following, and unfollow accounts that don’t make sense. For example, if you’re a restaurant in Seattle and you’re following a national shoe company. Maybe you really like the shoes, or they had a fun post you liked so you randomly followed them one day. That’s fine for your personal account of course, but it doesn’t really make sense in terms of your business. So go ahead and click “unfollow” and keep on filtering out superfluous accounts.



5) We get by with a little help from our friends. 

If you’re managing your company’s social media by yourself and are feeling overwhelmed, or if you’re working with a team but are unsure whether you have the right expertise involved, then it might be time to seek some help. If you’re experiencing the first issue (flying solo), then talk to the powers that be about how you could bring on other employees with social media management experience to share the load. If that isn’t an option or you don’t think your team has the necessary skills and expertise in the field, there are plenty of outside options to consider. A designated part-time employee could work well for you, or you could contract with an outside company to have them manage your social media. We admit that we’re biased, but for the latter option, The Social Stage is a great solution! We’d be happy to chat with you to see if we’d be a good fit for your needs.

Best of luck with your Social Media Resolutions, as well as with your other 2019 goals. From our Social Stage family to yours, we wish you a very Happy New Year!