How to Stop Using Your Social Media Wrong

If I were to ask you why you have a social media account for your business, I imagine you'd say:

"To help me get new customers."

Which makes sense.

But if I followed that up by asking, "How exactly does social media help you do that?" what would you say?

How does posting stuff on Facebook or Instagram help turn someone who isn't a customer into someone who wants to work with you?

That's a trickier question.

And it's the one we're going to explore over the next few minutes.

There Is No Lack of Social Media Advice

Search Google for "How to use social media to grow my [your business type] business?" and you won't have any trouble finding people willing to tell you exactly what you "should" be doing.

Post more consistently. Make more short videos. Create carousels. Post inspirational graphics. Use better hooks. Jump on trends. Show behind-the-scenes content. Use trending audio. Ask questions to increase engagement.

Sound familiar?

Here's the thing. That's not necessarily bad advice.

But if you're an Independent Professional, it's probably not the best advice for you.

Much of the social media advice you're exposed to was created for people operating businesses that work very differently from yours.

We're talking influencers, content creators or affiliate marketers. For these businesses, creating content isn't something they do to support the business. Creating content is the business. They make their money by generating attention.

Traditional social media advice can also make sense for larger businesses with marketing budgets and resources you don't have.

They can crank out a ton of content every week because they have someone on staff or an outside agency to do exactly that.

I'm guessing that's not your situation.

You're an independent professional. Your day is filled with doing hair, seeing patients, giving massages, meeting with clients, and handling all the other grunt work that actually makes your business run.

Social media isn't your business. It's just one task in a long list of tasks that fill your week.

Trying to follow a strategy designed for someone with completely different resources, and operating realities doesn't make much sense.

You need social media to do a different job.

Your Potential Customers Aren't Looking for Someone to Follow

Think about how someone might actually end up on your social media profile. Maybe they found your business on Google. Maybe a friend gave them your name. Maybe they read one of your reviews or saw you mentioned somewhere online.

By the time they reach your Instagram or Facebook page, they may already know something about you. Now they're checking you out to get a better feel for the business and the person behind it.

That's where social media shines because there are two questions almost every potential customer is trying to answer:

Can you help me?

Do I want YOU to help me?

If you do it right, your social media can help them answer both.

Your Feed Is the Conversation

I like to say that every piece of content you put online is partof a conversation with someone you haven't met yet. Social media gives you a variety of post types to have that conversation.

You have short videos, image posts, carousels, Stories, inspirational-style graphics, photos, longer videos, and whatever else the platform gives you. Each one gives you a different way to communicate something.

A helpful way to look at your feed is not as a collection of individual posts but as a continuous conversation.

Some posts can show what you know or what you do. Some can let them hear from your customers. Some can give them a better feel for you. And somewhere in there, you can remind them that you actually have services they can buy.

A Little Goes a Long Way

Before we start digging into what you can do with all these different types of social media content, I want to point something out that may be counter to what you understand about "doing social media."

You don't need to be prolific. You do need to be consistent.

For an independent professional, posting at least once a week isn't negotiable. It's a minimum.

I'm not trying to say that posting once a week is all you need to do. What I am saying is that for your social media to do its job, you need to keep your feed active.

If you've tried to create posts before, you know what I'm talking about. Different types of content require very different amounts of effort.

Taking a picture of something happening in your business and adding a quick caption might take five minutes. While creating a good carousel, even if you're using AI to create it, may require you to sit down and organize what you want to say.

The bottom line here is that what you post isn't nearly as important as turning the act of posting into a routine.

Because as long as social media is something you have to think about doing instead of something you just do, it's going to have to compete with the rest of your business.

When that happens, social media is usually going to lose. It gets pushed aside and then end up ignoring it again.

If one useful post every week is what you can reliably maintain? That's your starting point.

The routine can be different for every business. The important thing is that there is a routine.

Show Them You Can Help

One of the more obvious goals of your social media is to show people you know what you're doing. There are plenty of ways to do that, and this is where the different post types give you options.

• Create a short video where you answer a question customers regularly ask you.

• Use an image post to explain something about one of your services, like why you use a particular product or approach for a particular problem.

• Take one of those inspirational-style graphics and use it to clear up a common misconception instead of filling it with a generic quote.

• Use a carousel when you have several related points that make more sense together.

If you're already publishing blog articles you know your customers are curious about, you don't necessarily have to start from scratch every time. You've got ready made material to work with.

One article can become a short video, give you several points for a carousel, or provide something useful you can pull out for an image post.

Converting a single piece of content into a variety of formats is a good way to expand the different ways you communicate in your feed.

What if Your Work Isn't Easy to Show?

If your work isn't particularly visual, you still have plenty of options.

Instead of starting with an image and putting words to it. Start with the words and find an image.

Explain a situation you regularly encounter. Talk about how you approach a particular problem. Answer a question that comes up when you're working with customers. Walk someone through what happens during an appointment or consultation.

One of the benefits of this approach is that the visual doesn't have to literally represent what you're talking about.

Put the question you're answering on a simple graphic and use the caption to explain it. Use a photo of your workspace, something you use in your work, your neighborhood, or details from around your business. You can also use supporting imagery like sunlight, nature, plants, textures, architecture, or something else that fits the feel of your business.

A chiropractor could use a photo of a treatment room for a post explaining what happens during a first appointment. A consultant could use a simple image from the office for a post about a problem that regularly comes up with clients. A naturopath could put a common question on a graphic and answer it in the caption.

And while we're talking about imagery, there's a particular option that deserves more attention than all the others.

You.

Let Them Get a Feel for You

So far, we've talked about helping someone understand what you know and what you do. But remember, at the end of the day what they're ultimately checking out is you.

That's why from time to time, you should turn the camera around and put yourself in your content.

You don't have to be in every post. Just make sure your face shows up in the feed often enough that someone checking you out actually gets to see you.

Let Your Personality Show Up

Getting your face into the feed so people can see you is a start but I'd be remise if I didn't point out that there's another reason to get in there.

Social media is good at something your website, reviews and Google Business profile don't do as well. It can give someone a feel for what you're actually like.

That's huge. So take advantage of it. Let your personality show through. Show a little of your working style.

If you're relaxed and informal with customers, show it.

Your content shouldn't feel like it came from a corporate communications department.

Just be yourself and let people experience a little of the personality they'll actually encounter if they work with you.

That's information they can't get from reading your list of services. And it helps them answer: Do I want YOU to help me?

Personal Doesn't Mean Private

And before we move on, I want to clarify that showing the real you doesn't mean showing all of the real you. There's no need to put your entire life online.

You're simply need to show that you're actually part of the community where you do business.

Add a post about a community event, a restaurant you tried, the team you follow, or something happening around town puts you in the same world as the people you're doing business with. You don't have to manufacture a connection to your community. You're part of it.

But keep in mind that there's a difference between what belongs on your business feed and what belongs on your personal feed.

The images you post so Nanna can see the kids growing up may not be very helpful for a potential customer is trying to figure out whether they want to book an appointment with you.

Your personal feed is for the people in your life. Your business feed is for the people getting to know you through your business.

There's plenty of room to be personal on your business feed without putting your private life on display.

And Yes, Promote Your Business

None of this personality and conversation stuff means we sit around the campfire feeling all warm and snuggly and hope a little commerce comes our way.

You're running a business. You absolutely should promote your services.

Talk about an opening in your schedule. Tell people about something new. Make an offer. Remind people that a particular service exists. Give people an opportunity to buy.

Just don't let every post become a promotion. Otherwise your feed will end up looking like a continuous commercial.

Promotion belongs in the conversation. It just shouldn't dominate it.

Final Note

Take a look at your own social media profile.

Don't look at it as the person who created the posts. Look at it as someone who heard your name, found you online, and is trying to decide whether to contact you.

Look at the conversation your feed is creating.

Then ask, does it answer either of these two important questions:

Can you help me?

Do I want YOU to help me?

Social media is only one part of a local marketing system we've designed around the way independent professionals actually work. The free Local Marketing Guide shows you how the other pieces fit together.