If you want to grow your social media presence in 2021, then you will want to discover and bust the 3 social media myths that are sabotaging your efforts to get more followers and clients on social media (so you can stop doing what doesn’t work and do more of what does!).

Oh, social media. I have a love/hate relationship with social media… especially with Instagram. There are some days where I tune off from social media, for the sake of my sanity, and to stop the endless scrolling and occasional comparison. Can you relate?

If you want to crush your social media content game in 2021, then one of the very first things you have to learn is to apply discernment and wisdom to the content (and the source) you’re consuming on social media. Agree? 🙋🏻‍♀️

Social media is a hot topic these days. Everyone has an opinion about how to use it to market their business, and everyone wants to be the next big social media success story. But with so many 'social media experts' sharing their stolen insights, what should you really believe?

Whether you are a social media newbie or a seasoned creator, it's very likely that you will have come across at least one of the following social media myths over the years.

Ready to bust 3 social media myths together? Let’s do this!

Myth #1: You must use every single social media platform

The mindset shift: NO ONE needs to be on every single platform under the sun. And that’s okay.

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, Podcast, Twitch, and more recently, Clubhouse! 🤯

Yes, yes, yes. I heard you. FOMO (Fear of missing out).

You don’t want to miss out on any potential opportunities and the chance to cover more grounds right? But hear this. There are only 24 hours a day, and only 1 you. So you want to make sure you spend your time most efficiently and effectively on where your ideal clients are already hanging out.

However, the real question I want you to ask yourself before signing up for every platform under the sun is: Where is my ideal client?

Most social media coaches will tell you that the key to growing your followers is to post frequently (or every single day) on all of the major platforms, and to share the same content on all of them. While that may be true to a certain extent, it's NOT a matter of posting the same content on all platforms, but rather tailoring your message and content to each platform's unique audience. In fact, in 2021, the majority of social media users will prefer individualized content to mass-posted links.

Using Facebook just because it has over 1 billion users doesn’t mean those 1 billion users will find you and start purchasing. You are competing with the big boys in the ocean, so really think about the following:

• What makes you, YOU? What makes you unique?

• What’s your offer?

• How can you help your ideal audience solve their ONE problem?

• Identify your ideal client and find out where they hang out.

Once you have gained clarity to these questions, nail down your platforms and those are the ones you should use.

Remember, you don’t have to be everything and be everywhere for everyone. You only need to be where your ideal clients are already hanging out.

So be strategic about spending your time on the right platforms.

Start small and consistent with things like choosing just 1 platform and 1 frequency in starting out. e.g. If you were to choose Facebook, try going LIVE on Facebook once a month, or do one-on-one coaching with someone you know who already needs it. You don’t need to build and launch a course in a day. (Or a week. Or a month.)

Create the framework, do your market research, get beta customers, and start small to gain momentum before working on your bigger and ambitious goals and projects. Make sense?

Myth #2: Aim for every post to go viral

The mindset shift: Have a GOAL & PURPOSE behind your social media posts.

Have you ever posted something on your Instagram Feed/Facebook page and thought, "Wow, this post is gonna be amazing. It's going to get a lot of likes, comments, and shares and drive a TON of traffic to my website!" 1 hour later… You looked at your stats… Crickets… You reviewed the metrics again the following day and saw it had 20 views and 0 engagement? No likes. No comments. No shares. No nothing. What happened? You posted a good post (in your opinion), so why didn't it go viral? 🤔

Firstly, my definition of going viral is slightly different.

Viral doesn’t necessarily mean millions of views in three days. Viral really just means creating buzz and spreading/distributing your content to more than just those who already follow you. If you have 1000 followers and reach 10,000 people with your content - that is viral. If you have 100 and you reach 500 people - also viral.

You don’t just want your post to go viral for 24 hours without getting hot leads and converting them into paying clients right? While "a viral post" is something we aspire to, but deciding that every post should go viral is setting you up for failure.

The most impactful thing you can do to share social media posts that have value?

Give them a goal and a purpose. By thinking through your mission, your brand values with what you’re going to share, you’re going to:

A) Create content that resonates with your values and ideal audience; and

B) Simplify your entire content creation process - making things waaaaay easier on yourself

The lesson here?

Your goal should be to get people to take ACTION.

And by action, I mean click through to your website or otherwise take some form of action that leads to a desired result for you e.g. download a lead magnet, opt-in to your freebie, register for your webinar/training, subscribe to your podcast/YouTube channel, etc. These are typically the measurable activities that bring in the KA-CHING ($$$).

At the end of the day, all your ideal audience cares about is receiving content that adds value to their lives – whether it’s education, inspirational, personal, promotional, or entertainment.

Aim to provide value in your posts mixed in with some of your personality. Your ideal client wants to learn from you so your valuable lesson will be heard and remembered long after the latest viral video fades away. 

Myth #3: Having a large number of followers equals increased profits

The mindset shift: Grow your 1,000 real fans and you’ll experience the power of niche marketing. Your harvest will come with every sowing of your time, energy, attention, and value. ✅ 

Your social media network is a reflection of you. It shows the type of person you are, your values, and the relationships you have with others. When someone decides to follow you or befriend you on social media, they are making a statement about that decision. If you are a business owner, the value of the social media network is tied to your business. Having a strong social media presence helps potential customers find you, and also helps you get your message across to the right people.

Funny enough, it's not always about how many followers you have.

Because here’s the thing: Having a large number of followers is NOT necessarily a great social media strategy.

In fact, a small, engaged, and active following is most likely a good way to stay relevant in today's digital space. As such, I hate to break it to you, but if you want to get new clients and time is important to you, then building a large and generic audience is NOT the smartest use of your time and energy. 

I know this may seem counter-intuitive but stay with me while I show you why this is true.

Let's say you have a social media presence with 10,000 followers, but only 100 of those followers are real and active. While you may be getting tons of likes, retweets, and shares, the rest of your followers are just there to look at your content and not really engage. And while they may be a great number to look at, they aren't very likely to lead to anything.

1,000 real fans mean that you have people who care about what you do. Real fans will share your posts, take action with your content, buy your products, care about your newest product or service, and even recommend your work to others. Real fans will also be active on social media and help you grow your following and engagement.

Illustration

Just imagine having these 1,000 real fans buying a $1 product from you versus selling to a large and cold crowd. You’d have profited a good $10,000 just from this. What if your product price increase from $1 to $2, $5, or even $10. You get my point.

It sure is an ego boost to see a large number of social media followers, but if you don't make any money from social media with these numbers, then… what’s the point? That is because you need to convert your followers into customers, which requires that you know what you are doing and that you have a value-added social media presence. If you want to get started, consider these questions.

• Are these followers interacting with you?

• Are they liking or sharing your posts?

• Are they leaving comments?

If not, then chances are they are not your ideal client, and chances are they will never purchase one of your packages.

Evaluate your own posts; it’s quite possible they’re boring, they have minimal to zero value, or they’re simply copy-and-paste from other creators or coaches. Be more creative with your posts and watch for audience interaction. This directs back to the need for niching down to your ideal customer.

You’re not appealing to everyone; you’re appealing to your special people, your specific ideal audience. Pay attention to finding these groups and the number of engaged audience members will follow, your 1,000 real fans will grow and so will the KA-CHING ($$$).

THE BIG PICTURE

And there you have it! 3 social media myths busted! Now that you learned the honest truths about social media, you’re a step closer to getting your ideal audience in your front door!

Start by just sharing on social media what you know, your experience, and what you’ve learned. Start with the platforms you’re most comfortable with - it can be just 1 platform and you simply grow from there. Give people a chance to experience the value you have to share.

Serve before you sell.

Share tangible, valuable content to help your people.

Be authentic. Let your personality and wisdom shine through on social media.

By the time you’re ready to promote and sell, your 1,000 real fans are already eager and excited to dish out their wallets and to buy from you! You have already done the hard (and heart) work on social media to build up your Know, Like & Trust (KLT) Factor.

That’s where the magic happens. Through relationships.

👀 Watch the full video on YouTube to get all the deets! 👇🏻

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‘Til my next post, BOSS!

All my best,

Sherlene