Hey beauty!
Do you ever struggle with social media and feel stressed-out, overwhelmed, disappointed in your follower numbers or confused about what to post…?
Last week, I sent out a survey to my email list asking what they most need support on - and so many people responded saying that they wanted more training on using social media as a health coach.
Which is perfect timing, because it’s been top of mind for me lately too!
You see, I recently returned from a week of Masterminding in Hawaii with some of the TOP women in online business right now - and we spent a lot of our time talking all things social...
(And I will share a lot of what I learned there with you all later in this post!)
So in response to the survey answers...
I spontaneously jumped on FB Live last week to share my thoughts and insights on what’s happening in social media right now...
And served up actionable tips that will help you feel more purposeful and confident on social media, and use it more effectively to grow your health coaching biz.
Watch the FB Live video below (it's great quality once you hit play, don't mind the garbled image!) - or read on for a blog version. 😉
My Top Tips To Shine On Social Media:
Firstly - how truly lucky we are to have all of these platforms at our fingertips, to get our message out to people - for FREE.
It’s really not that long ago that the only way to run a business was renting a bricks-and-mortar building, and putting ads in the phone book or the local paper.
So we’re really, really, really lucky! 🙂
But at the same time, with so many different social platforms out there, it can get pretty overwhelming trying to keep up and be seen.
And we don’t own those platforms ourselves...
Which means we do have to play by the rules of others and keep up with any algorithm changes that Mark Zuckerberg decides to throw our way. 😉
Now one thing I want to clear up before I give you my 4 social media tips is this:
The expectation of how quickly we should be able to get our social media platforms up and running is CRAZY! Really, you should expect it to take YEARS to build your social media platforms up….
I’ve been building mine for 6 years now.
When I work with coaches, I find a lot of people want a quick fix - they want a lot of followers, and they’re focused more on the number of followers than on their engagement, their relationships online, the quality of the followers they do have - or the quality of the content that they are putting in front of their audience.
So, if you’re after the ‘quick fix’ - I suggest you close your computer, go do something else - because I’m not going to be able to share that with you!
But if you’re in it for the long game, and you’re really serious about getting your work out there into the world, then listen to what I’m going to share…
Because social media really IS the way to do that.
Even more so today than in the last couple of years.
Social media platforms are a way of bringing mutual friends together, and connecting us to millions of people around the world who are interested in the same thing as us!
The top thing is to remember that this is about true connection (not sleazy business or marketing tactics) and getting our message out there.
So without further ado, here are 4 tops tips to help you shine on social media (and what I use in my own strategy!).
1) Focus on your target market (aka: your niche, or your ideal client)
In my experience, this is something people read the book on…and then feel like they should never go back to it again.
When actually, your target market is something that you should focus on alllllll the time.
You need to know that ONE ideal client you are talking to - that one ideal person you are getting out of bed/onto your phone/on camera to share your message with.
Because when you're sharing online, it’s NEVER about you.
As scary as it can feel to go live or post online - and as much as you worry about people judging you, or what your ex is thinking when they see your post 😉 - it’s not about that either…
You’re really showing up there for your target market.
(This is the same for me too! I’m here for my ideal client, ‘Sarah’ who is trying to build her health coaching business. But it’s totally ok if your name is not Sarah… I just need to know that ONE person I am speaking to, to truly create a connection.)
So study your target market - see what they are struggling with, what they want or need help with, the outcomes they want, or their pain-points. Survey them if you can!
Because when you know you're creating something that’s truly valuable to them, you will stop focussing on your internal fear, and instead, focus outward - knowing that you can, will and DO support others through your online presence.
Related post: The Ultimate Guide To Finding Your Target Market
Is this post helpful? I created a free checklist to help you take these 4 social media tips to the next level. Click the button below to get it instantly!
2) Treat your followers as friends
The biggest mistake I see people making on social media is treating their social connections as business relationships, not friends.
You need to realise that we’re talking to friends online. We’re talking to other women, other men, other people just like us - and we’ve got to treat these relationships as social connections.
I see so many people saying: ‘I don’t know what to share!’
My answer is to that is: What would you say to a friend if she was sitting across from you having coffee right now? What would you say to a friend if they came to you with that pain-point or problem?
Be real. Be genuine. Social media is not about business, it’s about connection.
There’s a different energy in a photo that has ONLY my laptop, a latte and a green juice in it - compared to when I put my hand in it. The difference is the human connection.
So we’ve got to remember, this isn’t just about a curated business. It’s a human business built on connection.
As coaches, we can’t hide behind stock photos anymore - in fact, one of the most challenging things in online business right now is that we do need to be showing up on camera, and posting photos of OURSELVES - which can of course be vulnerable.
But to really have that connection on an intimate human level, we need to be seen.
As viewers, we want to see real people - and that is exactly what the algorithms are serving up too. If you get on a FB Live, it will be shown in the Facebook Newsfeed - whereas if you put up a generic quote on FB, it probably won’t!
So you must create content that cultivates connection - primarily photos of you, and video.
3) set up a FaceBook business page, above all else.
I built my business using the ‘Facebook Universe’ - Facebook and Instagram - so that is what I am going to talk about next…
On Facebook - if you do nothing else at all - you MUST have a Facebook business page.
I see it as an online Business Card of sorts.
It may not be the piece that gets the most engagement, but you MUST have it (and if you want to run ads in the future, you can only do those if you have a Business Page).
It is the single most important asset you have on Facebook.
And Facebook is a platform that has been around for a long time, is not going anywhere, and is important to be a part of.
Related post: How to Use Your Facebook Business Page as a Health Coach
4) PLAY ON INSTAGRAM STORIES - AND STUDY WHAT WORKS.
On Instagram - be playful and get your study on! (I’ll explain what I mean in a second… )
Instagram is massively hot right now, especially Instagram Stories.
If you’re not already following me on Instagram, come on over and join in the fun!
For your homework, I want you to come along and PLAY with me on Insta Stories…
Because THAT is the energy of Stories right now. It’s all about PLAY - sharing our real lives, sharing our real selves. It’s about building true friendship and connections alongside sharing our business messages. 💗
Instagram + Facebook are the two that we focus on in my UPswing Mastermind for Health Coaches - and in general I feel they are the top two platforms to focus on when building a business in the health and wellness space.
And a great way of learning the platforms - if you’re not in a program like my UPswing Mastermind - is to get on there and STUDY!
Here's what I recommend you do:
See what you like, and what you don’t like.
Then emulate what you love - just try doing smaller things as you get started, gain confidence, and grow from there.
Study what’s working for other people in your industry, too!
Look at another health coach who is doing great, and look at how is SHE doing her Instagram posts and Insta Stories. Because I guarantee she’s taken the time, energy and money to work out what’s working, and you can learn from that.
And most importantly, have fun with it!
A lot of people are saying social media is getting HARDER.
I actually think it’s getting more real and more juicy because we can’t hide behind tactics anymore. We have to show up, be real, be ourselves, and cultivate those true connections.
People love realness.
And when you come at social media from that angle, I think you’re going to love building your tribe and getting on there as well. 💗
Let me know your thoughts in the comments! I'd love to hear your #1 takeaway from this post, or how you're feeling about social media now. 😘
Love,
Amanda xx
PS. Don’t miss out on grabbing your copy of my FREE checklist “4 Top Tips To Shine On Social Media”. Click the button below to get it now!
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