9 Ways to Make Social Media Made Simple

Even though I am a social media tutor, there are aspects of social media that continue to mystify me.

Social media trainer Kelly Mirabella is a gifted presenter. After her session today, I was less mystified.

It amazed me how much she was able to cover today in a 2 hour session called “Social Media Made Simple.”

This session was offered to business owners in Jefferson County and was sponsored by Constant Contact and the Jefferson County Resource Center.

Over 40 business owners with a variety of social media background peppered Kelly with questions. She graciously and skillfully addressed each one.

Here are 9 points that I took away today:

• Consistency is essential. Always be consistent when using social media in terms of your profile photo, background photo, and overall branding.
• Make it easy for people to share what you post, e.g. via social share buttons on your website and on your blog.
• Post plenty of videos and photos, especially when there is a lull in the engagement with your Facebook page or other social media site.
• Keep your tips and practical advance short, sweet and to the point.
• Take questions your customers ask and create a video or post responding to those questions.
• Original, personalized content is the best kind to post.
• Follow the 80/20 rule with 80% of your posts being informative and no more than 20% being promotional.
• Reach out publicly and privately to someone who posts a negative comment on your business social media site. Once the issue is resolved, publicly post how the issue was addressed.
• A good rule of thumb is to schedule 15 minutes of social media time first thing in the morning, 15 minutes right after lunch, and 15 minutes at the end of the work day. You might not use all that time; schedule it anyway.

Joyce Feustel, Founder of Boomers’ Social Media Tutor, helps people relatively new to social media to become more effective and comfortable in their use of this medium.  Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com