Tough Love Tuesday: It's Time to Reevaluate Your Social Media Presence

All small business owners need social media presence. That is obvious. So you signed up on all the platforms, and you're posting content. Great! But you forgot one thing. First impressions are everything. Think about the majority of people that you've met recently. Most likely you met them online. Social media is no different. You want to make the same great first impression online just as you would in real life.

This past Shop Small weekend, The Branding Edit girls and I were looking for small businesses to feature on our social media. We noticed that a lot of feeds were not good. Like at all. Honestly, there is no excuse for that. 

Being able to consume content on the same machine where you are creating the content is extremely democratic. - @aguynamedpatrick

Years ago, I heard Patrick Jannelle say this on a panel at Social Media Week. You don't need a $500k budget for good content. You need to have some intention about what content you want to produce and share. You can watch some videos on YouTube on how to take better photos on your phone. You can hire a photographer (hi, I'm here). It's extremely simple to produce content that will elevate your brand, right in your office.

Without a substantial social media presence, your product/service won't get the chance to be in front of your target audience. We understand that a lot of us prefer to rely on word of mouth and refrain from doing heavy advertisement, but give your fan base something they are proud to share or direct people to that is a representation of your brand. 

Example: You sell clothing, but all the photos are taken in a poorly lit room. You want people to imagine themselves in your dress but how can they when they can barely see what you are selling.

Example: You own a restaurant, but you're taking too close photos in a dark room (do you see a theme here?). People eat with their eyes first, so give them something to salivate over.

People want to refer businesses that look like they got their shiet together. Think about it; would you refer someone to your cousin's business whose IG profile is a backlit bathroom selfie and feed full of personal photos?

Side hustle or full-time -- the bottom line is your creative outlet/passion IS your business (especially if you're making money from it). There is a good chance your social media is the first interaction a person is going to have with your business. If your feed is full of mediocre photos and random posts, visitors coming through to your page won't necessarily have all the context on what you do and how your business can better their lives. When they do arrive at your business FB/IG page, your aesthetics and imagery will keep them entice them in or send them running. If your visuals aren't keeping them interested, you can bet they aren't reading your captions which is where your voice and message that will offer the story of your product/service lives. 

It saddens me to see local businesses not take full advantage of Instagram as it's marketing that cost nothing. Social media can be time-consuming, but with strategic planning of your content, your feed could attract an even greater clientele, and help you grow a community that feels more authentic and in alignment with your direction. 

Thanks to Olivia Rodrigues, for sharing her thoughts on this topic with me and helped me write this post.