It’s so easy to get excited about social media for marketing. It’s alluring, right? I mean, look at Instagram with all those pretty visuals. And the stories with the fun graphics and growing business platform. There’s Facebook with its nearly 2.5 billion monthly users globally.

There are other platforms as well. LinkedIn is great for some coaches, healers or other creative entrepreneurs and broadly speaking there’s less competition for airspace than other platforms. Oh, and don’t forget Twitter, with its short, clickable content. Then there’s Pinterest and Snapchat.

Did anyone say TikTok?

It’s easy to get excited at all the possibilities…and… even easier to get overwhelmed.

A Buffet of Possibility

Have you ever been to one of those Chinese buffets with the aisles of steaming hot chafers, chilled salad bowls, and dessert tables? A cup of hot tea and a plate of veggie lo mein can really hit the spot on a cold, January night. The problem I have with this type of buffet though is sometimes I go in, tired and a bit hungry already, and the breadth of possibility overtakes me, and I unintentionally load my plate up too high.

One, maybe two, things can then happen.  

First, I’ve gotten so many different dishes, a couple of bits here and there, that in the end, I don’t really remember any one dish standing out.

They all kind of blend together.

Second, I can end up overeating, and then feel sort of sluggish and blah the rest of the evening. I’ve unintentionally canceled out all the good reasons I had for going there in the first place (great cozy atmosphere, time to connect with family, etc.)

If you’re not aware, the same thing can happen to your marketing on social media.

If you try to spread yourself too thin, taking on posting and updating on too many social media platforms, you run the risk, especially if you are newer in business, of not being able to have as much of an impact as you’d like.

It’s difficult to create content, customize it for each platform, and sustain engagement on too many different platforms at once. As a result, you end up being busy doing a little bit here and a little bit there, not really building a presence that stands out.

In addition, you run the risk of burning out.

You most likely became a coach, healer or other creative entrepreneur because you love helping people and creating connections. Social media does allow us to create connections across time and space, and that’s amazing! It allows us to do business today in ways that weren’t possible 30 years ago (In fact, you may be reading this post right now because of a link you saw from me on a social media platform.)

And, it’s also true that spending too much time on social media can drain you, especially if you’re an empath.

Spending too much time posting, updating, replying on social media can also take you away from other critical business development activities, ones that might be much more important given your stage of business development.

And that’s not helpful either.

Choose Wisely

So what do you do?  How can you decide what types of efforts and how to focus your social media outreach in a way that helps not harms your business development?

First of all, social media is one of just many other marketing channels you have access to. Like any good strategy, your marketing plan should be built on you and your business’ natural strengths and talents, versus any sort of canned formula.

Determining where social media fits into their business’ marketing is something I help clients with, and here are a few principles to help you get started.  

Start With You

Start with what you like. Which social media channel do you enjoy using the most for your non-business stuff? There’s no sense at this stage trying to learn a new channel just because everyone is saying that’s where it’s at (It isn’t.) Make a short list; plan to go with something you enjoy.

Consider Your Ideal Client

Next, think about your ideal clients. Are they there on that social media platform too? You can spend time marketing your business on your favorite app but if you’re ideal client isn’t there, it’s going to get little lonely.

I was in a business group once with a woman who worked with grandparents who have caregiving responsibilities for their grandchildren. She was initially wondering about marketing on Facebook, but when she asked herself this question, she realized her ideal clients weren’t even ON social media. With a laugh of relief, she deleted that from her marketing plan and shifted her focus to other channels.

Pick One, at most Two

When I go to the Chinese buffet, I choose ahead of time, which dish (or two) I want on my plate. Do I want the jalapeno chicken or the Hunan vegetable? 

Same goes here. To start out, look at the lists from above and pick one, and if you feel really pulled, two social media platforms. Resist the temptation to pile on, even if you like the platforms and you think your clients might be there (see above.)

Prioritize Consistency

Far more important than being on X number of social media platforms is setting a sustainable content schedule and sticking to it. Like so much else in marketing, there’s no one rule that says how often you should post new content, so choose a frequency that’s doable and stick to it.

It’s better to choose to post once every two weeks and do it than to say you’re going to past 3 times a week and only manage to do it every other week or so.

Marketing your business via social media is alluring - all that potential for being discovered and cultivating engagement! But, if you don’t intentionally choose where you’re going to focus, you risk running yourself ragged, taking your focus off the overall business development and diluting your messages’ potential impact.

Instead of trying everything at once, take stock of which platform you enjoy engaging on, ask if your ideal clients are there too. Then choose one or two, at most, and create and maintain a consistent presence for your business.

That way, you’re much more likely to enjoy all the deliciousness marketing on social media has to offer.  

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash