As a mompreneur, your time is precious. You can't afford to waste time on tasks that don't bring you more work or improve your bottom line. It's tempting to cut back on advertising and self-promotion when you're feeling the burden of running a business. However, you should not overlook the importance of social media.
A successful social media page can help you land more clients and bring more regular work to your business. Social media can strengthen your brand presence, too, meaning the clients you do land are more likely to stay with you in the long term. Here's why keeping on top of your social media should be a priority, and how to do it.
What Can Social Media Do For You?
Social media may rank low on your priority list as a mompreneur. However, 77% of small businesses use social media to advertise their goods or services - and you should too.
Start by recognizing that social media is more than a self-aggrandizing side hustle. A robust social media plan can help you expand your client base and improve your income.
A well-established social media platform can also help you diversify your income streams and help you navigate periods of economic uncertainty. If you run a YouTube or Patreon page, you can even add a subscription service to bring in a little extra cash every month.
Social media is a cost-effective way to amplify your reach and strengthen your brand image, too. You can use free programs like Canva and Adobe Express to create and post content that looks great and helps refine your image.
Content Creation Made Easy
Most mompreneurs know they should create social content, but far fewer actually find the time to put out content regularly. Manually creating social media posts from scratch can be a real drag on your resources and detract from your day-to-day productivity.
Speed up the process by utilizing a few content creations hacks:
- Create content in blitzes when you have free time and feel creative
- Write the copy before searching for the visual components
- Follow similar pages and use their posts as inspiration for your own
- Use templates to create a uniform appearance and reduce the editing time
These tips can speed up your creation method and reduce the amount of time you spend staring at a blank screen.
Once you've created a few posts, schedule them for the upcoming week. This can make things easier during the work week, when you may not have time to create and post new content online.
Schedule your posts to send either in the morning or around midday. Most users look through their socials before they get to work or during their lunch break. Posting at this time is ideal, as you'll be at the top of their feed.
Engagement
Posting regularly will help you reach more users. However, if you want to get the most out of your social presence, you need to engage with the folks who take interest in your page.
Responding to comments and re-following folks is the easiest way to build your online community. Set aside 5 minutes per day to engage with top comments and new followers. Leave a few positive comments on other pages to draw users your way and build your reputation.
If your engagement rates are low, consider running more meaningful social strategies. Create online groups that are themed around your industry and moderate the comments that get posted. Run a few competitions to get folks to like and comment on your posts, as this can put a spotlight on your page.
Make sure the content you post is more than just advertisement. Your followers will only stick around if your posts add value to their personal or professional lives. So, rather than hard selling, give folks a "behind the scenes" glimpse into your day as a mompreneur or post "how to" instructional content that followers can use in their lives.
Outsourcing
Running a busy social media page can feel like a job in itself. As your online presence expands, you'll need to dedicate more time to social media to ensure that your community remains engaged.
If you have the funds, consider outsourcing your social media management. Outsourcing isn't anything to be ashamed of - it's a sign that your business is healthy and growing. Effective outsourcing can help you take back your time and schedule some R&R for yourself.
You don't have to outsource forever, either. Trial a month-long period with a social media management company and track key KPIs like engagement and follower growth. If the investment saves you time, stick with it and reap the rewards of social media without having to do the work yourself
Conclusion
Social media is a powerful tool in your arsenal as a mompreneur. A robust social media strategy can improve your reach, help you land new clients, and strengthen your brand loyalty. Make the process easier by writing all of your content in one go and scheduling it in advance. Check in on comments and followers a few times a week or hire a social media professional if you start to feel overwhelmed.
This guest post was authored by Ainsley Lawrence
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Ms. Career Girl was started in 2008 to help ambitious young professional women figure out who they are, what they want and how to get it.
