Don’t Get Lost
Getting lost or overwhelmed by all the choices in social media platforms is easy to do. It wasn't always this way. Until the late 1990's marketing and promoting a practice was as easy buying space in newspapers and periodicals or on TV, and doing some smart networking to build trust and lasting relationships. That was it. That was the magic bullet.
But in today's market there's no such thing as a magic bullet. Consumers are more savvy about who we are and what we do. They know that there are many choices for resolution services. Establishing trust and creating relationships with prospective clients is still a requirement. In fact it's the primary asset that we're building. And only connection, direct connection, does that. Whatever platform you want to use is fine, as long as it leads to a direct connection with your primary, secondary, and / or tertiary target markets. In that vein, I always recommend that you use the platform your target market is most comfortable using. You may not like Facebook, but if that's where your clients are, you need to get really good at using Facebook. If your clients love it you need to love it too. The same goes for Twitter, Instagram, etc.
For most resolutionists, LinkedIn is the platform of choice. Making best use of this platform is a great way to connect, establish credibility, authority, and availability. Make best use of messages to invite people to connect, thank them for connecting, offering to be a resource for them, and providing them something of value will start the all-important dialogues to creating trust and building business. If you have connected with previous clients, ask them to endorse you or write a recommendation - the best way to do this is provide an endorsement or recommendation to them first. LinkedIn is a powerful library of articles - write and post one. Is video your preference? Record and post one. Use LinkedIn to find groups and interact with them. Comment on your connection's posts. The key to LinkedIn is to connect and interact.
Regardless of your choice, log on to your social media platform profile and with a critical eye update your bio, update your photograph, make sure that your contact information is complete and correct. Link to any other platforms and your website. The goal is to make it easy for prospective clients to confirm your professionalism and contact you.
Being in many places is far less important than occupying one space extremely well. Own that space and state it clearly eg: "I'm a blogger not a podcaster". Be in that space in a way that other resolutionists without your tenacity have no way to occupying in the way you do. Do one thing and do it really well.
After all that, if you sincerely feel that you need to be on numerous platforms concurrently, that's fine too. It can get overwhelming to manage all those accounts however. You might want to simplify your life by using a social media management tool like Hootsuite. The point is this ... don't get lost or overwhelmed by all the platforms and then not use any of them.
If you're not sure which platform is best for you, how to use your chosen platform(s), or simply don't want to become the social media master that your practice needs, give me call and I'll help you find the best solution or even help you manage your accounts.
