Or considering opening a new Twitter account – when you’ve got one to update already? Or maybe even starting a new blog – when you’re already struggling to grow the one you’ve got? We’re told time and time again that we need to create an all-inclusive social media strategy, that we need to embrace all the latest tools. But today I’m here with a different kind of social media advice. I’m here to tell you to use FEWER social media networks.
Use social media LESS? What?!
Once you recognize the benefits of social media – once you see how much traffic it drives to your website and customers it attracts to your brand – it’s easy to get sucked into the more-is-better mindset. A Twitter account for your dog! Your business! Your book and even a character in your book! Before you know it, you’ve got five handles to manage. Yet this symptom of trying to be everywhere, on every social platform, is actually working against you. Sometimes we get so caught up in the social media frenzy that we lose sight of whether these tools are actually helping us reach our true goals. Rather than interacting on certain social media platforms to sell books, create a community or raise awareness of our cause, most of us do it because we think we have to. More is not necessarily better. In most cases, if you have too many online profiles — especially more than one on the same platform — your online personalities will compete against each other. That means if you’re really smart, you’ll find a way to combine those interests under one blog or handle. Because if you’re spending time on a Facebook page that’s growing so slowly it isn’t helping you reach your business goals, you’d be better off taking that time and using it on, say, Twitter, or whatever tool works best for you. In other words, stuff the “be everywhere” approach and choose one or two or three that will work for you.
How I’ve successfully used this approach
I struggled with this when I started my own business. I didn’t want a separate website for Socialexis, and I couldn’t visualize how I would integrate that content onto my blog. Would my readers, who were used to coming to me for information on writing and travel, want to read about social media? Would they lose interest if I added another seemingly unrelated log to the fire? Turns out my readers did want to read about social media experiences, and my blog continues to grow. Why? Because most of my readers and customers visit my blog and purchase my products, for MY thoughts, MY insight, MY knowledge. Of course, the brand of YOU has to be valuable or entertaining, or it won’t catch on. It has to be relatable and personable. But if the umbrella topic is you and your products and posts are infused with your voice, it makes sense to have only one blog or social media handle even if you have a variety of interests.
Here are some of the other benefits of sticking to fewer accounts:
What social media profile can you ditch TODAY, so you can spend more time focusing on what really matters? Featured photo credit: hand with social media icons via Shutterstock
