Social Butterflying Made Easy

Reading article after article about how to reach your customers with social media has caused many business owners to wrap themselves in a cocoon and wish they could go back to fliers on phone poles.

While pay phones and Kinkos were cool, now that satellites direct calls and e-vites are the norm, there is no going back. Whether you like it or not, it’s time to break out of your cocoon and become the social butterfly your business deserves. The digital world outside is beautiful and easy to flutter about, as long as you know how to be social. While you dry your wings and get ready to take flight, here is a fast-and-dirty guide on the best ways to share what types of content on which social media platform.

Facebook: Facebookers love to be kept in the loop. Here you’ll want to post news about what’s going on at your business, new products, partnerships and events. Being liked on Facebook means your followers want to be your friend, so you should treat them like it. Share an inside joke or two, throw them a deal every-so-often. Let your company’s personality shine.

Twitter: Twitter users share what’s going on right this very second. They love to be heard, and to be on the forefront of trending topics. Stay current on industry news and jump into the conversation. Use hashtags to join trends you find interesting, give shout-outs to those you follow to invite them into the discussion. Show the Twitter-sphere you’re on top of it.

Instagram: Instagrammers are all about the visuals. Did your office pooch just eat your Chipotle burrito? Received a shipment of sweet LED pens? Instagram it. Anything that looks cool your followers want to see. Use hastags, like #mydogslife #alwaysaddguac, to relate with others, and have fun showing your customers what a day-in-the-life is like at your business.

LinkedIn: LinkedIn users are all business. Here you’ll want to share industry updates and original content to interact with other businesses. Here you’re connecting with other business owners, not your customers, so it’s your chance to get professional and show the world you know what you’re talking about without technically having to get out of your jammies.

See, that’s not that bad. Before you know it posting updates will become second nature. Something will catch your eye, an article about your industry will pop up or you’ll find an alligator in your parking lot, and instead of just thinking, “Well another day,” you’ll post, and your networks will be all a flutter.