How much Social Media presence is enough?

social media presence

Most Celebrants work for themselves and this means they have to market their business. Social Media is often sold as the place we need to be. We’re regularly reminded that we need to be seen online and that if we’re not posting regularly, we’re missing business. But how much social media presence is enough?

In my first couple of years as a Celebrant, I was on all the key platforms every day. I spent time posting, scheduling, engaging by commenting and liking. Having attended several training sessions on social media, I felt pretty confident I was ‘doing it right’.

However, one look at the stats on my website told a different story.

My social media presence was not playing a key part in attracting visitors to my website. Indeed, at that time only around 5% of the traffic was coming from social media. So what was I doing wrong? I believed I was following the advice of the ‘Experts’ I had followed. The training sessions had all suggested a similar approach and I was using it to the letter. Why was my social media presence not generating the results I was hoping for?

I learned a few key things when I really looked into it:

  1. I had a very high score on social media for Credibility. I had a reasonable following on Twitter at that time of around 5.5k and was seen as an Influencer according to Klout.
  2. This did not make me attractive to the potential clients I wanted. Instead, it made me a target for companies who wanted my time for nothing. I was asked for Interviews. Invited to give talks to irrelevant audiences (where I could promote my latest book!) but there was no budget for speakers.
  3. The people who were getting the most from social media were the people selling the ‘how to get the most out of social media’ courses and books and workshops.
  4. When I added up the hours I was spending, per month, on the various platforms, I was left in no doubt. I was using around 20-28 hours per month on social media marketing and not getting value for my time.
  5. I was spending time on platforms that my potential clients did not use or were not using for the purposes I was hoping they were.

I had to ask myself if my social media presence was holding me back, not taking me forward.

Perhaps instead of the 20 or so hours per month I was spending on Meta’s platforms, I could spend more time on my own website and get visitors.

If you’re ‘active’ on Social Media, have you researched whether it is really working?

Have you asked the clients who do find you, where they found you? This week, take a break from your regular routine and carry out three or four of these suggestions. I would love to know if you find they generate more interest in you than your social media has.

  1. Check you are findable online. This is a HUGE topic, but the simplest one is to make sure you are using SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) on your website. I highly recommend YOAST and I have paid for the premium version on all my business websites.
  2. Review what you’re writing about. If you’re spending time on writing interesting blogs, but they are not being seen, the title could be the problem. I used to think my titles needed to be works of literary genius! In fact, titles to blogs and articles should be based on search terms and keywords. Review the titles of your blogs and ask the question ‘is this what someone would search for on Google to find this topic?’ If the answer is no, change the blog title.
  3. When did you last update the pages of your website? All the major search engines love it when you are interacting and updating your content. Update one page each week this month with new content.
  4. Write a blog on someone else, with links to their website. Who do you work with in your role as a Celebrant that has made a great impression? A wedding photographer, or perhaps a florist? Invite them to be featured in a blog on your site. They will want to share it as much as you do, so you’ll be open to a new audience. BONUS – ask them to share the blog with a link to it on their own site.
  5. Set up a YouTube channel for your Celebrant work. Posting just one video per week for six weeks will give you great new content, something to link to from a blog. It’s also a great thing to add to your email signature, so people can see you ‘in action’.

I’ve reduced the amount of time I spend on social media to around one hour per week.

I’m using it to engage with my trainees and help them share updates. I have also engaged the services of an amazingly talented expert. One of the biggest learnings of being in business is that you cannot wear all the hats.

I’d love to hear how you get on, and whether you’ve decided that you’re already doing enough.

Dinah

If you’d like to know more about the business side of being a professional Celebrant, book a time into my diary to talk about the coaching I offer to Celebrants.

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