How's your Social Suss™? Here, Donegal-based business brand coach Sharon Hearty guides us through her tactics for mastering social media in 2019.

by Sharon Hearty, a Donegal Town-based coach in Strategic Digital & Social Communication for CEOs & Senior Executives and Entrepreneurs

Sharon Hearty- ‘You’ Brand Builder, Digital & Social Media Coach

No longer is the social media space just for the younger generation or searching for the next holiday destination. People lurk, search, consider, review, chat, compare and buy on the internet or pop to the shop/call their local professional if they offer the better solution for their needs.

Social media is here to stay. It’s the place where you as a business owner can truly own influence in your field of expertise.

Each social media platform is a power-tool when used in the right way. The right way in 2019 is to be present and ready to build relationships with your clientele of today and tomorrow.

After all, business has always been about relationships and engagement and social media complements this perfectly.

Let’s help you reassess how you can improve how you use social media to communicate your message and impact the marketplace.

What’s the Social Suss™

Social Suss™ is a strategic approach to how you use the social tools to grow your influence, impact and ultimately grow your clientele.

This blog touches on five strands of the Social Suss.

Selective

This is over to you. You choose where and how you want to ‘show up’ in the digital space.   

So, what suits your business personality? Text conversations, live broadcast, podcast, video, joining Twitter chat, creating a Facebook page group and being there in conversation, a multitude of options to choose from.

Also, equally important is to check where your existing and future customer/client hangs out. Is it Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin to name the big five.

Choose one platform (don’t be tempted to do more than this to start with), choose a way you want to engage and just focus on this.

Strategic Influencer

This is focussing on one thing that is unique to you and your business and ‘owning’ this. Become the expert on the thing that led you to be who you are in business today.

Support your target market with your expertise in a humble and caring way.

This is how you become noticed and how you and your business become part of the conversation and has tremendous value.

Small

Start small and don’t over stretch. Select the smallest viable target audience to talk with.

Dedicate yourself to the conversation on one platform where your audience hangs out.

Talk with them, not at them.

Be proud of being small. It’s not always about numbers of followers, likes, shares, reach. What’s more important is that you take small steps – learn from the conversation – take another small step and so on.

Super Engaged

I have purposely used the word super before engaged. It is so important to be truly engaged. Do not ignore anyone in the conversation. You wouldn’t ignore anyone who came into your business or called you! Check in on your notifications regularly. Acknowledge comments and messages, it only takes a second. It means a lot to people.

When you post or broadcast stay connected for a short while to respond to people when they immediately engage. It’s also okay if you don’t get immediate comments and conversation. It takes time to build a presence.

Remember nothing you post is wasted. You can reschedule it to be posted again.

Surrender control & Serve

Easier said than done! Social media is about engaging and conversing with the audience who are your viable market. Surrendering control and being part of the engagement just like everyone else is what it takes to make social work for you.

Let’s think of it this way – everyone in business is in a human business. When we do business, we serve others. Service is a big part of what we do every day and it’s no different in the digital social space. When you’re part of the conversation you will learn so much that it will help you do business better!

Finally

Social media is a tool, to turn it into a power tool requires a good deal of Social Suss™ to leverage its effectiveness for Leaders, Entrepreneurs & Business Owners.

Sharon Hearty is the Founder Merakiology™ International

www.merakiology.com

Sharon is also a member of the Women’s Inspire Network, which is coming to Donegal on the 10th of April 2019!

DonegalWoman.ie is the WIN media partner for the ‘Overcoming Challenges’ conference at Harvey’s Point. Tickets for ‘Women’s Inspire Donegal’ are out now on Eventbrite.ie. Use the code ‘donegalwoman’ for 20% off your ticket. Tickets include a full day conference, lunch, and workshops.