How To Revive A Business’s Social Media: 3 Easy Steps to Get Back On Track

When was the last time you posted something on your social media profiles? Not the funny meme you shared on your personal profile yesterday. I’m talking about your business profile. Has it been a while? Unless you prioritize it or have someone dedicated to marketing your business, my guess is that it’s been a minute. There’s no shame in that. I’m guilty of it myself. As I was writing another blog post, I realized I have been so consumed with building other people’s business profiles, and haven’t worked on my own. Sound familiar? While you are busy building your business, your social media or other marketing efforts go on the back burner. Getting back in the habit is not an insurmountable obstacle. If you are in the same boat, I’m going to show you How To Revitalize Dormant Social Media Profiles using my own as an example.

Step 1: Rethink Your Platforms

There are so many social media platforms, and the list seems to grow every day. Depending on your industry (or preferences), you could be posting on up to 9 platforms. That’s a lot. Look at the platforms where your business has a profile, and then think about where you need to be based on your audience. Are you a B2C, B2B or a combination? You should have profiles where your customers are active, so you can connect with them in meaningful ways. Also, don’t try to do too much. If you try to post to every platform every day, that’s exhausting. Pick one or two when you relaunch so you can get back out there. As you get more comfortable with a regular posting and engagement schedule, add another.

When I started, the main social media platforms were Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ (remember that?). I chose to focus on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Facebook because it’s the biggest, LinkedIn because it’s the professional place, Twitter because I thought it would be good the time, and Pinterest because it’s more of a search engine where people are looking for what I have to offer. Moving forward, I’m going to focus on Facebook add Instagram and LinkedIn for social posting, and post my blogs to Pinterest.

I have also updated my handles to @ldstldigital to reflect what I do. I realized people wouldn’t know what I did based on my profile name, nor would I show up in searches. So, I updated it.

Step 2: Update Your Profile Pages

Now that you’ve picked the best platforms for your business, it’s time to update them. If anything has changed about your business (hours, location, services, website, logo, etc) update it. Read 10 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Profiles in an Hour or Less from Hootsuite for some great tips. Also, since each of the platforms has its own way of presenting information and is used differently by its, well, users, it’s important to tailor your information to the platform.

Not much has changed for LDSTL, so all the existing pages need is a little tweaking. 

Step 3: Develop a Strategy

Now that your profiles are up to date and ready to go, it’s time to build a strategy. Ask yourself:

1. What are my goals with social media? 
2. How many times a week do I want to post? 
3. When are my followers most active? 

Answering these questions will give you a good guideline on what type of content and how much you need to produce. For more in-depth directions and tips, read 7 Steps To Create Social Media Content Like An Expert to help you get started. 

I was working on my strategy when I decided to write this blog post so you didn’t feel so alone and lost when it comes to your social media. Even the experts can struggle with their socials from time to time. Here are my answers to the above questions:

1. What are my goals with social media? I’d like to educate, inform and entertain my followers, gaining a few along the way. Eventually, I’d like those followers to turn into business.
2. How many times a week do you want to post? I’ll start with one post per week, then bump it up to twice after a month or so. 
3. When are my followers most active? I don’t have that many followers, so I’ll revisit this question after my first month of posting. 
4. I’m starting small on purpose. I have gotten out of the posting habit, and I don’t want to overwhelm myself. I suggest the same for you. Follow my socials to see how I’m doing with my plan.