Marketing your brand online can be confusing at first. Especially if you’re trying to host a live session on social media for the first time.
There are a million different things to consider, and if you don't know where to start it can feel like there's no way to get ahead of the competition.
But there are simple steps that will help you build an audience and grow your brand if you're willing to put in the work:
When you start on social media, it can be confusing.
With so many platforms and ways to engage with your audience, it can be unclear where to begin. How do you know where to start?
It's important to remember that there isn't one specific way for everyone. You must consider what works for YOU and YOUR BRAND!
For example: I love Instagram Stories because they're so easy for me, but others may prefer Facebook Live or Twitter AMAs (Ask Me Anything). The key is knowing which platform(s) will help build YOUR BRAND while engaging with YOUR AUDIENCE in a way that makes sense.
You need to start somewhere.
There's no right or wrong answer here. One approach is to start small, with a community you already know and trust like your colleagues and clients, for example.
Another way is to create a presence on social media and see where it takes you. The best thing about starting out small is that if things do go south, it isn't the end of the world.
In fact, there's even an argument for saying that starting small could be better for your marketing journey:
- If you're doing this because of a personal ambition or passion project (like writing poetry or doing photography), there's no harm in sharing those experiences with only your friends and family at first. You don't have to go public until later when you feel ready for more feedback and interaction from strangers.
- If there are people who know what they're talking about in their field but aren't getting enough recognition or opportunities because of their lack of social media presence (and this can happen!), then reaching out directly can open new doors for them while also giving them some exposure within their online communities—which will hopefully encourage them to keep going strong!
Hosting a live session on social media can help you build a community
Hosting a live session on social media can help you build a community that supports you, and it can help you grow your audience by reaching people who haven't heard of you yet.
If you're not a natural at public speaking, then this is a great way to practice! You can ask questions from the audience and get feedback on what they thought of what you just said, or even take questions live during the session itself.
Make sure that you're ready for whatever happens during a live session on social media. If you have some downtime, be sure to use it wisely! You don't want to waste any time while people are watching and waiting for you—so if there's something you need to do offline in order to be more productive online (like editing audio files or creating graphics), then do it ahead of time.
You may find things other people do online aren't a good fit for your community.
- You may find things other people do online aren't a good fit for your community.
- But this is OK! It's not all about you, after all! You can only control what you do and say because others are going to do and say their own thing. And that's fine!
- There will always be some people who don't like what you're doing, but most of the time their complaints come from not understanding the direction or goals of your community. As long as you understand them (and any changes involved), it's probably best just to let those people be unhappy about whatever else makes them unhappy in life.
There are lots of things to consider when building your own audience.
There are many things to consider when building your own audience. Your goals, how you want to interact with them, the message you want to share and the ease of interaction—all these things make up the foundation of any community.
When building your community around social media, I’d suggest keeping in mind these five keys:
- Start with what you are passionate about or knowledgeable about
- Find like-minded people who also share that passion or knowledge
- Engage with them regularly by posting content on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter etc.) that appeals directly to their interests
- Encourage those same people from #2 (and maybe some new ones) to engage in discussions surrounding this content by asking questions, providing commentary etc., all through the platform(s) where those conversations take place (overlapping between companies/organizations/institutions is great but not necessary at this point).
Tools like Facebook and Instagram can help you to build an audience, but they're not the only way.
The tools that you use to reach your audience can be as important as the content itself. You shouldn't feel like you have to use Facebook and Instagram if they don't fit your brand or message, but they are good places to start building a community.
I'm sure you've seen plenty of businesses that slap their logo on a platform like Instagram and call it a day. But what if you want something more?
You may already know that there are many other ways to reach an audience online apart from hosting a live session on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. For example:
- A website can host blog posts, resources and other content for free! There's no reason not to make one for yourself (I've got one set up at www.jessemccullough.com)
- A blog is another great way to share updates with people who follow along with what's going on in your life/business/etc.—and it costs next-to-nothing! You could even write sponsored posts where companies pay YOU money in exchange for promoting them on your blog.
Building a community takes time and work, but it helps you to stand out among all the noise on social media.
Building a community takes time and work, but it helps you to stand out among all the noise on social media.
You need to be consistent in your content, authentic in your voice and willing to put yourself out there. You also need to be willing to make mistakes (because we all do) and learn from them as well as make the effort of being genuine in your interactions with others.
Conclusion
The key to building a successful social media presence is to remember that it takes time. You can't expect overnight success, but if you keep working on creating great content and interacting with your audience, eventually they will start coming back for more!
Join our own live session (or in person if you prefer it!) of The Event Planner Expo!
That’s how we developed a larger community during the pandemic, and now we offer our conference on and offline! Click here to learn more.
