There are so many points of view regarding social media, but in regards to business, social media can indeed help your business marketing strategy. However, marketing on social media is not like traditional marketing, especially if you are a very small business or just one person. For those folks, like myself, marketing on social media is ALL about being social. And a part of being social is learning how, when and how much to share personally.
Recently, I received an DM on Instagram ( my Instagram account @sap_houston)…
“I struggle with how personal to get on social media. So, how much is enough or too much?” — Kim, Houston hairdresser
I am just gonna give it to you straight. There is no definitive answer to that question. How personal you are comfortable with is totally up to YOU, boo! But what I will tell you is that there are ways to be personal without oversharing. For me, I talk about my dogs a lot and they are even in some videos I shoot or they can be occasionally heard in LIVE videos without my permission. That is an aspect of my life that I am comfortable sharing. So take a peek at your life and see what you can to share with social media that does not freak you out.
Social business strategist and author, Bryan Kramer, implores business owners to stop thinking in terms of B2B or B2C (aka business to business or business to client) and instead, take a H2H (human to human) approach to communications.
In one of his blog posts, Kramer states:
“Businesses do not have emotion. People do. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. People want to feel something. People want to be included. People want to understand. But people are also humans, and with that comes mistakes. Missteps. Failures.”
Not everything has to be sugar coated. Oftentimes, being transparent about failures and mistakes can build more trust than dismissing them.
Recently in a job search class I teach, one of the students talked about some of her friends who got out corporate america when their children were born. Then they started MLM businesses (CBD oils). They were making ok money, until they changed their tactics and started shooting videos when they started their days out. When their hair was not washed and they were trying to get kids to school, etc. Once they started posting these videos, their businesses skyrocketed. Why? Because people could relate to them on a personal level and it became more about them than who has CBD oil for sale.
In an Ask Me Anything recently (video below), I shared some great examples, specifically for hairdressers.
Sandy Adams 