247: Shifting Your Social Media Mindset

"If you go into it every time thinking, I'm going to make a post and I'm going to get more clients, you're going to walk away disappointed." 

This week we are diving into the mindset behind your social media strategy. If you have ever felt frustrated or burned out by social media, then this is the episode for you. We will look at how to set realistic expectations around your content, how much time and energy you should be devoting to your social media content and why it's important to always be in learning mode.

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Chapters

• 0:05 Social Media Mindset for Business Growth
• 10:47 Shifts in Social Media Marketing Strategy

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Hey there and welcome to the Girl Means Business podcast, the show where we're all about helping you feel confident, both as a mom and a business owner. I'm your host, kendra Swalls, mom of two, former teacher and full-time photographer and business coach. Each week we'll discuss the challenges, success and secrets that make you say I can do this, because you absolutely can. So pop in those earbuds, grab your favorite snack and let's get ready, because this girl means business. Hello and welcome to the Girl Means Business podcast. Today we're talking all about social media, but this is not your basic social media strategy. I wanna talk today about social media mindset and the social media I don't really know how to describe it like just our intentions around using social media for our business. Now, side note, my laptop sounds like it is landing an airplane at the moment. I'm really hoping it just survives this entire recording. Please don't die on me, but if you hear some like buzzing in the background, I apologize. It's just my computer about to blow up. Okay, let's talk social media. So I talk to a lot of people, both in my coaching sessions in my membership just on social media, or in networking settings, and it always comes back to this idea of social media and the fact that I hear sort of three common phrases when I start talking to business owners about social media. One is they say it just doesn't work for me. I don't see a lot of a return on my investment. I hear people say that they feel burned out by social media. And the third thing kind of along those lines is that they just get really frustrated. They feel like they don't have control over their social media results, I guess, and so I wanna talk today about some of those things and how to really get a clear idea of what social media can do for us in our business, because I think if we have the right expectations of social media, then it helps us to feel like we are getting more out of it. If we go into it thinking I'm gonna put up a post and it's gonna go viral and it's gonna have all these people wanna follow me and wanna work with me if that is your expectation, you're going to be severely disappointed each time you open up your account and see that that has not happened, and so that is kind of what I wanna dive in today. So the first thing I wanna really look at is what platforms you are focusing on in your business. There are so many different social media platforms. You have the big ones Facebook, instagram, twitter. You have things like LinkedIn, tiktok threads, reddit is basically a version of social media. There's all these different platforms and I know you've probably heard people say like, oh, it's good to be everywhere because the more places you are, the more likely you are to be seen, and, yes, that holds some merit, but trying to be everywhere is just, it's overwhelming and it's you're gonna burn out really fast. So what I recommend, and what I think helps us mentally to make this a little more realistic in our lives, is figure out the platform or platforms that work best for you, and I'm gonna give you examples.

Speaker 1: 3:52

I have two separate businesses. I have my photography business and I have my coaching podcast business, and they perform differently on each platform. So I know that for my photography business, while I have an Instagram account, it is not my primary place that I am marketing my photography business. Facebook is my primary location that I market my photography business, and I say this with a little caveat, an asterisk in that my photography business, 95% of my clients do not come from social media. They come from other places referrals, seo, my email list, and so I know that for my business, social media is only about 5% of my marketing, and so it does not get a ton of my effort, and I want that to be something you think about. And one of the first things I always ask my coaching clients is where are your current clients finding you from? How are you getting your clients currently? And if you're not getting them from social media, then we don't need to make social media 75% of our marketing if only 10% of our audience or clients are coming from social media. Now, in my podcast and coaching business, a larger portion of my audience comes from social media. In fact, a lot of you listening to this might have found me through Instagram, because that is my preferred platform for this particular business. So, when it comes to choosing not only the platform you're going to spend your time on, but how much of your time are you going to devote to this piece of your marketing outlet is going to be decided, or should be decided, based on where your clients are coming from and what avenues are they finding you through.

Speaker 1: 5:43

It's probably going to sound like I'm repeating myself here, but I want to make sure that I'm making this perfectly clear, that it goes back to that idea of the mindset and the purpose behind what we're doing. If you were to work with a marketing company, if you were to hire a marketing company to come in and help you with your marketing and your business, one of the first things they're going to want to know is where are people finding you from? Now, if you were to tell them only 10 percent of my audience is coming from social media, and then you were to say but I'm putting 90 percent of my marketing effort into social media, that is completely skewed and they're going to look at you and go well, we need to fix this. So this is me as your marketing expert, coming in and saying if you are putting 90 percent of your marketing effort into social media, but only 10 percent of your audience or your clients are finding you through social media, then you are not balanced and we need to have a little more balance in how much effort we're putting into social media based on the ROI that we are getting from it. So that is the first kind of expectation mindset shift I want you to make. I want you to get really honest with yourself about am I putting so much energy into social media but only getting a tiny bit in return.

Speaker 1: 7:03

It's like a relationship If you are giving all of your time and attention to a person and they're only giving you a very small fraction of their time and attention back, then that is not a healthy relationship. And so right now, some of you do not have a healthy relationship with social media, and I know that because I've been there. I have had an unhealthy relationship with social media. If you were to go back into my Instagram archives from about two years ago or three years ago, you would see that I spent an entire year completely focused on growing my Instagram follower account, not my community, not my audience, not building relationships. I was solely focused on can I hit a number goal on my account and I did not hit that goal, and I spent an entire year focused on the wrong things, and I regret that to a degree. I try not to regret a lot of things in my life or business, but I do look back at that and go. That's a year. I could have spent on so many other things, but I devoted so much of my mental capacity and my marketing time into something that really was not giving me the ROI that I would have preferred to have. So that's number one. Number two mindset shift we need to make around social media is how we are using the platforms that we have chosen. So I'll use the same thing. I example I gave before of my two platforms of choice Facebook for my photography and Instagram for my coaching.

Speaker 1: 8:34

Let's go Facebook first. I know, going into Facebook, that I am not going to market on Facebook the same way I will other platforms. Facebook for me, is primarily sharing content that is longer format and contributing to and participating in Facebook groups. That is where I see the most ROI. That's where I invest the most time and effort, energy into. It is about the long game. For me on Facebook, it's not about putting up a post and going, okay, somebody's going to book with me and then that does happen, but it's more about going into Facebook with the idea of I'm not posting for the sake of I'm going to get a new client from this. I am posting because I want them to join my email list, because I want to provide value, because I want to educate them on something in my business. I have a perfect example of this for you.

Speaker 1: 9:27

So today I was actually doing a one-on-one coaching call with one of my focus photographer lab members and she was getting ready to run some spring mini sessions and we were kind of working through the process and all the funnel for her to get people into booking these sessions. And we were talking about her social media content, the pieces that she could put out on social media to promote these mini sessions. And she was showing me some of the things that she had done up in Canva and they were great. But I said here's the thing you need to be using Facebook because that's where she was primarily spending her time. This needs to be a place where you're not just showing like, hey, come by for me, but you are giving them something to engage with. And so we created a couple of posts that were sort of answering some commonly asked questions for her mini sessions things. Like you know, is 15 minutes really enough time to get a variety of pictures? Another post we created was around the digital files. So they get a certain amount of digital files with their mini session payment and then they can purchase more. So she was answering the question of what if I want more than the five or 10 or however many it was she was going to give what if I want to purchase more? How does that work? And so we created a whole post around that.

Speaker 1: 10:47

She's done other posts where we talk about things like why she likes to shoot at certain times a day, or the difference between a studio session and an outdoor session, the pros and cons of both. Those are the types of content she's putting out there, and so her goal was not necessarily to even just get people to book. Ultimately, that is going to be the side effect of it but the goal was then to go in and talk to her community. Talk to the people as if she's having a conversation with them. Not that she's like standing on the sidewalk spinning a sign saying come book with me, but she's inviting them to come in and have a conversation with her. And so the intention behind those posts changed and her mindset changed. So now she went into it going okay, now if I post these, I'm looking for engagement, I'm looking for conversations, I'm looking for someone to leave a comment or send me a message to ask more about this. Not I'm looking for someone to click my link and book the session. Yes, that would be great, that's what we all want, but the intention and the mindset behind it is not.

Speaker 1: 11:50

I'm expecting that. That's a great byproduct. I am expecting to start a conversation, whereas on Instagram she has a different strategy behind it. On Instagram, her expectation is she's going to go in with very similar content, but because people on Instagram aren't reading the longer captions, they're not as interested in that. She's focused more on carousels and quick you know tidbits of information. She's focused on keyword automation. She's focused on sending people to a link where they can learn more. So the the strategy behind them is different, but also what she's expecting to get out of each of those platforms is very different, and so that is what we have to kind of shift. There is each platform has its own little nuances to it that we have to be prepared to change our mindset around.

Speaker 1: 12:47

Okay, I think we're on number three. So the third shift that we need to make is around the idea that what we've already done should still work. This frustrates me to no end because, as someone who understands marketing and marketing trends, it is exactly that. It is a trend. Things change and evolve over time. So when I see clients coming to me or I see people asking in Facebook groups, they're like oh, I'm just so frustrated with Instagram and the algorithm, I'm so annoyed with the algorithm, the algorithm, this and the algorithm that Guys, it's not the algorithm. Okay, we are the algorithm. I know that we have this idea of the algorithm as being this like machine in the sky. It's in a computer somewhere and it's manipulating all of the things. We are our own algorithm.

Speaker 1: 13:37

So when we go on to Instagram because that's where I hear most people complaining about the algorithm on when we go on to Instagram, the algorithm and I'm saying that in air quotes the algorithm is looking at everything that we're doing, every action we're taking, every video we watch, every post that we click like on, everything we comment on, whose stories we're watching, and it is creating a profile of who we are and then it is choosing to show us content based on our own actions. So you are your algorithm. Now, what that means is that, as a consumer, as your potential client, I have my own algorithm and so, based on my own activities, instagram is gonna say yes, this person's content needs to be shown to Sarah because she has shown interest in these topics. Now here's the other thing about the quote unquote algorithm in order for it. To show your content to your ideal client, you have to give it enough information in your content to know who it's supposed to be showed to. So let me give you an example.

Speaker 1: 15:58

I'm a mom of two daughters and I'm looking for a photographer, or I'm interested in finding a photographer for our family photos. So I go on to Instagram and I'm just scrolling my feed, I'm just looking, and it knows that I have engaged with other photographers content. It knows that I have liked reels that show really beautiful photos of families out in fields and all the things. So when you, as photographer A, go on to Instagram and you make a post of a beautiful family in a golden sunset field but your caption says I love nothing more than watching a family laugh and play together, nothing in that content shows that you are a photographer. Nothing in that content says to the algorithm who that should be shown to, because everything is about you. It comes across as if, because the algorithm doesn't know, maybe that's you and your family, maybe that's you and your family laughing in the field at sunset and you're just sharing it because you want people to know how great your family is. Nothing in that content is telling the algorithm that I, as the consumer, should see that post.

Speaker 1: 17:15

So what we have to do and the mindset shift we have to make here, is we have to start creating content that our ideal client is going to want to engage with and that the algorithm is going to detect as being something that that person needs to see. So how do we do that? One, you use keywords. Two, you create content in a variety of ways. You test, test, test, test, test and you experiment with all different things. And three, you are going to make it clear that your content is for someone else. Not that you're posting content about yourself. You are posting content for someone else.

Speaker 1: 17:55

So what that photographer should have done in order to grab my attention and get into my algorithm is they could post the beautiful photo but down in the caption, instead of just saying some flowery thing about like a beautiful family at sunset you could talk about. If, for your next family portrait session, you need to be asking your photographer to schedule your session at the golden hour. What is the golden hour? It's the hour before the sun sets, when you have this beautiful golden light, so that your family can have these beautiful sunlit photos. This is not only educating your audience. You currently have in your feed, but now it's telling the algorithm that A you're likely a photographer, you're talking about family portrait, sessions, mention you know in that caption about a specific location or an area, or tag a location. I'm more likely to see it if it's in my area. All of those things together now are serving a different purpose. You're going back to that original idea of the mindset behind the post is not to sell. The mindset behind the post is now to educate, to inspire or entertain, and I'm not looking to necessarily have someone click on that post and book with me, but I am looking to start building a relationship with a potential client and this post is going to do that. You're also training the algorithm on telling them who your post should be shown to.

Speaker 1: 19:15

The other part of this third point I'm trying to make, which I think I got a little off track on, but bear with me is that you have to be open to the idea that your ideal client consumes a different type of content than you would typically create, and this is where trial and error and experimentation come in. You cannot get stuck in just one type of content. If you are a photographer and you're like I just want to post pretty pictures, that's all I want to do. You're going to get lost in the growth and the change that social media is making. Now I know a lot of you listening are just going to be like oh, I know you're telling me this means I need to make video and I don't want to make video. That's not what I'm saying. I'm not saying you have to make video. Video definitely is right now trending towards like. This is what people wanna watch and people wanna consume, but that doesn't mean that's what you have to do.

Speaker 1: 20:08

Maybe your audience doesn't like video because they're scrolling their Instagram feed while they're holding a napping baby and they don't wanna have sound on, or they just wanna do something else on social media. They're there to learn something, so they prefer carousels, or maybe it's Instagram stories. Maybe they really wanna get involved in learning about somebody's behind the scenes and the life. Maybe they really like those candid behind the scenes photos you post of like not the pretty edited ones, but the ones where it's like you in the field, laying on the ground, taking the photo, or maybe it's the like the before and after edit, or it's the black and white versus color.

Speaker 1: 20:48

You have to experiment with different things and you have to be willing to look at your data, go into your analytics and figure out what are the posts that I've made in the last six months that have done really well, like what have people really engaged with? Have there been certain hooks or calls to action that I've done that they really liked? If I ask a simple question like do you prefer this in color or black and white, do I get more engagement than if I ask an open-ended question, something like what would you choose to what location would you have a family session? In Using that data and being willing to experiment and get out of the what you've always done mode is gonna really help you with social media. So let's walk back through the three things, because I know I said I was gonna keep this short and sweet. I wanna live up to that.

Speaker 1: 21:39

Number one is you have to go into it knowing what platform are you going to be focusing on, and go on and on learning that platform. What does that platform want from you? What does that platform do? How do the users interact with it? And really learn that platform so that you can get really good at creating the content that is gonna get noticed on that platform. I know I've said platform a lot. Don't turn that into a drinking game you'll be drunk.

Speaker 1: 22:05

Number two was changing the mindset around, the expectation of what that content on social media is gonna do for you. If you go into it every time thinking I'm gonna make a post and I'm gonna get more clients, you're gonna walk away disappointed. So if you go into it with the mindset of I'm gonna create a post that is going to build a community, that's going to open a conversation, that's going to drive traffic to my website, that's going to get people on my email list, change the expectation and you will be much happier with the results that you get. And then number three was be open to the idea that what you've always done may not work anymore and you need to change, you need to evolve and you need to be willing to try new things, because you never know when something that you do is going to be the magical thing that works at this moment and it might work for now, may not work in six months.

Speaker 1: 22:58

Reels were huge two years ago. Everybody that was doing reels was blowing up. They were getting viral hits, they were getting seen by everybody, and it was this big deal. Reels are still a thing, but they're not nearly as powerful as they were before. Now people are really wanting carousels. They want to swipe through and learn something, or they like funny memes and things that make them laugh. Those are things that are working right now. Again, in two months from now, or even by the time this episode airs, it could be different. You have to be willing to pay attention to what's working on the platform that you choose, and adjust and adapt and try new things. If you just get stuck in your ways of I'm only going to do this one thing, you're going to get burned out and you're going to feel frustrated. So be open to try new things.

Speaker 1: 23:50

The whole idea behind this episode was I want you to get out of this block that you may have. I want you to get unstuck around the idea that social media has to be something that you just do. You just check off a box on your to-do list. Oh, I posted to Instagram today. Oh, I posted to Facebook today. I want it to be something that A we balance out our expectation and the return on investment. So I want us to. If we're only getting a 10% return on our investment. Only put a 10% effort into it. Do not focus all your effort on social media if it's not bringing your return. And then it's all about expectations. Managing the expectations of what social media and the content you put out is going to do for your business will help you to feel less frustrated and help you to feel less burned out when it comes to creating that content in your business. I hope this episode made some sense. I was honestly just kind of trying to get all in before my computer just completely blows up it's still being really loud and I don't know what's happening but I hope that this episode is helpful to you. I hope it helps you to shift your mindset around social media and get a little bit more clear on the purpose behind how you're using social media in your marketing.

Speaker 1: 25:08

If you have questions around this episode, if you wanna dive more into your social media strategy, please feel free to reach out to me on Instagram. You can find me at girlmeansbusiness. You can always also head down to the show notes. There is an ask me anything link where you can submit a question If you have a specific question that you want answered here on the podcast or a topic you want me to cover on the podcast. Please, please, please, fill out that form. Let me know what your questions and your topics are and I promise I will get to them here on the show. Otherwise, I hope you have an amazing week and I will see you back here next week, same time, same place. Thanks again for tuning in to this week's episode. Don't forget to leave a review and follow us on socials at girlmeansbusiness. See you next week.