Social Media, Top Tips And Resources.
Social Media is often overwhelming for many people when they get started or are thinking about entering the world of Social Media. Sometimes people will put off and procrastinate joining the Social Media platforms because they’re not sure where to begin.
But, be assured we all started somewhere, and all of us started with no followers or idea what we were doing. Social Media is not a test, and there is no pass or fail. Just be aware of the rules, abide by each platform’s policies and start!
No one will judge you because we’ve all been there too!
Here are some general tips that apply to all Social Media:
- Don’t be spammy by posting only self-promotional content. Share good stuff from a variety of sources. This will help you to appear as an authority on your favourite topics as opposed to someone who only wants to hear themselves talk.
- Treat others as you would like to be treated! In other words, don’t follow and unfollow in large quantities just to build a following. And don’t message people you don’t know well with sales pitches and links. Get to know your followers first, build a relationship, and find topics and interests you have in common.
- Share other people’s stuff whether by retweeting, sharing, repinning or reblogging. Of course, don’t share on Instagram; it’s not allowed. You need to ask permission before sharing anything on Instagram. But all the other leading platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, and LinkedIn, enable and even encourage sharing,
- When starting, choose one platform to concentrate on first. This will allow you to learn the ropes and be more consistent and engaging on that platform. If you spread yourself too thin by trying to master every Social media site at once, none of them will probably work as well as it could for you.
- Don’t cross-post between platforms UNLESS you have a lot of unique followers and friends per platform. The same followers don’t want to see the same stuff from you on every platform. If you have followers who only follow you on one platform, then you can cross-post some stuff but keep it to a minimum. Never sent “fb.me” posts to Twitter! Most twitter folks don’t appreciate those types of posts.
- Post consistently but don’t go overboard. There is a bit of controversy as to how often to post on each Social Media site, but generally speaking quality always beats quantity. You don’t want to get a reputation for posting tons of low-quality stuff. Your followers will probably stop reading what you share, mute you, or even unfollow/unfriend you!
- Don’t set your profile to private! I often get people who follow, but their profile or account is set to private, so I have no way of knowing who they are or what their interests are. I don’t usually bother following private accounts because it suggests that they aren’t interested in engaging or that they are a porn account.
- Use Mobile Apps. The vast majority of people on Social Media use mobile, so take advantage of the convenience that the various apps provide.
- Hashtags are useful on all Social Media now. But use hashtags selectively and don’t overdo it. Two or three is suitable for all platforms, although you can use more on Instagram. Although Instagram allows up to thirty hashtags, approximately 10 is a good amount. There’s a good article by HootSuite that discusses how many hashtags to use on Instagram.
- Don’t be controversial, rude, or pornographic. Even ‘private’ accounts aren’t truly private, it’s the internet, after all, so save any controversial opinions for home-they don’t belong on the web.
- Skip any type of ‘validation’ service, like TruTwit for Twitter, to filter out bots. These types of validation services only alienate real people. Take the time to check new followers manually if you’re unsure or suspicious.
There are a few top tips for getting started on Social Media.
For additional help getting started on Social Media, here are a few apps and programs that I either have used or currently use. A few of these app links are affiliate links but don’t be hesitant about clicking on them or using them; You can read my disclosure policy here.
General;
I always use a VPN for all of my online, both desktop and mobile, work. On mobile, I currently use Proton VPN. I use the paid version, which offers access to global VPN-IP addresses. It works well and has a secure core and stay connected mode that stops all cross tracking, which I like.
Twitter;
My current go-to tool for managing who has unfollowed me on Twitter is an app called, Find Unfollowers on Twitter. ( IOS version). It’s not a fancy app, but it shows me who has unfollowed me, which is all I need right now.
Facebook;
Many people are concerned about privacy on Facebook these days. Also, a lot of people in Blogging, Social Media, or Marketing need to access multiple accounts.
To help me with both of these concerns, I currently use an independent mobile app.
Friendly, for IOS, allows me to access the multiple Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger accounts that I manage from one app. I’ve been using it for about a year, and so far, I’m happy with this app’s features. There is a free and paid version. I use the paid version to get rid of ads.
Update: I didn’t have any problems with Friendly, but I recently upgraded my iPhone and am now just using the native FB apps. I may start using Friendly again since it lets me access, so many accounts from one app, and when you’re managing social media accounts for several other people and businesses simplicity rules.
Instagram;
To help keep track of new followers are and who has unfollowed me on Instagram, I use Followers. (IOS version)
I’m relatively happy with the paid version that I currently use. The small monthly cost saves me a ton of time and is worth it.
I’m sure the above apps are also available for Android.
Stay tuned for more tips and tools because I’ll be updating this page often.
NOTE; If you need help with your Social Media Management, please contact me on my business site.
Thanks,
Amanda