Small business owners are told that we MUST be on social media to get more business so we start chaotically throwing spaghetti at the wall and post to just post.

Here are the 5 mistakes business owners need to stop making and the easy solutions to put into action to stand out and also become less overwhelmed.

You'll learn how to diversify your content, create a brand that stands out, and build confidence to keep going.

Problem: You’re using one social platform.

Solution: Diversify your content across many platforms.

You need to know where your audience is hanging out which means you need to know all about the demographics of social media platforms.

Facebook still is the king but probably getting missed in your feed. Find groups and pages with your dream clients. Nearly 3 billion users, from all age groups spending 58 minutes a day on this platform. Facebook users enjoy Groups, seeing what their friends and family are doing, messaging friends, and watching lives. Though, FB does have an older demographic of over 40.

Instagram has over 1 billion users, 18 to 35-year-olds spending 53 minutes a day scrolling along. Over 40 women are a fast-growing segment of users here. IG is no longer just a photo-sharing app as 500 million spend their time in video features like Stories, Reels, and Lives.

TikTok has over 1 billion users, 13 to 18-year-olds spending 52 minutes a day mindlessly scrolling in their for you page. Over 40 women are a fast-growing segment of users on Tiktok. It's not JUST a place to dance; it's a place to serve your audience with bite-sized, entertaining content.

If your dream client fits one of the above, start there but also remember that YouTube and Pinterest are search engines. Find a way to incorporate your content there, as well.

Problem: You’re using bad or stock photography plus inconsistent graphics.

Solution: Create a personal brand on a budget.

Invest in lifestyle photography for your brand. It’s not about headshots anymore, it’s time to show yourself and what you do. Grab clients, hit a coffee shop, and show your work in action with others.

Once you’ve got the photos, it’s time to create branding to stop the scroll. Come up with colors, fonts, and use them on everything. Use Canva to create Canva templates. Yes, I said Canva. This program can be intimidating at first but give it time and patience and you’ll find it an amazing tool for creating a cohesive brand.

Problem: You don’t have a content plan,

Solution: Create consistent content.

Your brand will be taken seriously if you commit to regular content categories.

Remember, it can't all be selling... use the 80/20 rule and my CITES Method of creating content categories for your website and social media. This method is great for creating blog posts that then go onto social media.

Those CITES are ..

CONNECT: Creating emotions, fears, stories
INSPIRE: Your story, journey, mistakes not to make
TEACH: Learn from not (not look at me)
ENTERTAIN: Think viral, TikTok
SELL: Very direct with your audience

Content ideas include:

Teach: could be Tip Tuesday or Teach me Thursday

Connect: with your audience on a business struggle you’ve had and how your product/service solved that

Inspire: could be Wednesday Wisdom or Motivational Monday

Pick one day to sell … promote products, services, highlight customer reviews

Entertain: your audience with a funny Reel or TikTok that teaches about what you do

I have Tip Tuesday, Wednesday Wisdom and sprinkle in the rest. Stuck on content strategy? Download my 6 week social media jumpstart plan.

Problem: You’re not showing up on video.

Solution: Open the iPhone and start shooting.

In a recent survey, video ads were the #1 way consumers discovered a brand they later purchased from. 94% of consumers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service.

Social media has moved from a photo sharing app to also a video sharing app. Only a handful are taking advantage of this so it’s PRIME for early adoption.

The key, show your face, which builds relatability and that’s so powerful to know, like, trust. Those that get past the way they sound, look, and the tech will soar. But the first step is doing it and knowing it doesn’t have to be perfect

Simple strategies you can do now:

Go live on Facebook/Instagram

Download the video, purpose to other platforms

BONUS: Download, post to website for better Google rankings

Problem: You don’t have a website.

Solution: Create a simple website.

You own your website. You don’t own your social media. Work on getting found on Google by knowing your keywords and adding them into your content on your website. The CITES method above will guide you on what to develop. Create a web content plan THEN amplify it on social media.

You’ll also have a place for the ever so important call to action part of your captions and social media post copy.

Struggling with all of these? Steal my six week planner for website and social media content.

Where do you need to start showing up in your business?