You’ve heard the old adage, “less is more”, right?

Well, I’m here to tell you, that does NOT apply to social media! There are over 40 million businesses using social media to advertise, and plenty of them are doing the same thing you are. It’s not enough to have a great product or service, you’ve also got to have the social media strategy that gets you in front of your target audience, and that is not easy!

When you’re trying to build your online community, increase your reach, and boost your brand awareness, you have to be very present on social media, and you have to be RELIABLY present- meaning that you have to post regularly and consistently to build your audience and gain their trust. Every business that uses social media as their main marketing tool should post AT LEAST once a day- bare minimum.

Some of you might be thinking, “But Sophie, you told me I should only post as often as I have valuable, interesting content. What if I don’t have that every day?”

If you don’t have the time or inclination to churn out an endless stream of fresh, valuable, interesting content by yourself, you need to hire someone to do it. Honestly, it’s more affordable than you think.

You also need a variety of content. Some posts can be text only, but you should incorporate plenty of great images, and don’t forget about video! All kinds of video- tutorials, behind the scenes, product demonstrations, and especially live video. Its popularity is skyrocketing with no signs of slowing down, so grab your camera and go live!

As a general rule, about 70% of your content should be original, but that just means that 30% can be curated from other sources, and it can take all kinds of forms. You can share articles or industry blog posts, or fun stuff like memes, favorite quotes, or cool videos. Just make sure that it fits your vibe and message and share away!

When you’re devising a posting schedule and thinking about your content variety, creating a content calendar can be really helpful. Try to plan a month ahead and decide what type of content you’re going to post each day. Content calendars are great for keeping you accountable and ensuring that you have enough variety to keep your audience interested.

The most important thing to remember is this- if you’re going to succeed on social media, you’ve got to SHOW UP on social media. You have to be there every single day making those connections with your audience in a meaningful way that makes you memorable. That doesn’t happen in two or three posts a week.

If you want more straight talk about social media, check out this week’s episode of Building Your Empire with SophieZo.