Do You Have Fun With Your Social Media Strategy? Jessica Lunk Does your social media strategy feel like a chore? Do you create posts that your audience doesn’t engage with? It’s easy to get discouraged when your social media strategy just isn’t working despite your best efforts. When social media marketing isn’t fun, it’s time to change something. “I live by the rule, if it’s not fun, I’m not doing it.” – Kim Doyal Social media can provide you answers, inspiration, and motivation. So how can you centralize your social media strategy around having fun? Use your heart. You’re emotionally and personally invested in your business, so replicate that in your marketing. Your biggest fans will be the ones that know without a doubt that you love what you do. Talking about your passions and having others respond is so rewarding. Get in front of your customers online. If you provide great customer service, they will provide the engagement you seek. Explore your creativity. Through my years exploring social media channels and the web, I’ve found that I have the most fun when I find my niche. Social media allows you to find like-minded people with similar interests, voice, and style. Get out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there! Explore and you will find your treasure chest. Break from what you know and dip your toe in other social networks; stick with the channels you enjoy participating in. Being creative and real will help you break from the noise. Show some personality. Don’t be afraid to be yourself on social media. If social media teaches us anything is that you can be yourself and still find acceptance. On top of that, it’s easier than ever! Your online tone and voice will take some work to develop. If it feels wrong, then it’s wrong. If it feels forced, it’s forced. Use your company values as the background to your online brand. Be wary of automated social media response tools because your audience will be quick to sniff it out. Context is everything on social media. You can be silly online but looking like a fool won’t get you far. “Take your time, find out what it is you want to do, and develop it by having fun with it.” – Steve Ewing Don’t be scared. Be human. Social media is a two way street. Once you get yourself out there, engage with others without self-promoting. Respond to every tweet or comment – not because a social media expert told you to but because it makes people feel good to be heard. Provide valuable feedback and conversation to build a relationship because you don’t just walk into a networking event shouting about your business. At the end of the day, life is all about relationship building. Don’t lose your human and don’t be afraid of being emotionally vulnerable. If it’s fun, you’ll have the time. Be emotionally invested in your social media marketing. “People don’t buy what you do but why you do it.” If you aren’t excited about it, how can anyone else be? If you are creating noise, you will not see the engagement you want. Get the social conversation going with great customer service and keep it going by having fun with it. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou Shout out to Nickelodeon for creating Spongebob Squarepants and years of fun inspiration!