Note: If you like what you see, please consider following me on Twitter. Thanks!
So you've got a website, a blog and a Facebook page. You might even have a Twitter account, depending on your line of business and how much free time you have. You're headed in the right direction. Now what?
THE POWER OF CONSISTENCY
It sounds simple, but it can't be overemphasized - you have to post updates on a consistent basis. People need to know that there will be new content when they check in with you. Make a plan and stick to your schedule! Consider this:
- What if the New York Times was published every two or three days?
- What if your favorite football team played whenever they felt motivated?
- What if your favorite restaurant was open 24 hours a day one week and only open for lunch the next?
The point is, you rely on certain businesses to be consistently available to you as a consumer. Likewise, your business is consistent too - you open and close at the same hours, you offer the same products and service each time. Your company's social media efforts should also be consistent.
THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF INCONSISTENCY
Let's say you update your blog every day for two weeks. Then you suddenly switch to a twice-weekly schedule, for whatever reason. Here's what will happen:
- People will look for your daily updates. They won't find them. Many will go elsewhere.
- When your readers stop visiting, you're going to be less motivated to update. Your twice-weekly schedule could slip to once-a-week and, eventually once-whenever-you-feel-like-it.
- Go back to Step #1. Repeat.
Not good. You're going to lose all the momentum you built up with those initial daily updates. So how can you maintain consistency? First and foremost, you have to work at it. Beyond that, there's something to be said for starting small and keeping your social media efforts manageable. More on that last point in a future post...