Social media is a powerful tool for motivational speakers who want to reach and inspire more people. But how do you use it effectively to engage and grow your audience? In this article, you'll learn some practical tips and strategies to make the most of your online presence and personal brand.
Not all social media platforms are created equal. Some may suit your style, message, and goals better than others. For example, if you're good at storytelling and creating captivating visuals, you might prefer Instagram or YouTube. If you're more focused on sharing insights and tips, you might opt for Twitter or LinkedIn. The key is to choose the platforms that align with your target audience, your strengths, and your purpose.
Noticing the trends is also important. At one time, Twitter was one of my favorite platforms for engaging, then Instagram, and currently Facebook private groups. The industry changes and noticing trends helps decide the best use of your time.
Content is king when it comes to social media. You want to create content that educates, entertains, or empowers your audience. You also want to make sure that your content is relevant to your niche, your brand, and your audience's needs and interests. For example, if you're a motivational speaker who specializes in personal development, you might share content that helps your audience overcome challenges, achieve goals, or develop habits. You can also mix up your content formats, such as videos, podcasts, blogs, or live streams, to keep your audience engaged and interested.
I've noticed that while content is important, the information should be visually pleasing. This means using graphics and highlighting key words, or incorporating bullet points of information. Grabbing your reader in the first few lines is what keeps them reading. If you use graphics then Pinterest is a great platform to use to reach readers.
Social media is not a one-way street. You need to interact with your audience to build trust, rapport, and loyalty. You can do this by responding to comments, messages, and feedback, asking questions, conducting polls or surveys, hosting Q&A sessions, or joining relevant groups or communities. By interacting with your audience, you can show them that you care, that you value their opinions, and that you're open to learning from them. You can also use these interactions to gather insights, testimonials, or ideas for your future content or speaking engagements.
I love using fun giveaways, even if it is a five-page document or more containing helpful information, to encourage my audience to opt into my email lists. Usually, new email opt-ins receive a three to five-segment auto-responder that gives helpful and timely information and resources. Many of my readers reply to the emails. Sometimes this can be overwhelming as your list grows, but it helps to send people to our private groups to chat further.
Consistency and authenticity are essential for growing your social media audience. You want to post regularly and frequently, but not too much or too little. You want to maintain a consistent tone, style, and message across your platforms, but not sound robotic or repetitive. You want to be authentic and genuine, but not overshare or be too controversial. You want to balance your personal and professional sides, but not mix them too much or too little. The key is to find your sweet spot and stick to it.
Your audience will resonate with honesty, transparency, and authenticity. Social media can be a lead generator but should be used for getting your message out without always pitching your products. I think it's important to monitor your social media platform and reply to messages and posts in a timely manner. This may include hiring help to do this at some point but showing up regardless shows you care.
Collaborating with others is a great way to expand your reach and exposure on social media. You can collaborate with other motivational speakers, influencers, experts, or organizations that share your vision, values, or niche. You can also collaborate with your audience, by featuring them, inviting them, or co-creating with them. You can collaborate in various ways, such as guest posting, cross-promoting, interviewing, co-hosting, or partnering. By collaborating with others, you can leverage their networks, credibility, and expertise, and provide more value and diversity to your audience.
One of the ways I collaborate is on my podcast platform. Some years ago, I created two different podcast platforms and invited other podcasters to join me. We appear as guests, share podcasts, and collaborate on other media campaigns. In this way, we share our connections. This is a benefit to both of us. While podcasts are cropping up everywhere, I began one platform in 2013 and another in 2016. My experience has helped many, and our audience is growing. Bringing good information to our audience, having passion for our topics, and helping others is the goal of my platform.
Collaboration over Competition is the secret to success!If you help other speakers the way you would want to get helped, then, You would achieve things that only can be imagined. For eg: If you sit on the sofa after posting on social media, and, dance up and down if a few people like and comment on your post, then, you have to understand that those few people gave you a lot of happiness! So, Now, when other motivational speaker who is posting something on social media, then, if you go ahead and engage with their content, then, you become the reason for their happiness. Soon, This gestures start to amplify and you start getting a lot of love from unexpected areas. Also, This would help you create a network with other motivational speakers.
Finally, you need to measure and improve your impact on social media. You need to track and analyze your metrics, such as followers, engagement, reach, conversions, or revenue. You need to identify what works and what doesn't, what resonates and what doesn't, what attracts and what repels. You need to test and experiment with different strategies, tactics, or tools. You need to learn from your successes and failures, and adjust accordingly. By measuring and improving your impact, you can optimize your social media performance and achieve your goals.
We can see our analytics on our website and other social media tools. We change our strategies often, and that means where we spend our ad dollars.
Ultimately social media can improve your brand with careful attention to your messaging and those who engage with you. Over the years, my care and compassion for my audience and mentoring others have been the key to my success. While there are many imitators, you will find that if you are passionate about your product or service, it will resonate with your audience.