What do you do if your design business is struggling to utilize social media and online platforms for growth?

When you're asked to "audit presence," it means taking a close look at how you're showing up online, especially on social media. Imagine you're someone else looking at your social media profiles and website. What platforms are you using? What kind of things are you posting? Are people engaging with your content? Figure out what's working well and what could be better. Maybe you need to update your profiles to make them look more consistent, or change what you're saying to match your brand better.

As part of the process to "audit presence", evaluate your profile information and photos across the social media platforms you are active on. Ideally, your design business's brand voice, colors, fonts and overall style should be consistent. Keeping these consistent will reinforce your brand presence and make your content instantly recognizable to potential clients.

I had a friend who wanted to provide Graphic Design and Branding services online. Their first thought was to create an instagram page and share some design general tips. After looking at their page in detail, I found out that most people following and commenting on their post were actually other content creators providing the same services. The reason was that the hashtag that they were using was typically not used by anybody else other than this group of entrepreneurs. Beware when you create content, you may end up in a loop where you are unfortunately only attracting those who use your keywords instead of those who need your services. Instead, consider sharing a successful design case from beginning to end. Tell a story!

Conducting a comprehensive audit of your social media and online presence is a smart move to ensure alignment with your brand and target audience. Here's how you might approach it: Platform Assessment: Start by listing all the social media platforms where your brand has a presence. This could include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, etc. Content Analysis: Review the type of content you're currently sharing on each platform. Evaluate whether it aligns with your brand identity, values, and objectives. Pay attention to the engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares) to see which types of content are resonating most with your audience.

To improve your design business's online presence, audit your current social media strategies, tailor content to resonate with your audience, optimize profiles, develop a robust content strategy, sustain audience engagement, and use visually captivating content.

Imagine you're setting out on a journey. What do you want to reach by the end of it? Maybe you want more people to know about your brand, or you want more visitors to your website, or you want people to interact more with your posts. Your goals need to be clear, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This means they should be specific enough that you can tell when you've reached them, and they should be things you can actually do.

Define your goals clearly so that you can chart your path to successfully achieving them. Some goals that you might want to consider are: driving traffic to your website, connecting with more potential clients through the various platforms' direct messaging, and as previously discussed, increasing your following and brand awareness. Each platform will have different preferred methods to accomplish these goals, so dive deep into the informational pages for members, take a coaching program, or consider hiring a consultant with expertise in the specific platform you are engaging on.

Some of the opportunities and challenges you should consider when using social media for business in order to make the most of it and avoid common pitfalls. - directly target customers with marketing campaigns - promote new products or services - build brand awareness - personally interact with existing and potential customers - measure referrals from your social media activity to sales. There is an ever-growing list of social media giants to consider. Think LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch and more. Each of these networks has its own demographic, ethos and methodology, and requires a subtly different approach. Creating a social media presence warrants a strategic and focused approach for long term.

defining clear and SMART goals is essential for guiding your online strategy effectively. Here's how you might define goals for your online presence: Specific: Clearly state what you want to achieve. For example, instead of saying "increase brand awareness," specify that you want to "increase brand awareness by 20% among our target audience within six months." Measurable: Establish metrics that you can use to track your progress and determine success. This could include metrics like website traffic, social media engagement rates, or lead generation numbers. Achievable: Ensure that your goals are realistic and attainable given your resources and constraints. Setting overly ambitious goals can lead to frustration and burnout.

Content Analysis: Analyze the type of content you've been posting and its performance. Identify which types of content resonate best with your audience and generate the most engagement. Consider incorporating a mix of visuals, videos, infographics, case studies, and behind-the-scenes content to keep your feed dynamic and engaging.

What's the point in answering any of these? I had 3 badges and they have all been taken off me Engaged audience? Done that... now what? Does LinkedIn actually care if you put any effort in? Absolutely not Don't dare be different or in anyway creative They don't like it at all

Imagine you're throwing a party, and you want everyone to have a good time and join in on the fun. To engage your audience online, you need to start conversations, reply to comments, and post things that make people want to interact with you. For example, you could share behind-the-scenes looks at how you work, or ask people for their opinions on new ideas you have. Social media is all about connecting with others, so the more you engage with your followers, the more they'll feel connected to your brand and want to support you.

Stop the scroll. If your followers are not stopping to look at your content, you are invisible (gasp!) to them. Consider it this way, you are likely just as busy as your social media followers. Do you have time to stop and read or watch content that is of no interest to you, doesn't enrich, educate, or solve a problem in your life? Exactly, no. So it is always best to think in terms of your followers' wants and needs if you expect them to stop scrolling on by and take a look at what you have to offer.

engagement is crucial for fostering a thriving online community and driving social media success. Here are some key strategies to engage your audience effectively: Initiate Conversations: Start meaningful conversations with your followers by asking questions, seeking their opinions, or inviting them to share their experiences related to your brand or industry. Respond to Comments: Actively monitor comments on your posts and respond promptly. Acknowledge and thank followers for their input, address any questions or concerns, and engage in genuine conversations to build rapport. Share Interactive Content: Create content that encourages interaction, such as polls, quizzes, contests, or interactive stories.

Engage your audience by understanding their preferences. Share content that resonates with your audience, respond to comments, and collaborate with influencers. Use visuals effectively and offer incentives for interaction ("follow our page and tag 3 friends for this giveaway"). Always stay authentic to build trust.

Your content should show off your design skills while also giving something valuable to your audience. This could be helpful tips, interesting facts about your industry, or stories about projects you've done. To keep things interesting, you might mix it up with different types of content, like videos or graphics. The key is to be consistent in when you post and make sure everything you share is high quality, so people keep coming back for more.

My personal look out is , focus on your content strategy. Figure out who your audience is and what they like, then create engaging posts that show off your design skills. Be consistent on LinkedIn and other platforms, sharing behind-the-scenes peeks, design tips, and client stories to keep things interesting and attract potential clients. That what I learn from live experience

There are many mediums to express your brand's voice and for the most part, one is not better than another. However, there is one aspect that needs to be paramount. Most anything you post should reflect well on your business and be relevant in some way to pique potential clients' interest in what you do. In other words, be careful not to confuse followers with irrelevant content that clouds their understanding of who you are and why they should care.

a well-defined content strategy is fundamental for effectively showcasing your design expertise and building a strong online presence. Here are some key elements to consider when developing your content strategy: Value-driven Content: Ensure that your content provides value to your audience. This could include sharing design tips, industry insights, case studies, or tutorials that demonstrate your expertise and help your audience solve their problems or achieve their goals. Diversification: Incorporate a variety of content types to keep your audience engaged and interested. This could include articles, blog posts, videos, infographics, live sessions, podcasts, or interactive content such as quizzes or polls.

Charts, graphs, and percentages - you like to see it! There was once a mayor in NYC who was known for asking his constituents the question "How am I doing?" So this is kind of like that. Each platform will give you a plethora of information to help you get a handle on the effectiveness of your social media activity. This is great because it is like getting a report card on everything you do and try. Take the time to evaluate these stats on a regular schedule so that you know what works (do more of this) and what doesn't (do less of that).

leveraging analytics tools to track the performance of your social media activities is essential for refining and optimizing your strategy over time. Here's how you can effectively analyze data to enhance your social media presence: Platform Insights: Take advantage of the analytics and insights provided by each social media platform. These tools offer valuable data on metrics such as engagement rates, reach, impressions, click-through rates, and follower demographics. Key Metrics: Pay attention to key metrics that align with your goals, such as engagement rates (likes, comments, shares), click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and follower growth

Regularly monitor your social media analytics to track your progress towards your goals. Adjust your strategy as needed based on performance data and feedback from your audience.

adaptability is key to staying relevant and effective in the ever-changing online landscape. Here's how you can adapt your strategies to keep pace with evolving trends: Stay Informed: Stay updated on the latest trends and developments in social media and design by following industry blogs, attending webinars, and participating in relevant communities. This awareness will help you anticipate changes and opportunities in the digital space. Experimentation: Be open to experimenting with new platforms, features, and formats to see what resonates with your audience. For example, try incorporating Instagram Stories, LinkedIn articles, or live video into your content strategy to engage with your audience in different ways.

The same thing U'd do if it were in any other business category in an otherwise identical situation. Create frequent content that highlights your skills. I'm still struggling to get the engagement I want in culture change & leadership training. So far, starting a podcast where I interview category relevant guests is working best. I edit & slice one video into 14 ish pieces of short & 1 long form content, then schedule them 2 go out once a day 2 my social media networks & YouTube. Ask everyone U connect with who might: 1 ) Want 2 b your guest on a podcast. 2 ) Wants U 2 B their guest on 1. Try online design summits. Dump or change anything that doesn't grow. Test & iterate until U find the best approach 4 U. tim #bgreen??

I am actually guilty of this ineptness, I actually have been trying to get my content creation game up and running but I struggle with pressure to create for pop culture as they are my audience and also for the business/corporation. It all feels stressful, maybe because I am freelancing at the moment but when I was in a corporation I could tell you this, having a routine greatly inspires your creativity to harness the social media tool. It felt like I wasn't myself if I didn't create content a day. As humans we are creatures of habit and habits form our lives, it's all in the habit forming take it a day at a time, try I social media account then try two and try more and so on before you know it you be got a full time job creating daily.