Social Media Strategy Requires Repetition

They say; less is more.

Who are ‘they’? I’m not sure, but they know what they’re talking about, at least as far as social media marketing is concerned. I know you’ve read enough emails and blog posts this week about reflection on 2020 and looking ahead into 2021… And if you haven’t, it’s likely because you’ve been actively avoiding it.

After the year we’ve had, I don’t blame you! I just have a tiny bit of looking ahead to do with you today, I hope you’ll indulge me and keep reading!

I know you don’t love spending all your time on social media. And the online marketing landscape has changed so much in the last year, you may be feeling defeated by the seemingly all time-low your engagement trend shows.

Let’s talk about how we can work toward seeing green when we open our analytics, create connection and community on social media (as we originally set out to do) and market effectively on the platform!

Let’s Simplify!

I know it sounds far out, but with the proper data collection ahead of time and the willingness to suffer through some trial and error, I know you can achieve all that -- and more on Instagram.

I’m not about to lead you down the repurposing content rabbit hole, today, but I do want to discuss the power of repetition.

I often hear coaches, clinicians and clinician-coaches alike hate on repetition. The sentiment most often expressed is that the audience won’t be into it and ultimately disengage. This could not be further from the truth, which we’ll cover momentarily. The real tea ?? is that it can feel redundant, boring and dare I say joy-sucking to repeat ourselves online, over and over and over.

-- especially without immediate feedback.

As content consumers we receive constant and instantaneous feedback. Building a personal brand on social media looks and feels very different, no doubt. The feedback we will receive waxes and wanes. It may even be negative feedback (which seldom looks like constructive criticism on the internet… after all we can’t always interpret tone). Your WHY and desire to serve are what will carry you through the quiet times, loud times and the times that bring worry.

Clinicians are uniquely qualified to operate in the online business space because you show up with evidence based practices and bullet proof ethics to match. You’ve got a couple degrees and all the experience. Seriously.

As such, it’s important to meet your audience where they’re at. Think for a moment of the ‘teach a man to fish’ adage. In the case of social media marketing, we certainly don’t want to give the man (your ideal client) a fish (everything they need to know to solve their problem) -- without the support of the therapeutic or coaching relationship. We don’t want to simply teach the man to fish either -- we need to meet him in the city, explain the process and its importance, road trip to the parking lot of the hiking trail, hike to the river and then teach him to fish.

This process includes many steps, rapport building, contact points and a mutual understanding. Add in the complexity of how, when & why humans online join our audience(s) on social media, it sounds like a tall order to convert those who are consuming your content into paying clientele!

But it doesn’t have to be that way,*cue repetition*

Let’s explore how repetition can support the growth of your thriving personal brand and make you money on social media:

The Mere Exposure Effect

It's simple... The more we see it, the more we like it and the better we know it. Familiarity builds trust, when it comes to your online presence consistency and repetition are two peas in a pod.

The Rule of 7

The reality is that this marketing ‘rule’ is outdated, it says that; on average it takes seven interactions with your brand before a purchase will take place. While I agree with the principle, with all the noise online and the stigma associated with mental healthcare this average may be much higher.

Here’s a few tips to bust this myth with your marketing:

• Be very clear on who your customer is, both explicitly online and implicitly when creating content
• Create a strategy, that possibly includes paid retargeting, to keep your brand top of mind
• Focus on using different video content mediums to drive connection, trust and expertise

Understand the Role of Time

That’s right, part of this process truly is, checking your expectations. Repetition is important and it works best over time. Consider how you can implement a 90 day cycle in which you market your message on a strategic and intentional schedule.

When it comes to social media marketing, strong messaging considers the need and appreciates the power of repetition.

In 2021 I invite you to create less new content. Focus on how you can explore your content pillars in ways that you did not in 2020. This may look like utilizing additional content mediums (like video, it’s so powerful) and/or tapping into creativity to move away from educational psychoeducation style content.

If you’re not sure what this could look like, there’s still time to join The Ethical Engagement Challenge! It’s a FREE 14-day Instagram Challenge for clinician content creators to grow their reach and engagement, ethically, with daily content prompts and bonus live video content!

I'd be so happy to have you! Prompt one drops January 4, 2021. Sign up here!

Talk soon,