Hello, my beautiful friends and welcome to another episode of The Hayley Osborne Show. I’m Hayley and I am so glad you’re here. This is episode 63.
Over the course of last week and this week here on the podcast, I’m going to share with you 10 things today and I shared 10 things last week you need to know as a small business owner about social media. I decided to split the episodes into 2 so they both leave you inspired and motivated without feeling overwhelmed. You may not necessarily agree with everything I am going to say, and that’s ok, because I’m not here to please everyone. So those that find my style inspiring then I think you’ll be in for a real treat with this episode. If you haven’t got to listening to last weeks episode yet, I suggest you head back and have a listen after you listen to this weeks. You’ll be very motivated and inspired I guarantee.
Before I get into it, I want to give a shout out to a new small business cheat sheet I’ve made. It’s not just any old cheat sheet, however it’s specifically for small business. So if you have a small business, then this is for you.
One thing I found that has kept coming up over and over with my private coaching clients and inside my membership, is small business owners do not understand exactly what they need to be including and doing within their Instagram account to have it fully optimised. Often more times that not you are so close to your business and your social media that you can’t see the forest through the trees. You just cant see what it needs anymore. This is super common. But don’t worry, I got you.
This cheat sheet is FREE, and it covers exactly what you need on your businesses Instagram account to optimise the bageezus out of it, what works and what you should be including.
It’s my Small Business Instagram Cheat Sheet and you can grab it over on www.hayleyosborne.com. You can’t miss it. It’s right at the top of my website.
What this covers are things like what you should include in your Instagram bio so it’s optimised, your account name, how to optimise the posts at the top of your Instagram page, aesthetics, reels and so much more. It’s a short punchy cheat sheet to get you appearing to the 2.35 billion monthly active users as optimal as you possibly can.
Now let’s get into the episode with 10 (more, very important) things small business owners need to know about social media.
- What you post is important. Don’t post to your social media accounts for the sake of it. You should have your cornerstone topics that act like your concrete slab, these then make up your caption categories and photo/video topics. Don’t stress too much if you haven’t worked out what this looks like for you. Over time, they will come. But, if this is something you are struggling with and you want it now, this is exactly what I do for you within my social media strategy. If you want to know a little more about what this looks like head over to my website www.hayleyosborne.com/workwithme to find out more. It’s delicious and juicy and will be your guide and checklist to everything you need to be doing on your social media. That nice juicy push in the right direction to get you on the right track, personalised for you and your business. I live and breathe this stuff everyday so you know you’re onto a good thing.
- People don’t like being sold to. There are so many ways to get your message across to your audience as a business owner instead of feeling like a sleezy salesman. People generally do not like being sold to because they feel that they are being pressured or persuaded into making a purchase that they may not want or need. They value their freedom of choice and feel that they should have the power to make their own decisions.
When people feel that they are being sold to, they may also be wary of being misled or manipulated. They may feel that the seller is not being honest with them or that they are being offered something that is not worth the price.
We are bombarded with sales and marketing messages on a daily basis, which can lead to consumer fatigue and disinterest. These messages become noise and are often ignored, especially if they do not align with their values or interests.
Finding a balance between promoting your products or services and respecting your audience’s autonomy is key to creating a positive relationship with your customers. By offering value, engaging with your audience and building trust, you can create a strong connection with your customers that will encourage them to buy from you without feeling like they are being sold to.
- Hashtags don’t work on Facebook. If you’re repeating your social media across your social platforms, be mindful of what works on some, do not work on others. As an example your hashtags on your Instagram post mean nothing in Facebook. So edit accordingly. Don’t be a lazy bones. This is however your business and you want to do well in it right? So take the time to make the effort.
- Your photo’s and videos are everything. They should be great quality. They should not be blurry. We all have phones and the quality of the camera on your phone is more than likely pretty amazing. Use it to it’s fullest advantage. If you have a service based business, then your images need to be spot on because you do not have a physical product per say to use. This is beyond important. Get creative and use that camera on your phone.
- Consistency is what sets you apart and reinforces your message and your business. Your audience are bombarded with so much content and brands, you need to stay consistent with wholesome content to really be ahead of the curve. Consistency is key when it comes to social media. Having a consistent presence on your channels helps you build trust with followers and strengthen your brand identity. When customers are familiar with what your business has to offer, they’re more likely to come back again and again. A consistent message also helps you stay top of mind as customers will remember you when they need the products or services you offer. Steady and slowly wins the race. Aim for 3 times a week to start off nicely and then build up over time.
- Use 30 hashtags on Instagram. Do you research within the platform but also engage in a hashtag research tool to help you do this. Instagram offers you 30 hashtags so use them all in a meaningful way. Hashtags are used to help you get discovered within the platform with new audiences. They’re a great way to hit your target audience far and wide so don’t come as a surprise when they’re directly underneath your post.
- Plan ahead and don’t panic post. Easier said than done I know but it will save you in the long run and will help to spread your content out so you don’t just blurt out your best content in a hot minute and leave yourself with nothing in the future. Like I said before, slow and steady will win this race. It takes 21 days to form a habit, so roll with it and pace yourself.
- Use a scheduling tool. That way you don’t have to worry if you are “doing life”, cooking dinner, hanging out with your kids or heading out for some exercise. It will all just happen. This is a great way to be in management mode and not always in activation mode. Activation mode means you are always on. Whereas management mode means you can have fun responding to comments and messages. You’ve done the hard work. My favourite part is this part. The mental load has been taken care of. The strategy has been taken care of, now it’s just about fun and engagement. Sounds pretty darn good right? I use Planoly to schedule my content as well as Meta. And for LinkedIn, I use the scheduling tool within LinkedIn.
- Stay up to date with all things in your industry. Follow the Instagram page, follow Adam Mosseri the head of Instagram for all his updates. Sign up to a few newsletters like the Planoly newsletter to stay up to date. Read read and read. You want to be the first to know all the things. Might seem like a lot, but when you get into the habit of having a quick read, it becomes very easy. If you want a little more, you can sign up now to the waitlist of my membership Superhero Marketing. Doors open at the end of June, and this is the best program to teach you how to become the number 1 in your local community both online & offline. You get access to me every month with live monthly masterclasses, BONUS masterclasses, coaching calls PLUS templates, swipe copy, monthly social media plans, scripts & email templates. Plus, the greatest community of ambitious, amazing & lovely biz owners. As a business owner it’s important you upskill to continually remain relevant.
- Be social in your socials. That is what it’s for. Being friendly on social media is an important part of building relationships and engaging with your customers. Rather than relying solely on copy-and-paste responses, take the time to create thoughtful replies that address individuals’ concerns directly. Show genuine interest in followers by asking questions, offering advice, or showing appreciation for them through likes, shares, and retweets. A simple “Thank you for supporting us!” can go a long way! Additionally, strive to be conversational in your posts and speak directly to followers as if they are friends. Finally, don’t forget to make use of emojis—they can help add some personality to your posts while also conveying emotion, because we’re all emotional beasts and not robots.
If you want all of this in your hands in an easy to digest format, I’ve put together your go to Small Business Instagram Cheat Sheet. It’s punchy, it’s juicy and its straight to the point. You read, you implement and congratulations you have now optimised your Instagram account.
You can grab it over on www.hayleyosborne.com . You can’t miss it. It’s right at the top of my website.
What this covers are things like what you should include in your Instagram bio so it’s optimised, your account name, how to post a pin to the top of your page, what these should look like, aesthetics, reels and so much more. It’s a short punchy cheat sheet to get you appearing to the 2.35 billion monthly active users as optimal as you possibly can.
Thank you so much for listening today wherever you are and remember: your learning curve becomes shorter when you surround yourself with the right people and the right tools.
Xx Hayley
