Post with Purpose: Social Media Strategies

Post with Purpose:
​Transform Your Digital Content into Posts that Lead Your Ideal Customers Exactly Where You Want Them to Go.
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I’m not THAT old but I did start driving just before Mapquest, GPS and Google Maps came out.  At 16 I was adventurous and busy so I drove around Florida often on the weekends to conferences and retreats and during the summer to work at church camps. My dad taught me to read maps so I had an Atlas that seemed as big as I was and I’d pull it out, sit with my dad and plan out my route to wherever I was going.  My dad knew all the roads around Florida, even the ones that weren’t on my big ole map. 

I knew where I was starting from and I knew where I was going but there were so many routes on that map that it was overwhelming at times.  I could take what looked like the most direct route but often those were, and still are, the most congested ways to get from A to B. I wanted the fastest route that was safe and got me to my destination without getting stuck or having to be rerouted a bunch of times.  I loved sitting with my dad to strategize and plan my trips.

I’ve taken a similar role to my dad except I get to strategize and plan out the best routes for social media content that leads customers to the entrepreneurs and businesses I help. You see, Social Media isn’t all that different. You have customers or clients that are on a journey.  Some of them know who you are and that they want to get to you but they don’t always know the way. Others are out there looking because they have an idea of what they want but they just aren’t sure where to find it. Then there are those who are on their way somewhere else but then something catches their eyes and attention and when it’s good enough, they’re willing to make a pit stop or even take a detour to learn more.

One of the best ways to Post with Purpose is to start with the end in mind.  Who do you want to connect to? Why do you want to connect to them? What do you want them to know? Where do you want to lead them? 
 
If you don’t ask yourself those questions or know the answers then your posts simply create more noise. People are overwhelmed by noise. They want clarity and direction. You can do that by creating a roadmap with your posts that lead them exactly where you want them to go.  

You have so many opportunities when posting on social media to lead people in the right direction but sometimes it just takes someone knowing the various routes to help you plan it, create the perfect “signs”, post them on the right roads and be familiar enough with the routes to know when the certain roads are better for certain customers than others.

Think of your social media posts as street signs, stop signs or billboards.  They all serve a purpose.

My favorite are the “signs” that give reassurance. I can’t tell you how many times (pre-gps and google maps) I was so close to my destination yet I pulled over to double check only to be told it was right up the road I was already on.  On those empty road where there was no one to check with, I loved it when I saw those signs that simply said “Destination City - 11 miles”.

Some social media posts are just like those signs, a calming reminder to people that they’re on the right route and to keeping going.  It’s a reassurance that they’re on the road they’re supposed to be.

Sometimes your posts need to be like a stop sign.  Your potential clients or customers are going to have to stop and then make a decision to keep following your route or go a different direction.  

Wait? What?  Why would you ever want them to stop and consider going another direction?
  
You have to have these on the route.  If you don’t stop and have some check points on your route it will get too congested with people that aren’t even interested in what you have to offer.  They’re going to suck up all the gas, clogg the roads and drive customers off the route who really needed to be on there. It’s okay to have “stop sign” posts to help get people off your route that don’t need to be there.

Other times you’re going to have billboard type posts that grab attention and then give very specific directions on what exit or road to take to get to the final destination.  “Billboard” posts are awesome at grabbing the attention of those who are on route to your destination as well as those who are out joy riding or lost but looking for what you offer.  

Social Media Strategy, implementation and management matter.

1. Know the best paths because there’s never just one way to get somewhere.
   
2. Know the types of “signs” each paths needs.
   
3. Know when and where to make people “stop” and evaluate what road they want to be on.
   
4. Know how to grab the attention of someone who doesn’t have your directions already and get them to you from where they are.
   
5. Know that planning the route, marking the route and monitoring the route is the best way to purposely lead people to where you are or what you offer.
   

If you don't know, connect with us so we can help you create the best path for your business, service or product.