Does social media marketing for your horse business ever make you tired? You end up just posting what comes to mind in the moment because you know you need to, but you know there’s got to be a better way.
You're in the right place. This one tip will make your life easier and help you to actually enjoy the social part of social media again.
Welcome to the show notes! Remember, this is a brief summary from the How to Market Your Horse Business podcast. You'll want to listen to the entire episode for all the good stuff!
How do you feel about social media?
Some people love it, some people can’t stand it, and others fall in between.
But the reality is, in today’s world, if we want to grow our businesses, it’s a no-brainer to utilize social media. Not only is it free, advertising aside, but it gives you direct access to people you may never have access to otherwise.
At the same time, doing social media well requires an investment of your time and resources.
That means you need to post on a somewhat regular basis. Of course, how often depends on the platform that you’re using. You might do a weekly YouTube video or you might do a daily or every other day post on Instagram or Facebook.
Either way, though, consistency is required.
And let’s be real.
You chose to be in the horse business because you love horses, not necessarily because you love to be on your phone or computer all the time having to post and comment and engage, etc.
And that’s where the stress for social media often comes in, right?
It’s that feeling of “I know I need to post but I don’t have time to put something good together so I’ll just take a picture of my horse and post that we had a good ride and call that good enough."
And for some, that might be. But for most people, if you want engagement, then you’ve got to put together engaging posts.
And that takes even more of your precious time that you’d really rather be spending outside with your horses.
So, what should you do?
Well, I’m glad you asked!
My answer is two parts.
First of all, join my Social Stride membership!
Before I get to the strategy of today’s podcast, I’d be crazy not to tell you about it.
Each month, I’ll send you 10 new templates that you can customize to use on your own social media posts. Then, you can post something more meaningful than, “We had a great ride today. Love my horse.”
Plus, you'll get photo ideas, a calendar of industry events and fun holidays, and a monthly Zoom Power Hour that's just for members.
You can learn more and get signed up over at stormlily.com/socialstride.
Okay, now that you know Social Stride is available to you, let’s talk about that one thing that’s going to simplify your life when it comes to social media.
The one thing is ... actually taking the time to schedule and plan your content ahead of time.
I know, sounds so simple, right? But how often do you take the time to do it?
Before we get into how this one tip is going to take the stress out of social media, let's first define planning and scheduling.
Planning your social media content means that you're going to brainstorm content, post topics, audience problems, your solutions, education opportunities, calendar items, etc.
Scheduling your social media means you're going to actually look at the week ahead and select the day and time you'll make a particular post, including writing the text that's going to be published so you're ready ahead of time.
Here are 4 reasons you should be planning and scheduling your social media content:
You get be out doing more of what you love. No more standing in the barn aisle trying to come up with a post on the spot. Spend that time with your horses instead!
You can serve and educate more than you promote. When you're planning ahead, you can get more creative with your content. Remember, it's called social media.
You can create consistent content. Instead of showing up haphazardly or only when you’re at a show or event, planning your content ahead of time allows you to show up consistently which does matter in the world of social media.
You can create intentional content. This is where you get to sell, but with intentionality. You can still incorporate shows and events, but consider how you can do it with your social media audience in mind.
Of course, you'll want to listen to the full episode to dig into each reason and hear how you can apply planning and scheduling social media content to your business!
Do you need a leg up with your social media marketing? You're invited to join my monthly membership for horse business owners ...
Links mentioned in this episode:
Social Stride: Simplifying Social Media for Equine Entrepreneurs
My Marketing Services (Because sometimes you just don't want to DIY anymore!)
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