What I’m going to say about social media contradicts what other people in the industry have said.
To be honest, I hate social media for my websites.
I hate the process of writing a post, taking it over to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest, and who knows where else. I have to create different-sized images for each of these networks and write catchy taglines to entice people to click to get to my website.
For me, that’s a lot of time I could be spending on my business and doing things that are going to make me more money, such as finding new keywords, writing more content, and optimizing that content.
This opinion may contradict what other marketers say about social media, social proof, and social signals. However, I’ve had websites raking in five figures monthly that have no social media presence; no Facebook page, Twitter, or Instagram account. Don’t get me wrong: there is value to social media. For the vast majority of niche sites that other people are building in this industry, though, it’s unnecessary and can be a waste of time.
I will concede that for some niches it makes a lot of sense to integrate social media. For those niches, the emphasis is placed on making content viral for engagement (commenting, sharing, and tagging friends).
I recommend figuring out if social media is worth your time and indeed a good fit for you and your content. More often than not, though, your time is probably better spent focusing on SEO, improving your writing skills, or interacting with influencers in your industry.
Who SHOULD Pursue Social Media
Those who are trying to build lifestyle-based brands would have the most to gain from social media. These are the niches that benefit from sleek and stylish photos because they involve building a very specific persona that can only be accurately conveyed through high-quality images and videos. Examples of niches social media works well for are supplements, beauty, or fashion.
If you decide that social media is worth your time and find that you have a knack for it, there are plenty of marketers who teach those techniques really well. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them. So, if social media is something you absolutely want to pursue, then the best advice I can give is to find where your target audience is. For example, if your audience is younger, they’re more likely on Instagram and Snapchat rather than Facebook.
Who Should NOT Pursue Social Media
I’m giving permission to anyone who finds social media too intimidating to say, “screw it,” and spend their time in other productive ways.
Focus on things you know you can do well, don’t overwhelm you, and don’t feel like an inefficient use of time. If you think you should be focusing on learning how to research better keywords or how to write better content, do that instead! More high-quality content translates to more money.
Where to Learn More About Social Media
If I can’t provide the absolute best training, I’m not going to teach it. What I will do is direct you to those who do. I recommend researching “social media marketing guide” in Google to find several experts that can train you in the ways of social media.
Companies that specialize in software for social media, such as HootSuite and Buffer, have excellent blogs and resources with helpful tips and tricks. I would follow their advice when it comes to social media matters.
Again, I’m really not the best person to teach you about social media, but I am the best example of an Internet Marketer who doesn’t like social media and almost never uses it but achieved success anyway.