The Habit Of Posting

“Post when you can, and about what feels natural.”

I say this to a lot of people. People who are nervous about social media, artists who are content-shy or new-to-social media business owners getting started on social media.

The thing is, your content depends a lot on you. Heck, it 100% depends on you. So does frequency, timing, and message.

But here’s the secret that no one tells you.

YOU decide. Everything. Timing, content, message … everything.

There are a lot of best practices out there for “what,” “how often,” and “when.” But getting to that level of dedication takes time. You need to start by forming the “habit of posting.” And it all starts with posting what you can when you can and how you can.

The only wrong way to post and promote yourself is to do nothing at all.

And the best way to post and promote yourself is to start with yourself and a plan.

You

Be authentic: It all starts with being authentically you. Be who you are. Don’t water yourself down, or pump yourself up. People want to connect with the genuine you.

Engage: Social media is just that – “social.” It’s a conversation. TALK to people! Answer questions and ask questions. Think of the usual ebb and flow of a conversation … it’s give and take, lots of topics. Natural.

Start Small: Yes, video posts are best. We read about it every day in the news. And second best post types are images, and last is text. However, if you are new, low on time or energy, then start small. Think of developing your posting habits like training for a marathon. Don’t go out and run 10k on your first day. Warm up with stretches, small steps, and small goals. You’ll get to video in your own time.

Post when YOU can: There are all kinds of apps to help you schedule your posts, find the best time of day, and repost relevant posts with the highest engagement but ultimately you need a plan that is sustainable for you. Starting with five posts a day is too much. Think smaller and more manageable.

Be where you are: All advice will point to building multiple profiles and engaging conversations on all platforms. A constant bombardment of messages on different mediums. But my experience has taught that if you do one platform really well, then that is better than doing a hit or miss job on all. Start out with one – like Facebook or Twitter. Ease into it. And if images aren’t your thing, then why are you doing Instagram or Pinterest? Be present where you normally are on social media so that you can sustain your accounts and conversations.

The plan

Any good plan starts out small and pushes you to step outside your comfort zone and adopt new habits. And if you are new to social media, have stepped away, or just want to get better at posting but don’t know how then organize your plan around where you are and where you want to be.

I have created a weekly easy-to-follow guide to make social media part of your routine. It gradually eases you into posting by adding one extra task each week. Even if you only do one thing each week, you would be significantly ahead of your own game!

Click to get the Cyber PR Social Media Schedule emailed to you.

The bottom line is to just get out there and do SOMETHING! Start small, build as you go, and create a healthy and sustainable virtual online identity out there!