It’s never been easier to find an audience.
Recently, I watched Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan on Netflix. As cool as it was (I highly recommend it if you like military history documentaries), you know what stood out to me the most?
Nothing actually helpful for trivia.
Instead, what impacted me the most was that in the early 16th century, the beginning battles to reunify Japan started with a couple thousand troops on each side.
That’s it. 2,000 people started getting the country back together.
About twice the size of the average high school in America.
Or one-tenth of the average NBA arena.
Shit, last year, I got almost 400,000 impressions on LinkedIn. And I say that not to brag, just to prove this point.
Sure, we aren’t going to war, but what can you do with being seen a few million times a year? All organically, meaning without spending money on ads.
What Really Is Social Media?
Facebook. Instagram. TikTok. Etc.
At their core, they are platforms to keep us connected to each other (social) through sharing words, graphics, or videos (media).
That’s it.
You don’t have to dance well, sing properly, or be in good shape.
At the very core, you just need to genuinely want to connect with other humans through a computer.
What Goes Into Social Media?
Here is where people make it complicated.
For really good social media, you would have someone:
- Listening to your ideal audience to learn who they are
- Planning your content topics consistently
- Creating specific topics for each cycle
- Writing copy for images or video scripts
- Developing your brand identity (name, trade name, colors, fonts, etc.)
- Designing graphics
- Recording video or images
- Editing video or images
- Writing captions
- Scheduling or posting content
- Engaging with others
- Responding to comments
- Tracking results and engagement
- Tweaking strategies and editing what isn’t working
- Staying up to date on trends
And many more steps.
Then imagine doing each of these for each platform.
If right now you’re wishing Victoria Neuman could pop in and end this madness, I get it.
So Instead, Let’s Flip the Question
What Do I Really Need for Great Social Media?
Just five things.
1) Know your ideal audience
You might be looking for new clients, staying top of mind with current clients, or focusing on referral sources. You need to know your audience cold.
The better you know them, the better you can tailor your posts, topics, and tone.
2) Have a plan for what and when to post
You can make this easy or complicated. I suggest a minimum of three posts per week on at least two platforms.
Why three posts per week? A good post reaches about 8 percent of your audience. Three posts get you closer to 25 percent. If posts are average, your audience will see you one or two times per month.
Why two platforms? If one goes under tomorrow, you won’t lose all your efforts.
Less is more. Seven posts a week across five platforms equals 120 pieces of content. Three posts on two platforms equals about 25 per month. Still less than one per day.
Be spontaneous too. Just make sure you show up consistently.
Know the platform limitations. Articles aren’t great for Instagram. Long-form video isn’t ideal for TikTok. But it’s not as complicated as people make it.
3) Show up consistently
Not just posting, but engaging. Talk with people, comment on posts, and learn from others.
Every post you see can teach you something. Did you like it? Why or why not? Could you do something similar?
Engage as a human being, not a robot. If you were at a coffee shop and saw someone you knew, would you just slap a like sticker and walk away, or would you have a conversation?
4) Listen to the response
Pay attention to comments, questions, and engagement.
For example, if you post about employment agreements and 15 people ask questions, but no one interacts with a post about vendor agreements, you know what your audience cares about.
Engagement tells you how your audience wants to see you show up.
5) Have fun
If you need cases tomorrow, social media may not be the right fit.
If you hate other people, probably not right either.
But if you’re a growth-minded law firm owner wanting to get to know more people digitally, social media can be a powerful tool.
What Is This Going to Cost Me?
Core social media is cheap. A post is a post.
Where it gets expensive is high-quality graphic design, video editing, running a well-produced show, or writing blog articles so your firm sounds credible.
Sometimes, that is worth it.
I have a two-person full-time social media team (plus me and other team members helping with images, video, and filming). From that, I generate mid-to-high six figures from social media.
Some people see my posts, some remember me from conferences or podcasts, some are former clients coming back. And consistent posting keeps opportunities coming.
None of this is to brag. It’s to show that social media is possible and valuable if done consistently.
If you’re unsure if social media is right for you, reply to this email. Let me know your concerns, and we’ll discuss.
If you don’t know where to start or want to offload the content creation, we can help with that too.