It can be really hard to keep up with social media! Not only that, but I think nothing can derail your confidence faster than scrolling on Instagram.

Yet, social media does give us an opportunity to market our business for free. So I'm always trying to find ways to feel better about my approach to it.

I first heard the phrase "posting with purpose" at Balloon Boss Summit and it's been my focus for social media since. Any time I'm unsure of what to post or say, I come back to this phrase and feel like it gives me control.

I now look at a new post simply as a task to do before I go about the rest of my day. It takes discipline, and means that I'm less engaged with other accounts right now, but I've found it's better than avoiding social media altogether or getting sucked in for hours.

Another shift I've had is going from "what should I post?" to "why am I posting?". For example, winter is pretty slow for sales here in Wisconsin so I want people to start thinking ahead to graduation season and booking me for that.

This means I'm posting less of the elaborate, custom designs and more of the standard columns, party poles, etc. that are more aligned with graduation parties.

Not only am I putting more emphasis on the why, but also the where. Thinking about your target audience can really help to inform where your posts should land. I've even taken up posting to LinkedIn when I know I've got a big corporate event coming up!

This leads me right into my next point. I really don't think it's useful to try to move your followers from one platform to another. If you're going to move them anywhere, send them to your email list! You're in way more control with your email list than any social platform out there.

I also suggest keeping questions of other balloon artists in direct messages or groups. Since all comments are public, it's important to remember that customers can see it all, and that doesn't exactly look good for either balloon artist to have those conversations in front of them.

And we couldn't talk about posting with purpose without a few practical tips, too! Using a scheduler for your social media naturally sets you up to post with purpose because it involves some planning.

Some shy away from schedulers because of the ever-changing algorithms, but I've decided not to concern myself with that right now because I'd rather schedule something than forget to post anything at all!

Finally, remember to post what you want to sell! It seems self explanatory, but I'm constantly guilty of posting items that I don't actually enjoy selling.

I've started to take pictures along the way so that I have examples of what are essentially "basic" and "deluxe" versions of the same job. Then I'm able to showcase pieces of that install without attracting more requests for elaborate setups.

I hope these thoughts help you land on a social media strategy that doesn't leave you feeling overwhelmed!

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