Are you being too needy? Balancing asking & giving on Social Media.

Sasha Aranyi

If you don’t plan your socials in advance, chances are you’re not only missing some great opportunities, but your balance may be a little off.

Relationships are a two-way street. Each involved party gets something out of it, and if it’s all one way – it’s not going to last (nor should it).

How you treat and what you give your followers, and prospects alike, on Social Media, is kind of (very) similar. So balance, like all things in life, is a must. Give, receive, succeed. 

What’s ‘asking’?

The sales orientated content.

Buy my product, like this post, attend this event, click through to my website. GIVE ME LOVE!

A promotion, a sale, an invitation to subscribe, all that jazz, it’s selling. 

Whilst there is certainly a place for this on your social media, you need to make sure it is thoughtfully placed, and ensure that you have something else worthy of your followers.

If you walked into a bar on a date and immediately asked someone to kiss you before they learnt about your super cute dog, do you really think they would actually kiss you? No. Talk to them. Ask questions. Look for commonalities. Maybe a humble brag about your good boy, show them photos, build a relationship, and then go in for the smooch* (*please ensure smooch is welcome).

Ok so what’s ‘giving’?

Building your brand. 

Information. Entertainment. Conversation. Your followers are following you because you add value to their online world. 

Whilst this may feel like a whole bunch of effort, with no return, in doing so, you’re given the opportunity to show why you’re the best choice for their needs, and why they should be a part of your community. And it’s not just because of your product or your service, but because you have a voice and personality that they connect to. After all, Social Media is all about connection, right?

How can I stay consistently balanced?

I am so glad you asked. The answer is simple, a content calendar. If you don’t plan your socials in advance, chances are you’re not only missing some great opportunities, but your balance may be a little off. Don’t get me wrong, one must be adaptive, current and stay alert when it comes to managing Social Media platforms as you never know what might pop up. But as a brand, there are a lot of things worth planning for. Failing to plan = planning to fail.

I like to approach a Social Media calendar with a few questions to start: 

Who are my target audiences? What do they want to hear? And how can I tell them what they want to hear? 

Then comes your “content clusters” which you can work into the formula and cycle through each week. Working out the perfect formula for your SM calendar takes time and research, but it’s worth it. 

With my clients I like to run persona workshops, content planning sessions, do a whole lot of background research and then develop the strategy followed by the calendar. 

When you find the winning formula, you’ll see sustainable growth.

Sasha Aranyi

Sasha Aranyi
Social Media Manager

[email protected]