(Welcome to the last in my 6-part series on 5 Powerful Ways to Simplify Your Business and still make more money!)
It was just another Monday morning as Joan, a fitness coach, grabbed her 2nd cup of coffee and headed into her home office. As she entered, her mind was miles away on a beach and so she missed her phone ringing. Oh well, missed that call, so she grabbed her computer and dove into the first thing that popped into her head – her weekly posts on social media.
She started with Facebook, then Instagram, then Twitter, then LinkedIn, and finally TikTok – there were individual posts for each one. But as she posted, she thought… I’ll just check out the running feed, someone else’s reel and maybe a couple of stories.
More than an hour later she realized she needed to actually do some work in her business. So, she attacked her email inbox.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Truth be told, Joan is like too many business owners! She’s doing the HUSTLE; she’s spreading herself thin across multiple platforms. (That was me a few years ago!)
Truth is that getting the word out there about your business is more difficult than ever because it’s easier than ever! Because it’s easy to have a Facebook page or an Instagram account – everyone does it!!! And since everyone does it – there’s more noise than ever so it’s more difficult to get known in a very noisy world.
While it’s true we need to be omnipresent – we need to consider a few things BEFORE we use every single platform:
1. To ‘master’ anything – you have to focus on improving that skill. Due to the ever-changing algorithms on social media, you must spend time to stay on top of that ONE social media platform!
Choose which platform is right for you – where are your clients? For most of you, they are on Facebook. Master Facebook before you begin spreading yourself thin on other platforms.
To win on Facebook with organic reach (I don’t believe most of you should use paid advertising) – VIDEO is the thing that seems to be beating the algorithm! That means Facebook lives and other videos!
To reduce business overwhelm and to keep your business simple – master ONE social media platform before moving to the next.
2. My daughter rents a beautiful 2-storey apartment. However, she can’t paint the walls or change anything in it. When we are looking for a home – we have a choice: rent or own. When we own our home, we have control of how we paint it, change it, etc. Renters have limitations and the apartment owner has the control.
It’s the same with our business! Social media are platforms that we rent! We are at the whim of the platform owner. Do you remember the day Facebook went down? Or perhaps you’ve heard of people who have had their accounts closed or shut down? We don’t own those contacts on social media.
However, one platform we do own is our website and we own the contacts in our email list! We have control who sees our information and how often.
That’s one reason why I believe, every business owner should spend time building their email list BEFORE they worry about increasing likes and followers on social media.
Do you have a growing and engaging email list? If not, then perhaps this is the ONE platform you need to focus on for 2022.
3. As your business grows and as your skills improve and change, you may find that you enjoy one platform over another! Let’s take my friend Katherine who is a writer. You might think that she would use the written word; however, Katherine started a podcast and found that she loves interviewing people. She uses her email and social media to tell people about her podcast. Her podcast is her ONE platform that she is going to focus on mastering.
Another client, Cynthia, has a very old website, very limited social media but she uses speaking at association meetings to gain visibility. That’s her ONE platform.
Discover your ONE platform to master. Not only will it help you be better but you’ll save a ton of time because you aren’t spreading yourself thin in other places! If it’s going to be Facebook, then become a Facebook master before you add a second platform.
So which platform will you choose?
I’ve always been a teacher. Did you know that I spent almost 20 years teaching horseback riding? Teaching is in my blood. In the past, I’ve taught marketing at my live events SHIFT. During the pandemic, I taught in my Facebook group.
But times are changing and so am I. That’s why in 2022, you’ll be seeing and hearing me on a different platform – my own podcast! It will be the ONE platform that I will focus on.
- My podcast will reside on my website (ownership)
- I’ll use email to send people to my website (ownership).
- I’ll use my podcast to send people to my website.
- I’ll use social media to send people to my podcast.
- I’ll use my podcast to invite people to my email list.
- I’ll use all these assets to support each other.
Let me know what your ONE platform will be for 2022!
How will you support your ONE platform?
As we head into the last month of the year, and you start thinking about what your business will look like in 2022, I hope you keep in mind these 5 principles:
- To stand out and be seen as the undeniable authority in your field, focus on being seen in ONE micro-niche.
- Focus on getting known for solving ONE problem
- Build your brand around ONE core offer
- Save time and master ONE type of lead generation
- Master ONE platform
YOU CAN DO THIS
Diana
P.S. Thursday morning 10 am – Join me for Coffee with Diana – topic – 3 Ways to become more magnetic & get more clients! On my personal Facebook page – here.
Thanks for reading this series of Simplifying your business so you can work less and earn more.
- Introduction – 5 Powerful ways to simplify your business & start earning more – here
- Pick your micro-niche – Most common objection I hear – here
- Focus on your one problem – What are you selling? – here
- Design your one core offer – Business Time-wasters – here
- Choose your one major lead generation method – here
- Master one platform (social media or otherwise)
