How to Stay Consistent on Social Media
I get asked a lot about how I stay consistent on social media... the truth is, I'm really just in a habit now. A few years ago I was invited to do a "selfie" challenge where you had to post a self portrait on Instagram every day for a whole month, but the catch was that the self portrait wasn't supposed to be a photo of your face every time. So basically I got in the mindset of having an assignment every day of trying to find things in life that exemplified my personality in a visual way. This is so much harder than it sounds! By staying attentive and trying to think up content plus looking forward to posting something every day, I created a habit for myself and haven't stopped posting every single day since then... and basically I was building my brand the whole time and didn't even know it.
Just because I consistently post on social media doesn't mean I'm ALWAYS on my phone. There's a lot that can be done in advance to help alleviate that attachment and prevent you from missing out on real life. Below are some of my top tips for getting in the groove of posting killer consistent content!
Pick a Platform
This might sound obvious, but pick a platform to put more focus on. I'm on all kinds of social media platforms, but as a photographer Instagram has become my main wheelhouse. This doesn't mean I put all my eggs in just that basket, because if Instagram goes down tomorrow and disappears I don't want all my photos/marketing efforts to go away with it. I do place more emphasis on the curation of my brand on Instagram however, and for that reason I find it to be my more successful platform. If you're a writer you might find Twitter or your blog might be worth putting more effort in, or if you own a company that hosts a lot of events maybe Facebook is best for you. It really depends on what you are trying to accomplish so you have to experiment and feel out what works best for you.
I do find that Instagram is great because you can post your content on their platform and toggle your images to be shared to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr all at once.
Identify your Brand + Find it in Everyday Life
Once you identify your brand, it can be easy to find how that is manifested in every day life. This makes it fun each and every day to "hunt" for content! Sometimes you have to create the content, but sometimes you can find it already made for you. For example, my branding efforts are colorful and somewhat retro. I'm currently in Las Vegas so literally every retro neon sign I see I can take a photo of and use on my Instagram to 1. document and share my travels and 2. share my aesthetic finds in the world with my audience while supplementing my usual branded content. If you are struggling to identify your brand, download my free branding worksheet here!
Create Content in Advance
This is something that is a huge timesaver! Create a bunch of content in advance and then let it trickle out by scheduling it or by saving it for whenever you don't have time to create something in real time. My iPhone and Dropbox are FULL of photos that I'm saving for a rainy day when I have nothing to post. You can do the same with blog posts, tweets, Facebook posts... literally anything! Tip: Google Docs are great for when you want to jot down an idea or write a blog post in advance. You can access them from anywhere and they have a phone app!
Automate with Tools
I am a big fan of automation. Yes, sometimes it can take away from the authenticity of posting in real time but I don't think I'd be able to grow my platforms without it. Note- I do NOT believe in using bots or fake methods to gain followers on Instagram, like photos for you, message people, etc. When I say automation I mean having your content go to multiple platforms at once when you only have to make it once, or having it scheduled out in advance. Scheduling sites such as Later and Planoly are great for this! I also am a big advocate of Tailwind for scheduling pins on Pinterest in advance as well as Zapier for tackling a few tasks at once. I teach a lot of this and go into depth about branding/social media automation in my online workshop Branding Authenticity, so if you're interested in learning about this further and applying it to your life or business, I highly recommend enrolling!
Set Alarms on your Phone
This might sound obnoxious, but I have alarms that go off on my phone reminding me to post. I typically use this for the other social media accounts I run, not my own personal account (because I kind of just post habitually on my own) but it's a great way to remind you when it's time to get some content up! There's an easy way if you have an iPhone to schedule reoccurring alarms for multiple days/times at once. BOOM, done, never miss a post again!
Do you have any tips for staying consistent on social media? I'd love to hear about any tools you use that help make life more efficient! And if you'd like to learn more about how to create killer consistent content for your business, brand, or blog click here!
