How you position yourself on social media dictates who you will attract to your business.
The Best Position To Take When Sharing Content
When you share content, are you positioning yourself as an expert, a friend, a guide or a resource?
Regardless of your industry or title, take a stand for how you want to share content on social media and keep it consistent.
An expert is a thought leader who people look to for answers and new ideas.
A friend is someone others go to for advice and conversation.
A guide is someone who shares their experiences and mentors others who wish to have similar experiences.
A resource is someone who curates information that their followers seek.
Your approach will depend on your personality, core values and business goals.
Let's look at how a health coach would show up in each position:
An expert: As an expert, a health coach would be up on the latest studies and talk about their opinions on the topics. For example, there are so many different types of diets, an expert would study them all, and offer opinions backed by research. The expert will share why this particular type of diet is the best, even if it goes against popular opinion.
A friend: As a friend, a health coach would be a good listener and really understand her client's concerns. She would validate the concerns and help her client problem solve. The process is very much a partnership.
A guide: As a guide, a health coach would demonstrate what worked for her to lose 50 pounds and those interested in having the same results would follow the journey. In this situation, the coach does not customize to fit the client's needs, she simply shares her experiences and how to apply them.
A resource: As a resource, a health coach would be a curator of the best articles, videos, products and exercise programs that other people put out. She would help her clients find the perfect combination of resources to work for them.
How do you want to show up?
Who You Will Likely Attract
As you can imagine, each type of position is going to attract a different type of client.
The expert attracts those serious about results who are often anayltical and like to have proof that a method works. They have likely been in business for a while. An expert can charge premium prices and those who hire experts can afford to pay the prices.
The friend often attracts creatives who are expressive and full of ideas that they want feedback on. These followers tend to enjoy encouragement and praise. They most often buy based on emotion.
The guide will attract fans who like to watch from afar. They prefer to test things out for themselvest first, ask questions as they come up and share their own results. They will detect an inflated promise as quickly as a dog runs to the kitchen at the sound of food pouring into their bowl. Trust is very important to them.
The resource attracts information junkies who love learning and are grateful for the resource who does the research for them. These followers have no interest in being put in a box or learning one specific strategy. A resource position often has the most loyal fans.
Your Approach Impacts Your Content
Your social media content will reflect the approach you choose to take. "Content" includes the caption, images, hashtags and videos.
If you are an expert, you will share a lot of thought leadership, data, tutorials and case studies. Your content philosophy is, "I know how."
If you are a friend, you will share a lot of community building content, posts that entertain and inspire. Your content philosophy is, "I am right beside you."
If you are a guide, you'll be sharing your story, day to day activities and personal thoughts. Your content philosophy is, "I've been there."
If you are a resource, you will be sharing what you find helpful, other people's posts and hosting interviews. Your content philosophy is, "If I don't know, I'll find someone who will."
Of course, there should be a mix of all of the types of content but your position will dictate the primary type of content you'll share.
The Best Social Media Platform for You
Not all platforms are created equal and as of today, they still have enough uniqueness that one platform is more suited for your approach than the others.
LinkedIn is definitely the expert platform (unless your expertise is about another social media platform, of course). The vibe of content on LinkedIn is still very corporate which lends itself to data, case studies and strong thought leadership. Those in the corporate world, or more traditional business owners, respect and appreciate this type of content.
Facebook is all about community. With the popularity of groups and ease of friending others, this platform is perfect if you want to position yourself as a friend.
Instagram and TikTok are great platforms for those that wish to be guides or resources. Grow your audience by entertaining and inspiring them. It also works well for those positioning themselves as friends since engagement is such a huge part of the platform. Making friends is part of your business growth strategy!
Twitter is another great platform for the expert, as well as those that are resources.
Pinterest is perfect for the resource position, as well as the expert! Pinterest is the best platform for sharing information that supports your own position.
This is a guide for you to get started. Ultimately, all of the platforms can work for all of the positions so choose the one that feels best to you. When you enjoy it, you will be more likely to stay consistent and that is a key component to success.
When you know how you want to show up, you know what to share and where to share it. The clarity is freeing!
Do you desire more clarity and more confidence in your online position? Contact me and let's discuss your next best step to make that happen!