Welcome! Glad you're here. I've been toying around with the idea of adding a blog section to my portfolio for a few months now, so here we are! In all honesty I needed a break from binge watching 90 Day Fiancé and baking another round of banana bread. So, what better time to start than during a global pandemic?

For my first post I thought I'd start off with some easy social media tips & tricks that I've picked up while freelancing. Recently, I've been helping manage my local Board & Brush Creative Studio's social media along with the owner. This is my fifth business that I've managed social media for, and it already had an established online presence when I came along. For background, I've worked with retail, gift shops, art and others in terms of social media management, so this post is for any category of business. Also, while I realize social media has endless platforms, let's just stick with Facebook and Instagram for now. So, whether you're looking to start fresh with your online presence or you've already got 1,000+ followers - these tips & tricks still apply.

#1. Know your audience

By knowing who your audience is, you have such an advantage of targeting and tailoring your posts. Are they moms who are already awake before 7:30 a.m.? Teens who know the latest trends (probably before you do)? Or maybe your audience isn't even local? Basically, knowing simple demographics can help you take out the guess work in planning content. If you keep your target audience in mind while writing captions and choosing images, they will feel more connected to what you have to share.

#2. Content, Content, Content

What you post matters, so put some thought into it. A trick that I've found to be successful is letting followers share their opinions or "vote" on a post. Even if no prize is involved, people love letting you know their thoughts and its a fun way to engage your audience. For example, while managing a home decor shop's accounts, I posted this:

Nothing elaborate, just a simple question and a few hashtags - yet this was one of the most successful posts. The owner decided to "boost" (see #7. Ads) the post, and people couldn't type fast enough to tell us that the turtle table was their favorite.

Tip: Don't be afraid to take your own photos. Often times when the only images used are ones from stock or corporate, they feel like ads and followers glance over them. You don't need to be a genius behind the lens, just keep it real.

#3. Plan it out

Organizing your posts in an online calendar takes so much stress out of social media. I prefer to sit down for an hour or so once a week and plan all my posts for the following week. This way, I can spend the rest of my time engaging with my audience instead of scrambling to come up with a creative post the day of.

Hootsuite is a really user-friendly online planner that lets you post to multiple social media platforms at once. Facebook's Creator Studio is also very easy to use and lets you schedule, draft or edit posts in advance. Remember when I said you should get to know your audience? Here's where that helps. Try posting when you know they will see it. The early 8 a.m. post may not be the best choice for a teenage audience, but perfect for an older generation. Insights on Instagram and Facebook also let you see when your followers are typically on the app and for how long.

Tip: Google what National Holidays are coming up, even the funny outrageous ones. Try to relate them back to your content for a unique and quirky post.

#4. Get inspired

I think the best way to find inspiration for your account(s) is to see what others are doing. There's no shame in looking toward popular pages for ideas! Seeing how others build their profiles, edit pictures and engage with followers can help you decide how you want to run your profile. What kind of filters or page aesthetics work best for what you're selling? How often are they posting?

Tip: Look at the popular pages within your community and see who they follow. Following and engaging with local businesses can help you later on if you decide to partner up for a contest or if you're looking for potential followers in the area.

#5. Hashtags & Community

Always strive to build your profile! Odds are you aren't managing a mega-popular account that gets hundreds of interactions within minutes. So what can you do to grow? Hashtags & Engage.

Hashtags are great because you can target anyone who follows or clicks on the one you tag. Instagram lets you use 30 hashtags with each post. While this is a large number, you don't want to be too in your followers' faces with hashtags that its obnoxious.

Tip: Try putting a handful of hashtags in your caption. Put the bulk of them either in the comments or with lots of space from your caption.

By engaging with your audience, I mean liking, commenting, and sharing what they post. Its great to do this with local businesses because others will see your interaction, hopefully driving traffic toward your page. But this also motivates followers to share and engage more with your profile. Maybe they send you pictures of their new art on display that they bought from your store. Or they tag your coffee shop in a story. One idea I had was creating "Featured Fridays" for Board and Brush, where I repost a customer's project. This way followers can see projects on display in real homes and it motivates customers to share their experience.

#6. Everyone loves a contest

Contests are a great way to drive traffic to your page, and an even better way to gain new followers. If you decide to do a contest, make the rules simple: like this post and/or our page, tag a friend in the comments, share this post, etc. Everyone loves free stuff so whether you're giving away a gift card, item or discount you should have success. Plus, you're letting your followers help advertise!

#7. Ads

Almost all of the businesses I've worked with have used Facebook/Instagram "boosts" to advertise to a larger audience. This lets you set a budget, target your audience by key words and demographics and estimates how many will see your post. When you boost a post, that post will show up in the feed of those who fit your description.

Tip: Don't boost every post, only big ones. Have a contest or giveaway? Boost it. New products? Boost it. Make sure what you're spending money on is worth it.

If you've read this far, thanks! I'd love to hear your feedback and comments, so feel free to reach out. If you have any social media tips & tricks of your own please SHARE! That's all for now!

-Cassidy