Ahhh, the rollercoaster of social media: feeling like your content is doing AMAZING for a few weeks and then all of a sudden it just tanks.

Although the algorithm DOES come into play with this, it’s only the algorithm’s “fault” because of your content… that means it’s time to take a deeper look into things.

People want to see REAL

One of the biggest trends in social media is that people want to see REAL. They want to know your thoughts, your struggles, your ideas, your hopes. They want to know the person behind the business and what you do in your free time, how you spend your mornings, and where you go to find inspiration. This is especially important for solo entrepreneurs – the people who are the face of their brands.

Sharing more personal content will allow people to feel like they KNOW you. When people feel like they know you, they start to like you. And when they like you, they trust you. This leads me to my favorite, and most true, piece of business advice…

People do business with people that they know, like, and trust.

Seriously – it’s true – and it’s something that I’ve experienced myself MANY times. I’m fortunate that I have had multiple consultation calls with people who are interested in hiring me where the first thing they said was, “I don’t even know what exactly I need you to do for me or what your prices are, but I know that I want to hire you because I love your personality and your story.”

This all happened because I’m OPEN about who I am and let it shine across my social media, through my emails, and in person… and people take notice of it.

Analytics are your savior

One of the most common questions I get is, “But HOW do I find out how my content is performing and determine which posts people like the most?”

My answer for this every time is – CHECK YOUR ANALYTICS!!

Seriously. Analytics are something that many people neglect or forget about, but they’re an absolute GOLD MINE for knowing how your content is converting with your audience. Both Instagram and Facebook have stellar built-in analytics tools to track your posts, but there are multiple third-party apps to help you determine this as well.

Take a look at your analytics on a monthly basis and list what type of posts are doing well and what type of posts are doing bad. Determine what the common trends are for the good posts and the bad posts. When you see a common theme of what people like, that helps you to realize that you should CONTINUE to post content like that. But when you see a common theme of what people don’t like, that helps you to realize that you should STOP posting content like that.

Likes and dislikes can change

I always say that the most frustrating yet gratifying part about my job is the trial and error aspect – determining what types of content work and what types don’t work. that means that you’re not going to know the answer to what your audience likes to see right away – and that’s okay.

It’s also important to note that trends change over time – meaning, your audience may LOVE seeing a specific type of content at one point, but three months later, that engagement may tank. That’s why it’s so important to stay up-to-date with the performance of your posts so you know how you can best serve your audience.

My challenge for you

If your Instagram engagement isn’t where you want it to be, don’t worry – you just need to do some tweaking. Work on being more personal in your content and letting your audience know who you are. Here’s my challenge for you…

• Talk about your morning routine or what gets you in the mood for productivity.
• Share a struggle you’ve been facing in your business and what you’re doing to get past it.
• Give a glimpse into the incredible work you’ve been doing with your clients and what they’ve received from it.

Opening up to your followers allows you to build trust, gain credibility, and establish relationships. I’m going to continue sharing my true self across social media in 2019 – and I hope you are, too.