Create assets, not posts. And February Edit.

I can’t tell you how often I hear business owners lament their social media accounts, and themselves, in the same breath.

Maybe you’ve been there. It goes something like this: “Oh what about Facebook? Sigh. Is it worth it? What do I even write about? I post, but I’m not sure it matters one whit for my business. Aargh. How does that [insert name of more regular poster/influencer you admire] always come up with such great posts. Maybe I should try Instagram?"

There’s a remedy. 

Before you whip up another post to your social media to support your business, do these two things first. 

1. Ask yourself, “Why?"
What’s your larger purpose or goal for sharing ideas and images via social media?

Is it to build your professional network? 
Connect to other leaders and experts in your space? 
Share your inspiration? 
Be a gallery of your work?
To showcase your process, or “behind-the-scenes"? 
To test out new ideas and messages to see if they resonate?

Define your desired goal for each of your social media channels (Instagram, Linkedin, Facebook, Pinterest). And yes, start with one channel and one goal for it.

“Why bother with this step?,” you ask.

Spoiler alert: It’s all going to be a lot easier, and way more fun and effective, if you think of each social media platform as a distinct channel with a distinct role to play. And without this goal-setting step, you get “posts in search of a reason to exist.”

2.  Create assets, not posts. Tattoo this reframe where you can always see it.

Each post is a potential asset for your business. And I mean asset in way a wealth manager thinks about assets: things that belong to you that have, and create, value or wealth—for you, and the people you serve.

Designers and full-service communications agencies refer to your logo, identity system, letterhead, collateral, slide decks (and the digital files that contain them) as your communication assets.

It’s worth adopting this mindset for any communication you create yourself. A post is not just a thing—words or pixels on a page. It has a function, and that includes helping you grow. I.e.: building economic, intellectual, or creative wealth for you, and the business you are choosing to grow into.

For inspiring support to make this happen: Check out Kate Arends’s 1-hour course on Skillshare: Building Your Online Presence: Personal Branding Through Social Media.
(You can get a free 3-month trial, or one for 99 cents.)

Kate’s class is February’s Edit.

I've recommend this class to clients and friends —no affiliate, no sponsorship. I just think it’s well worth your time. She’s got a great 3-part framework, handy worksheets, and helpful questions like those above. Even better, she guides you through them using as an example her media platform + branding studio, Wit & Delight. 

She’ll get you thinking about value, and benefits, in a way that makes you more creatively inspired. And you’ll never think about your social media the same way again.

My favorite channel is Instagram for the way it pairs down an idea to a single image and words (catnip for a Ph.d in Art history).  

Stay tuned and you’ll see me incorporating new kinds of Instagram posts on a more frequent cadence—all to support my professional goals, priorities, and milestones in 2017 and beyond. 

I’d love to have you follow along.