“I told Althea I was feeling lost…lacking in some direction…Althea told me upon scrutiny…my back might need protection…”

~ Robert Hunter, Althea

Do you feel like you are on Facebook promoting your studio, yoga classes, tweets, videos and you are not getting the response you think you should?

The core problem is you don’t have a social media strategy. Social engagement is not an accident, it is a result of you consistently being real. As I look at 2013, I see three simple steps to success with social media:

1. Connect and Share.

We all need to continue to connect with our immediate and extended community. Stop debating why you shouldn’t connect and friend people, and use this simple rule: “If I wave or smile at someone, I will connect with them on Facebook and LinkedIn so I get to know them better and actually know their name.” Share life as you know it, from personal to family to politics to philosophy to sports. When you share from the heart, your voice will be heard and your friends will like and comment on your content. They may even come to your yoga class when you post about that.

2. Photos.

It has never been easier to take and share amazing looking photos. Start with using Facebook Camera to share your photos (it has similar effects to Instagram and is a stand alone app for your phone). Upgrade your phone, get a new iPod or even use a digital camera and transfer to your computer. Start sharing more photos by any means necessary. We know you because of the photos you share, so make it easy for us to get to know you better! Focus (hahaha) on Facebook for photo sharing, as this is where the most photos in the world are and your largest community of people who want to share your photos. Share them on your yoga studio page, then share them personally from your yoga studio page—this builds awareness and likes to your business. Do not double post; this is annoying and people will delete/unfriend you or your page.

3. Video.

YouTube is where all of your growth will come from. This is where you can establish your credibility and provide easy content for your community to share. You can upload videos directly from your phone and even edit them and add music using the video manager in YouTube. Seriously, this is easy to do and your videos will get better each time you do them. Upload your videos, optimize them for search and include a link to your website in the description (always start the description with the link so it is seen when the video is shared on Facebook and clickable).

Then what?

Your website and/or blog is the center of your universe; load your content onto your site so it’s shareable and even “pinnable” and then distribute across the your social platform. For most this will be Facebook, but go ahead and Tweet it!!!

In 2013, I will post one article a month with simple and easy tips to support and grow your social media efforts.

Why?

So you can share more yoga with more people; make 2013 prosperous and engaging, start now.

~

Ed: Bryonie Wise

 

Like elephant work and money on Facebook.