Como você equilibra autopromoção e engajamento com seus seguidores nas redes sociais?

As a best-selling author of 3 books, I know the drive to share the message you poured your heart into with others. I interview authors on PSI TV. The interview appears on the Netflix-like channel on Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, VIDAA TV. We strip the audio out, push it to 6 podcast platforms, and share it on YouTube and our other social media platforms. Depending on the package, we even promote the YouTube version of the show till it hits a minimum of 1000 views.

I do 2/3 engagement, 1/3 self-promotion. For instance, it takes me 30 minutes to write my LinkedIn post for the day (self-promotion). I then go and spend one hour - Responding to commenters - Following up with profile viewers - Engaging with the posts of my followers/people I follow. It's a solid blend that makes sure you're GIVING more than you're receiving.

Define very clear objectives. Understand exactly what you're trying to achieve online and set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. Be honest with your audience what you're trying to achieve too. There shouldn't be a mismatch between what you're posting and what you're trying to achieve. Identify and understand your target audience. It often helps to think of someone very specific in your audience and imagine them when you're writing instead of writing for an amorphous or undefined group. Pay attention to metrics, only when they align with your goals. Metrics can be a good indicator of your success, but don't let superficial metrics (page views, likes, etc.) be a goal unto themselves.

Understand the demographics and audience of different platforms. People use different social media platforms for different reasons. They vary on level of interactivity, type of content favoured (video, text, images) and general audience, but the subcultures and communities also vary widely within any platform. Identify which platforms align with your target audience. Use the platforms that align most with preferred content, style and the culture on the platform. If you're using multiple platforms, customize your content for each platform. Don't just copy and paste a Linkedin message onto Twitter or Instagram - adapt your message and content to the culture, style and form of the platform.

Providing value is essential. Your network will tune out if you just bombard them with one sales pitch after another. It's also important to talk about your products and services otherwise what's the point of being on a business platform. This is not just about entertainment. So share tips, strategies, and resources But be sure to also underscore the value you bring to the table in terms of your services and products. Bingo

At the risk of sounding like a tightrope walker, balancing self-promotion and engagement on social media is all about finding the right footing. To avoid a social media faceplant, I mix in self-promotion with genuine conversations, sprinkle in relatable memes, and season generously with hashtags. But remember, overseasoning with self-promotion could leave your followers with a bad taste in their mouths!

One very good practice I've developed is going back over my own posts every few months. If I find I've leaned too far in one direction or the other, that reminds me to readjust my approach.

80/20 is a great rule of thumb. But it can also be 99/5, or 60/40. What really matters is "why". You don't need a reason to create value for others. You DO need a reason to promote - an event, someone praised your services, you launched a new tool, etc. Promote yourself when there's a good reason to do that - that's usually a good enough balance.

Test out different platforms for yourself. It's perfectly fine (and actually highly recommended!) to spend some time testing out different platforms for personal use before jumping in and using them professionally. Try out different features and styles, posting personally or maybe even anonymously. Join communities that you are personally interested in, and see what works really well in building a community and user engagement. Reflect on what you like and don't like about different platforms and how people use them. You can even join most platforms or communities anonymously. Create temporary, anonymous profiles on selected platforms so you can learn about them and interact with people without using your professional profile.