Remember, before diving into this all-inclusive amazing Quick and Dirty Social Media Guide, that I am here to help you try things you maybe have not ever thought of….or to reinforce things you may have heard before but felt they would not help. You have YEARS of experience doing _____ — fill in the blank with Whatever it is that you do. I have YEARS of experience failing, succeeding, and flopping around on Social Media, promoting my own business and others’, studying what people are doing, what isn’t being seen, why isn’t it being seen, how many likes/views/comments a post got…just consuming, trying things out, and learning all about what content is working…and what isn’t. This takes practice and consistency, like any other thing that is worth doing in life. As a small business owner/entrepreneur, you wear A LOT of hats. You are the creator, dreamer, CEO, CFO, Manager, and (drumroll please) the Marketing Department. Congratulations on spending some money investing in yourself and in knowledge that you can apply to ANY business idea you think up. Always invest in marketing and in yourself/professional growth. It is ALWAYS money well spent.
This is a collection of tips (but in WAY more detail) I have given to friends and other business owners, strategies I have done myself, and have personally seen a HUGE bump in reach, engagements, and growth with. I have FAILED A LOT, but the important thing is what I have learned from all of the processes. The classes I have taken. The books I have read. The people I have watched. Over 13 years of my life and time all right here…in this quick and dirty guide. If you follow all of these, you WILL see a HUGE improvement on your post reach, follows, REAL CLIENTS/CUSTOMERS, engagements, and CONFIDENCE in yourself to provide people with quality content.
Some of these tips are ALL INCLUSIVE, meaning it does NOT matter what platform you are on…the same rules apply. BUT, there are some PLATFORM SPECIFIC TIPS that I threw in here because they REALLY DO MATTER and it’s the way that platform is shifting RIGHT NOW, DECEMBER 2022 (That’s the month I sat in my TikTok yoga pants, on my couch, watching FIFA world cup, getting my shitter pumped, recovering from a new COVID variant, and getting a new roof on my house because of a hail storm. Adulting is a real joy sometimes, isn’t it?)
Ad Campaign– A paid strategy that uses specifically made AD content for targeted audiences in targeted locations for a specific amount of time. Yes, this costs money to do.
Analytics– Computer science that uses statistics and patterns to turn into data that you can understand to show followers, engagements, click through rates, etc. Only on Business Accounts.
Boosted Post– A Facebook Post you put money towards to help increase reach. This costs money too.
Brand Awareness– One of the MAIN Goals. The level that consumers are familiar with your brand and can be measured with the analytics of Impressions/Reach.
Call to Action (CTA)– What a user tells their audience to you with the content they consumed. Click Like, Click a link, Share, Tag a friend, Comment, Buy This, Email, Answer this question, Call the number.
Clickthrough Rate (CTR)– Not only the people that SEE your posts, but the ones that actually click on it. Measured a little different on each platform, but generally the same.
Comment– Writing a message on a post. Used to measure engagement and the effectiveness of a post. Platforms use it as a metric when deciding on if they should show it to more users.
Direct Message (DM)– A private message sent directly from one person to another.
Engagement– When someone likes, comments, shares, clicks a link, or does something active on your post.
Feed– The content that YOU see when logged into your account from other users. Basically the “Home Page” for everyone. It will be different for everyone and attributes to the current algorithm being used by the platform. Detailed and driven to each individual consumer.
Follower– A user on social media that has clicked “Follow” or “Subscribe” and will NOW see your posts on their Feed.
Hashtag– # This symbol is used to let the algorithms on each platform know that it is a “search term” or “keyword” that people can use to find posts.
Impressions– A metric used to measure how many TIMES your post has been SEEN by users. A user can have multiple impressions from one post depending on how many times they looked at it.
Like (Thumbs Up/Heart)– When someone clicks the thumbs up or heart icon(depending on platform) on a post signifying they like it. Used to measure how effective a post is, and platforms use it as a metric when deciding on if they should show it to more users.
Reach– A metric that shows you how many PEOPLE have SEEN your post. This allows you to see how large the audience for each post or your page is, which also helps measure your Brand Awareness.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)– A process of bringing as many people as possible to a particular site or social platform by making sure it exists and appears high in ranking on search engines. Different strategies for this.
Share– When someone clicks the “Share” button on Facebook and shares to a group or their own page. Platforms use it as a metric when deciding on if they should show it to more users.
Tag– When you comment on a post with another user’s name so that they can see the post. Usually an @ is used, then the name/username/page name is entered.
Views– How many times people saw the content. Platforms use it as a metric when deciding on if they should show it to more users.
Viral– A term used when content spreads explosively from a large number of people sharing the content with their followers in a short time, and they share it, then they share it and on and on. Not very likely, but if it happens you can gain a lot of followers, reach, and a larger audience all organically.
You need to STOP worrying about how many followers you have. Instead, spend that time creating content that people can use or learn from. There are literally hundreds of videos ANY business owner can create regarding their field. You need to think of yourself as THE EXPERT in YOUR FIELD! Create content with that in mind, and show others that you are “THE GO TO” Guy or Chick for THAT SPECIFIC THING!
Let me tell you why FOLLOWERS are JUST a number. Ready for some ANALYTICAL THINKING when looking at your social media as a STATISTIC/MARKETING TOOL and NOT as a CONSUMER? Here comes the BOOM. Go to any Instagram account (same can be done for any social media account, but IG has all of their numbers easy to find for me. In fact, go to your favorite people. Look at their followers numbers and then look at their last 5-10 posts. Do they have a high follower count and high likes/comments/views? Do they have a high follower count and a low number of engagements? Who do you think has real followers and who has paid?
Do you really want to waste your money on fake followers (or let’s pretend they really are Sally the Model)? Why not spend that money on boosting a post, or making an ad that will reach more people that could be real customers, instead of non-convertible people. Unless those same 10k followers you paid for are also consistently liking and commenting on your posts with real comments, and some have converted to being a customer, then they aren’t really the followers you want anyway. If someone loves what you are creating and putting out there, you will attract them. You just have to be consistent, provide quality information and content, be social, and eventually you will get those REAL people who NOT ONLY LIKE, COMMENT, VIEW your posts, but they SHARE or TAG a friend because it is useful, and then that person does it, and then the next. And guess what, sister/brother, you just created AN ORGANIC and REAL FOLLOWING of REAL PEOPLE/CLIENTS/MINI MARKETERS and PROMOTERS for YOUR BUSINESS/SERVICE FOR FREE. You’re thinking, Morgan, this sounds so simple…how am I NOT already Instafamous? Keep reading….
IF you do not have a FACEBOOK PAGE for your business yet, that NEEDS TO HAPPEN!
Do not use your personal page as your business page. You need the insights and statistics from the business page that your personal account just does not offer you.
Do you have a FACEBOOK page AND an Instagram Account? YOUTUBE? TIKTOK?? You need at least 2 of these. If you are really good at one and not another, spend 80% of your time on the one you are really good at, and 20% on another you want to learn. Just SHOW UP on the secondary one. The content you make for one, you can usually post on the others. Using content to make content and share it all over. Not everyone has JUST FB, or JUST Instagram, JUST YouTube, JUST WorldStar, JUST reads REDDIT, or JUST likes to read blogs. You want to reach people on all of the platforms, but it is a lot of work. So use your content you have already made and share it everywhere. The more time you spend on that 2nd platform, eventually it will get easier to use and you will be able to add a 3rd and 4th platform.
JOIN FACEBOOK GROUPS!
IF you are not apart of local groups in your community, as well as nation wide, even world wide groups, in regard to your field where you can answer questions and just be helpful to people, YOU NEED TO DO THAT!
FB is all about Groups! You need to be in a community and promote community by giving advice and information you already know about. People will see how helpful you are and willing to take time from your day and give them information others would charge for. They will be more apt to following you and trusting the advice you give.
Remember, Social Media is about being social! Creating and participating in a community. How can you be helpful if you are not BEING helpful?
STOP BRAGGING!
Not every post should be about how awesome you are…I know you are awesome….you know you are awesome….so do the people following you…but there is a fine line in being proud and looking SNOOTY. I am here to tell you truths others are too scared to tell you. You are welcome.
No one wants to see how many houses/products you sold all of the time, or any kind of braggadocios type crap we like to plaster all over social media (Well, maybe except your always supportive parents or close friends, like, “Yea, that’s our child/friend. You go girl/boy.” Of course, YOU look at it as “Yay look at me. I am doing so well!” But if you do it ALL OF THE TIME, people get sick of that. They want to see you struggle too, sorry but it’s true. They want free information and things they can GET from you FOR FREE. It’s just the world we live in. People want information and to be entertained.
No, I am not saying go and do the trending TIKTOK challenge or DANCE…don’t make yourself a court jester……. if you don’t want to be (I enjoy being an entertainer and being the center of attention, so I am not beyond this LOL)…but if you share the fun side of you (however it comes out) it only helps your business! People want to know YOU! YOU ARE YOUR BRAND! So sure, post a pat on the back every now and then, but people want to know what you can give them for nothing. We are pretty simple creatures and really love free and things that can benefit us…and we like to see underdogs and people rise from hardships. You go through something tough or a dark place? Don’t be scared to share it. People WILL relate to whatever you have going on. And if you kick it’s ass…share that too! People LOVE seeing that Revolutionary War American Fighting Spirit. We are so Proud. And to other countries….a bit Cocky. But it’s also what attracts so many people to us. We know we rock. HAHA! Now give the people what they want…YOU!
SO What Do You Share? You want to provide valuable content the way YOU would explain it to anyone.
Don’t be scared of imitation! Getting ideas and jumping on the NEXT trending thing is how you get views and to be seen, but the way one person explains it isn’t the way everyone understands it. Explain it your way. Be creative in your way. Set it to the trending music on Tiktok/Reels/YouTube (Yes all 3 are different trending sounds!), and SHARE everywhere!
You are MORE than just what you sell or the service you provide. You are a BRAND. Show your audience what makes you…YOU. Your family, where you like to hang out, how you cook your steaks, where you like to eat, your favorite ice cream, where you love to go with your dog, your hobbies, what you do when you are not selling/making products/providing the service, what or who inspires you….People are following YOU and what YOU are providing…of course they want to know more about YOU!
Definitely stay away from politics and those hot button social/religious issues…unless you only want a certain type of audience/customer. It’s important to embrace who you are while not coming off too pushy about your personal accomplishments.
YOU HAVE TO PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE!
Yes, this is scary. Yes, it takes practice. But how else can you do it unless you JUST DO IT! I always tell my kids (compliments of my husband), “The only way to go through something is to go through it.” You have to not care what people may or may not think of you for posting something. The important thing is you put yourself out there. DON’T ASSUME what anyone will think. It makes an ASS out of U and ME! I really remember to spell it by remembering that long ass saying HA! I started doing my LIVE Videos at our workamping gigs on a Pumpkin patch, tree lot, and fireworks stand. I didn’t really provide any information other than hours we were working, where you could find us, what we ahd in stock, but it got me comfortable being on camera. It would just be “What workamping is about doing x,y,z” videos, but then as I got more comfortable I started doing videos teaching about the things I learned. Hey, I learned a lot about how to keep a pumpkin fresh, or the different species of Christmas Trees, and what makes a firework all the pretty colors….And its information about how to make money traveling, what it’s like to live in a bus, what bills do you have, how to homeschool, how to road school, how to make a recipe, ANYTHING!
Don’t ASSUME your audience knows as much as you do in your field. REMEMBER YOU ARE THE EXPERT! SHOW THEM!
Break it down Barney Style. Start with the basics. Then break those down. Not everyone knows everything and you can’t think of everything. Let your audience give you ideas. What questions do you get a lot? Answer it in a video. Now you can share this to anyone else that asks you this question. This also allows a person to watch and ask that same questions as many times as needed. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t even understand or know the vocabulary about something, I will have a harder time understanding the message.
For example, if you have never purchased a house before and I come in and start saying words like “Escrow”, “Appraisal”, “Inspection”, “Short Sale”, “Contingencies”, “Property Taxes and Insurance”…you may be overwhelmed just learning the definitions and applications. You want an expert to explain to you in a way you understand. If you have never bought diamond or gold jewelry, you may want to know and understand what Cut, Quality, Carat, and all of that means. Or if you were buying meat and want to know the best cut for a stew, or tacos, for briskets, or pulled porks. Everyone has a specialty about something. Something they knew inside and out. Now you just have to figure out how to explain it in a video or in a cool graphic you create. We sometimes take for granted even the words we use in our jobs or specialties on a daily basis by thinking everyone knows them and understands their meaning. Well……surprise……they don’t. So use this to your advantage. CREATE THAT CONTENT!
THEN, Get GOOD at making Videos and other content.
EVERYTHING is moving towards CREATIVITIY over MATH for social media platforms algorithms. People want to be ENTERTAINED (I mention this A LOT through out this book…because it’s FACT.) and they want some good music to listen to. I would like for my generation to step up and get credit for this because DAMN we had some good music in the 90s and grew up on the classics of 50s-80s…maybe this is a self-proclamation, but it’s my book…so I am doing it LOL! Even pictures are being turned into REELS on Instagram, which used to be JUST for pretty pictures. We say, ENTERTAIN ME. MAKE ME LAUGH. Pull on my emotions. THAT is where you will see a lot of your traffic coming from because EVERY platform is moving to video. And not just some long drawn out TEDTALK, They want Quick, fast information….and maybe even an autotune, because that makes everything hilarious. Let your CREATIVE side go!
Practice a few videos, and soon you will go from taking like 5 different videos, to getting it done in just 1 or 2 takes. Just like you are AMAZING at whatever it is you are selling or doing, you will eventually be FAST as HELL making your videos. Invest in a Video Editing program so you can add text, adjust the brightness, etc, and clip videos to take out the “UHHS” and “AHHHs” and “LIKES” (that was me!) and it gets the info more compacted and out there because people have VERY short attention spans…..(Coming from someone with ADHD…LOOK A SQUIRREL!)
Did you know your phone (if it’s no more than 5 or 6 years old) has a GREAT camera with settings that are beyond the DEFAULT come with your phone setting. Get in there! There is a front camera PRO video and PRO Photo quality option that could go to 8k (as of now). The editing features even have the main adjustments any person can make to their photos and videos. These are the main ones I adjust: Brightness, Saturation, Contrast, Exposure (If you have it: Clarity, Vibrance, Shadows) and sometimes Blacks, Whites, Highlights, Tint. Taking a few minutes the first 10 times you do this on your photos or videos before posting, you will be providing Easier to see and watch content AND you will become MUCH faster at it. CANVA is a great content creator when you need B Roll content, or images for a book *ahem*, or brands and logos, shirt designs, product designs….investing in yourself instead of paying others your precious resources of money when you are an entrepreneur/small business owner can add up quick. This program is easy to use on the computer and your phone, costs like $12 a month (no contract, and no I am not being sponsored by them) , and can be used for SO MANY THINGS. You can sit down and bust out all the designs you need in a month and then turn it off. When you need it again, collect a bunch of ideas and bust them out again in another month. As an entrepreneur we tend to have more time than money in the beginning. Invest in that. It’s worth it.
Some good video editors I have used on my phone are:
Inshot
CapCut
FilmoraGo
Canva
Adobe Premiere Rush
Photo Editors/Content Creators:
Canva
Adobe Creative Cloud Package-PhotoShop Express
Text on Word
*For computers I always suggest professional software because the quality is just better. Final Cut Pro for Apple, Davinci or Creative Cloud (has a video editor as well) for Windows.
Definitely start with the free versions. Get used to using them. When you used one, you have used them all…truly. The Features and options may be a little different but the mechanics are all the same. Start free, find the ones you like to use, then spend money on the better versions of them. You can ditch their watermarks when you pay, and more options, free photos, elements, graphics…it’s all content that can be found on their app.
WHY HAVE YOU NOT DONE ANY REELS/TIKTOKS/YouTube SHORTS YET?
Videos are being pushed more than ever in today’s algorithms! If you aren’t comfortable taking video of yourself, make the content about something else with you talking, and set to TRENDING music. There are tons of options when it comes to the types of music that is trending or popular, from keyboard clacks, texting sounds, hot music from hot artists, sound bytes from trending videos that are viral, and more! You can put words on the screen, bullet points of what you are talking about, you pointing to each bullet, dancing and pointing…The Possibilities are endless.
Gary Vee (Gary Vaynerchuk of VaynerMedia) preaches that the world of Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube is converting…or already has to a “TikTokification” way of consuming information. He isn’t lying. People consume more videos than anything and our attention spans are getting shorter. The Average viewing was 7 seconds for most people…2 years ago it was 14 seconds. Which means, you need to find a way to deliver content and your call to action faster. The next change happening is how we buy products. How many times have you seen something being marketed to you that you clicked on? The video was intriguing enough…maybe even without the sound….so you had to click on to see “What in the hell is going on?” Or “What in the hell are they talking about?” And THAT is the HOOK. They got you to click.
It takes a person 7 times of seeing something or someone before they trust it…or not. I guess it depends on the context of them being seen. If they are constantly getting light shed on them as a negative untrustworthy person, they will probably be forever viewed as that until something else happens more and more times to change people’s minds or allow them to forget the bad things about the person. IF you are constantly showing up on social media (Where A LOT of people are at ANY time of the day), constantly answering questions, providing valuable information (*Ahem* for free*), being consistent, sharing about YOU, the real followers…the real people….the real clients….will come! People in the groups you interact with….maybe a sister or brother or friend of someone in the group or on your page that values something you shared and wanted to share it. It will happen! “If you build it, they will come.”-Field of Dreams
AND THAT is where the CALL TO ACTION comes in.
What is a Call to Action? A CTA is the action I want my audience to do with this content. Share it. Tag a friend. Click the link. Call the number. Email me. Save the video. Like the video. Follow for more. You have to SAY IT! Say it in the video, in the caption, ANYWHERE! More success comes from saying it in the video because most people won’t read all the way to the bottom of your captions…remember SHORT ATTENTION SPANS. And put yourself in someone’s shoes. Do you want to read a small novel with EVERY post? Maybe you will sometimes…but not if it’s every post. And especially if it isn’t something I am not passionate about. Don’t inundate them with a million call to actions. Pick one. Tell them. And watch it happen!
**UPDATE**HASHTAGS ARE ACTUALLY NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THEY USED TO SINCE THE PLATFORMS ARE FOCUSED ON KEYWORDS! STILL READ THE BELOW SECTION AS YOU CAN LEARN HOW TO FIND POPULAR KEYWORDS THIS WAY TOO!
#HASHTAGS
I used to make fun of people that used hashtags. That’s right. When hashtagging was new, instead of being open to the idea or really seeing where this was taking social media, I criticized it….and I got left behind. Who else can relate to this on anything else? If not, good for you…you are a way better person than I was. But then, I realized the things I would make fun of were usually finding me because it was TRENDING. Hashtags are basically KEYWORDS that social media platforms would design a lot of their algorithms towards. For TikTok, #fyp #foryourpage you will see a lot that people will use to try to get their content seen by more people. Instagram used to encourage you to use ALL 30 of your allotted hashtags that you COULD use on their platform. Instagram now is saying, You don’t need a ton of hashtags, but make sure your caption has the keywords to make it found, and use the ALT TEXT option (where you can enter words of what is in the actual picture so it can be found easier in their algorithm), and SOME accounts (they are trying stuff out) have this new option to “Add Music” or “Add Keywords” and you can add 3 TOP keywords depending on the categories they show you. But not everyone has those…YET. Hashtags are kind of like SEO keywords, but more specifically for THAT social media platform.
What Hashtags do I use? Well, What niche market are you in? Instagram is great for searching hashtags and how popular they are. Facebook is good while you are posting something to see how often a hashtag is used. Since Facebook and Instagram are so closely linked, I usually use the same hashtags on both platforms. TikTok I use the same ones as well, but I may say #___oftiktok (#catoftiktok, #realtoroftikok, etc), #fyp, #foryourpage. Youtube has its own section where you enter your hashtags, but really you also want your description to have a lot of the keywords, as well.
Hashtag RESEARCH is your next step in getting engagement and getting a bigger audience. Go to each platform and in. the search bar, start searching keywords fro your niche. Look at the top posts, What other hashtags are they using? Do you see a trend with the top 9 posts on hashtags used? Search those hashtags? How often are they used? You want to grab a few that have hundreds of thousands of uses, even Millions. But then you want even MORE hashtags in the middle of the market and lower. So look at less than 100k uses for a bulk, then around 25k for the rest. If you ONLY use viral hashtags with MILLIONS of others using it, how well do you think you will be seen? Not very. You will be lost in the sauce, but you still want to utilize the popular ones, just don’t let it be ALL you post. You have to have your niche hashtags with lower uses because eventually you will be on the groundfloor of the next popular hashtags. I could go into EVEN MORE detail on this subject, but it is a QUICK and DIRTY Guide…So I will save that for the next book…..NEXT!
BACKLINKING.
A story old as the internet since optimizing search results was a thing…circa early 00s possibly. Every person thinks they are going to go viral. In reality, the probability is like in the millions, but that is the allure of social media right? (Thanks Hubby for that thought). Gamblers are ready to hit the “JackPot” or “Win the Lottery”…just BAM….overnight. How many do though? Same as Social Media. You have to link your website, your Facebook, your Instagram, your TikTok all over the internet…..but where? Where are these magical places where people will see your website and know it or even you exist? Everywhere.
Let me explain:
Let’s say you are a realtor. Let’s say because you are a realtor you read a lot of online articles about the housing market, mortgage rates, appraisals and property taxes, etc. Let’s say you have something to add to the article as a comment. A comment on an online article with the New York Times, TREC, a news outlet, Money Magazine, etc that will be seen by hundreds maybe thousands more people. Same as comments on Facebook posts in groups, or comments on a popular Instagram/TikToker/YouTuber/FB user. You are just tagging along on their post because this is your niche too. You are learning and contributing all in one place. And in that comment you are putting your website or whatever link you want people to see, or if it’s on social media you just want the comment as your page so you are seen consistently by people. If you want to promote a YouTube Channel, go in there and post a video you created on answering that exact question. I have gotten a lot of my views from my Bus Life because I threw it into a comment on a Skoolie Community or RV Community page that I was posting on or answering a lot of questions on. The same questions would get asked every other day it seemed…so what should I do with that info? Make a VIDEO! Then comment posting the link on it. BACKLINKING. It is an SEO move that people use ALL of the time. YES..it takes a lot of time….but once you post it there, it’s there forever..or until the Admin deletes it or the group goes sour….but it’s work that keeps working for you…even when you sleep. And remember, people hire social media managers because,yes, even “playing around on social media” is a skill that takes a lot of time.
So, in essence, you are linking to your other pages. You are bringing people and are exposing people to more of your social media or website and what you have to offer. The product you are selling, your online store, more clicks to your ad generating website, whatever. It is a way you are promoting yourself. Another great platform for this is Pinterest. You can pin your own images on your website and pin them on Pinterest on your own boards…and people will follow these boards! Something like “Indoor Home Décor Ideas” “Homeschool Ideas” “Real Estate Tips” Whatever it is you like to do or however you can classify whatever message you are getting across….there is a board you can pin it to!
ENGAGE. ENGAGE. ENGAGE.
Using Gary Vee’s $1.80 RULE is a great way to start getting engagement on your platforms. LET ME EXPLAIN: Go to the search bar of the platform you are working on, and search the top 10 hashtags in your niche. Each hashtag search will show you the top performing creators’ posts. On the top 9 posts that are showing, leave your $.02 cents on each! And I am NOT talking about a quick “Great information!” “Congratulations.” “You’re amazing.” Or Emojis. I am talking about a thoughtful response. Something like, “What a great job. I think you are doing amazing work!” “This is wonderful information. Thank you so much for sharing this!” “I hope you have a great week! Let’s make it productive.” Anything that is about 2 sentences or more and takes more than 3 seconds to write. Relate it to the post so the person knows you aren’t just copy and pasting some generic response. Put some love into it. Instagram is the birth platform for this strategy, but I have used this and versions of this on the others. BE SOCIAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
BOOST THAT POST or RUN THAT AD!
Did you know that when you boost a post on Facebook, it can also boos on Instagram…2 birds…one stone. Facebook even gives you Ad credits periodically for FREE that you can use to boost a post or run an ad. Why do either? It gives you a boost to push you in front of more people who never would have seen you before. What’s the difference? A Boost is just pushing an existing post that may be performing well already. You gotta seize the momentum and help it out! Boost it! Facebook will sometimes suggest it automatically on a well performing post, and it is important to boost it early when it is gaining traction fast. If it sits too long on social media, it “dies”. An Ad is a more thought out campaign that you create in Facebook Ads Manager. You can set a target audience/location, and how much you want to spend daily/weekly on it. These you will put more money towards as you will have created specific content for that target audience. Now that you are creating content, this is a great way to spend $5 or even $100 to get your content out to more people.
This section could be a book by itself, and I will cover this in more detail in the next guide….
Video Quality. FOR YEARS I would be like, “Why the hell do my videos look grainy?”
Do your videos look not as good on the different platforms as they do on your phone? Remember different platforms allow different qualities. TikTok only gives you uploads of 1080P…yes, even if you recorded in 2k or 4k or even 8K…TikTok will downgrade your video automatically. Also, Each platform has a setting where it allows you to change wither you use Wireless Data or not when uploading or when Wifi is Available. Go to your Settings in each one and look for “DataSaver” and make sure this is OFF or that the setting is “Higher Picture Quality”. Between TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube they all have different settings. Spend time in each and make sure you have Quality in mind (except Facebook…I have not found a data saver setting on the mobile app yet).
It is a setting that reduces your data consumption when using cellular data. Videos maybe a lower resolution, but won’t apply when you are on WIFI. If you have unlimited data, who cares? Open that B up.
When you save your video, and you have the option, save it as a 30 FPS (Frames Per Second)…not a 60 FPS. It is all downgraded to 30 FPS anyway. If you are shooting a video with something other than your Phone, go ahead and dedicate to the 60 FPS. Especially if you want to have a commercial or mini-mercial with a pro video camera.
TAKE. THE. EXTRA. TIME. TO. MAKE. GOOD. QUALITY. CONTENT!
For years I wanted to “Just get the info out there”. I settled. When my videos could have gone so much farther if I would have spent the time using my good cameras and my good editing software. But it took too much time. Phones weren’t as good as they are now either (in my defense) so the effort to have good quality was legit effort. Now, every phone is 4k or 8k, has an amazing operating system that can handle high quality videos and even amazing editing software…and they have a HUGE memory!
USE THE SETTINGS METIONED IN THE TOPICS ABOVE. TAKE THE TIME TO SEE WHAT YOU LIKE. PAY FOR THE EDITORS THAT YOU LIKE TO USE.
Have you seen a decrease in views or activity?
It is most likely the algorithms is changing again. Whether one platform or the other wants more hashtags, or less hashtags, more descriptive keywords, or less caption. These all can effect how your vides are being seen if it has seemed to drastically change. Not only that, but also ask, “Is it a Holiday?” “Am I posting too much?” “How’s the quality?” “Who is my Audience? Is that clear?” Have you noticed if there are more ads being ran? That can boot you out too, especially around the holidays. User fatigue is also a thing. Lots of people take breaks from social media. It just happens. And that is Ok!
Even if you learned 1 thing from this Quick and Dirty Guide it was worth the $$ you spent. Even if it was used merely to just give you new ideas on content ideas…You are WELCOME! Even the tips I tell people everyday I forget not EVERYONE knows them. I ASSUME. See? I do it too LOL. And each of these topics I can go into for at least a couple of more pages on each and more (like hashtags, Alt Text, Caption Keywords) because social media is ever changing. What is new, how the platforms push content, the “algorithms”, you always hear about it…they are always changing, but that will be for the next book………
“If you can dream it, you can build it.”
TheCrabsHomestead & MoMedia 
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