Dear Farillio member,

On 26th March 2021, you asked our amazing expert Katy Howell on the Go Far Fast Show:

“I don’t think social media works for me. I’m a life coach and I’ve been posting about my business for nearly a year now, but I get little to no engagement. I’ve spent quite a bit on boosting my posts, but it doesn’t make a difference. What am I doing wrong?”

And Katy said:

Be mighty always, Farillio

Transcript:

“The biggest failure that people make in social is they think a lot about technology. They think about things like 'should I use emojis in it?' or 'should I write shocking content?'. These are the things that the gurus and growth hacks tell us. Frankly, it's just rubbish. I'm very bold about this because I feel really strongly that what you need to think about is not what you offer or sell, but what of value is your conversation to your audience? The first thing you need to do to establish the value you create. How can you share knowledge? How can you share information, particularly if you're a coach? If you give more away, weirdly people don't go away and do it all by themselves. What happens is they start and then they decide that they really need someone. The more you give away the better it is on social media. Paying it forward with knowledge and insight actually works. Don't make it too salesy and don't make it too much about you. What you should be doing is building a community. The point of that community will be to pay it forward and to build up a network of people who like you and use you, and who will share. Build that community slowly, because what you do as a business is very personal. People want to see your personality and that really is going to matter. The easiest way to think about community is to take this back into the real world. Think about your community as your neighbourhood. Imagine you've just moved into the area. One housewarming is not going to make you best mates with your neighbours – it really takes time. You may attend a barbecue, you may send little gifts, you may stop and talk on the school run. There are a whole load of things that you do to build a relationship with your own neighbourhood in your own community. It is absolutely the same on social media."

Ask your question:

If you have any questions that you'd like us to ask in a future Go Far Fast Show, send us a DM on Twitter or on LinkedIn. We'd love to hear from you!

Want more from Katy?

You can also find Katy’s answers to other questions being asked by you and your community in our Dear Farillio Expert section on our blog site, and Katy’s great guidance on social media here.

Please note: The contents of this blog are not tailored business advice or legal advice. This is guidance and information, which we do our best to keep current, relevant and helpful. If you need business or legal advice, please use our Speak To An Adviser service or you can get in touch via our LiveChat.