5 Ways to Make Social Media Easier for Your IT Consultancy

As an IT consultant your work is almost 100% computer-based, with much of it happening virtually and online.  Since your everyday is so technical, many outsiders assume that you have a robust social media presence with tasks dictated by a well-planned strategy and prepared weeks in advance. But if you’re like most small business owners, you’re navigating a daily calendar that balances income-generating service activities with sales and those unavoidable operational management tasks, with maybe a pinch of time left for your personal life. In other words, not a lot of time or energy for social media. 

But for your business you need to have a social media presence on several sites, meaning you can’t just ignore social media altogether. It’s here to stay. The next best thing is to find a simple program for making social media work for your business – and when you frame it that way, as something that helps your business, it’s a lot easier to work it into your schedule. 

Pick Your Focus

With dozens of major social media platforms and hundreds of niche communities, the Internet is a gigantic field of possibility. Rather than trying to post on 20 or more of these different platforms, pick five to seven sites that will amplify your message and create social media traction. Knowing your target markets and where they hang out online is the key to knowing what social media sites to frequent. So ask clients where they go online and follow suit. And be sure to check out LinkedIn, which a Wall Street Journal survey suggests produces one of the highest ROIs. 

Schedule Social Media Time

Block out two days a month to scan your social media outlets, decide if strategy tweaks are necessary and write several posts.  Then you can schedule when each will go live with the confidence of knowing the posts are already written!  Taking this planning approach a step further, you can use a scheduling app or service that will automatically post content on specified platforms at pre-set times.    

Be Authentic

It’s easier to chat with friends than make small talk at a networking event because with friends you’re using your authentic voice.  This holds true for social media posting as well.  The links you post should be those you yourself would use or find interesting and the content you write should be in your unique voice.  People become clients of your consultancy because of you. Your perspective is what they’re buying and you should communicate over social media.  No, you won’t please everyone – and that’s quite alright. 

Settle

Settle for good enough with your posts because no one expects perfection.  Check for spelling and grammar issues, of course, but writing and posting something that’s heartfelt, but imperfect, is better than not posting anything at all. 

Maintain Your Liability Insurance

It may not seem like a way to save time, but small business liability insurance can have the added benefit of helping save time with social media.  How’s that possible?  Well, professional liability coverage protects your business from claims of negligence.  If you make a Facebook post suggesting a new backup method or tweet a link to a file sharing service and someone follows your advice, but has disastrous results, they can sue.  If you have liability insurance, the situation will still stink, but you’ll have the financial back-up and legal representation for covered claims to weather the storm.  Without small business insurance coverage, there’s the chance that such a frivolous lawsuit could be the end of your consultancy.

These are a few ideas for making social media easily a part of your small business marketing strategy.  Try them out and let us know what you think or reply in the Comments section below with techniques you’re using to tame the social media beast. 

Tiffany Winbush is the Social Media Manager for Hiscox USA Insurance, responsible for driving social media engagement and publishing the Hiscox Small Business blog. Tweet Tiffany at @TiffanyPR.