What lessons would you pass on to your younger selves if you could? I was once asked this during an interview and I had to smile as I thought about our past experiences. As social media marketing experts, my team and I have seen both the good and bad on social media. But more importantly, we have learned so much about what works and what doesn’t, whether it’s first hand or advising another business.

If we were able to speak to our younger selves, we would have to choose our words very carefully. After all, back then there was no Instagram, Snapchat, or even memes if you could believe it. We would have to go to the very building blocks of social media, which is the perfect place to start.

These are the five things I would stress to a younger self and in the same respect,  fledgling social media marketers.

1. Hashtags can be overused.  Back when hashtags first came out, people were writing whole updates with every word as a tag. Some people STILL do this, unfortunately. For Facebook and Twitter, stick to a limit of two tags per post. For LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest, use none. Instagram – go crazy!

2. Take your time.  Social media is not an instant hit. It’s so much more gratifying and rewarding than that. Social media managers have the responsibility to grow and engage an audience that will prove to be loyal customers.

3. Spread the word. Don’t just stick to one platform. Use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and others to reach different areas and levels of audiences. You will have the opportunity to reach a broader and more talkative audience if you manage multiple accounts.

4. Communicate. Don’t expect your audience to share your content and talk about you if you’re not doing the same for them. Spend time on social media focused on sharing and talking about content others have published. As we always say, it is SOCIAL media!

5. Don’t stop. There may be times when the engagement just doesn’t come. This just means you have to push harder, restrategize, rewrite, redesign, and reschedule. There’s no room for giving up. Also, if things are going good, do not let your audience forget you by missing a month, week, or even a day of content.

We’re excited to imagine what our even older selves would tell us about the future of social media. With live video, temporary content tools, and new platforms coming soon, the future is looking bright.

Are you finally ready to let the pros take over your social media? Contact us today!