Sneak peek at your plans
What are you going to be offering soon? We always feel special when we hear about ideas for future services or products - even when we hear the news on social media! It's also a great way of leaning into the popular call to action "send to a friend".
I'll give you an example, my sister and I have been eagerly waiting for the third book in a series to launch and we finally got it today! (Fantasy fans, how excited are you that Onyx Storm has finally launched?). We both follow the author on Instagram but for the last few months, every time she's posted a sneak peek, I've sent it to my sister. I know the algorithm would have shown it to her, but I wanted to beat it to it. This is exactly what we, as small business owners, are trying to recreate.
If Instagram is one of your platforms, I highly recommend checking out the "Frames" or "Reveal" Stickers you can add to your Story. These are really easy ways to make the sneak peek feel more exclusive!
Unfinished projects
I know what you're thinking; how is an unfinished project any different to a sneak peek at an upcoming new addition to your business? Let me explain. Whatever goal you're working towards, your audience is going to love following your journey. That goal could be creating a new addition to your business, but it could also be reaching a certain number of followers, learning a new skill or even attempting to add something to your daily routine.
Let's look at the example of someone attempting to walk 100km over 30 days to raise money for charity. Yes, we can support that person by donating, but through social media, we can also feel really involved in that goal by following along and offering words of encouragement.
As a small business owner, sharing personal projects that might not even be directly related to your business is an interesting way of allowing your audience to know, like and trust you without even needing to show up on camera or being really vulnerable.
What I love most about following people's journeys like this is that they don't even know what the ending is going to be. They might achieve it, they might not, but that's almost not the point - the point is that they are trying.
Mini-series
We've all seen those videos that end right in the middle of the action and say "follow for Part 2". I'll be honest, although these posts can be really powerful because the algorithm picks up on the fact that they are making people check out your Page or Profile, I'm not a huge fan of them. In some instances, I totally get that the limit on video length means a separate Part 2 is unavoidable, but most of the time it just feels really unnecessary. So what do I mean by 'Mini-series'?
Essentially, the goal of a mini-series post is to intrigue people enough to check out the other posts - but each post stands on its own two feet. Your followers will come to expect (and even look forward to your next edition). These work particularly well if you can stick to a particular frequency.
For example, every other Tuesday, I share a blog post like this one. I've done so for about three years! Each blog brings you value, but I go get regular readers who've come to keep an eye out for them.
Need some help with your plan?
Check out this mini-course! It's designed to guide small business owners like yourself to create a powerful 4-week social media plan. It includes a printable worksheet and a walk-through video so you can do it in your own time, at your own pace, and hit pause as many times as you need.
Thanks for reading! I share a blog like this one every other Tuesday, and if you feel like they help your social media presence, and more importantly, your business - then please consider leaving a tip.
Every time this tip jar reaches £15, I'll run a giveaway on social media so a small business can access my membership group for two months.
Tesni xx
