Whether your business is small or large, you can leverage social media to bring in new leads to grow your clientele. And we aren’t talking about paid social ads here! We’re talking about organic social posts, or the content you can share for free on your social media platforms. Many businesses and individuals have become “influencers” in their respective industries with a refined social media strategy.

When used correctly, organic social media can be a powerful tool to amplify your message and attract potential customers. But it does require more work than posting occasionally and responding to messages. Here are our tips to help you utilize social media to grow your business!

1. Know Your Audience

The first key to harnessing the power of social media is to know your audience. Who are your ideal customers? What’s important to them? What challenges do they face? What do they want out of their nutrition services? These types of questions will guide you throughout your social media strategy.

One thing that your ideal audience will influence is where you focus your social media efforts. Younger audiences (ages 10 to 19) tend to be more active on TikTok, while more mature audiences (ages 25 to 34) use Instagram and Facebook more. Additionally, 20% of Facebook’s users are also adults ages 55+, making it more of an ideal platform if you work with adults struggling with diabetes or working on their heart health.

As you think about your audience, determine which social media platforms they are using, and focus your efforts there.

2. Create a Content Calendar

To be successful on social media, you must be consistent. That doesn’t mean you have to post every single day, but you should post regularly — every few days — so that your business stays top of mind to your followers.

A content calendar is a great way to plan ahead and ensure that you are sharing a variety of posts that will appeal to your audience. Here are some quick tips for creating your own content calendar:

  • Start with a specific timeframe. You may want to start with 2 weeks or a month.
  • Then, choose the days you will post during that month. Every 2 days? 3 times per week? Quality always wins over quantity. So if you can’t devote the time and attention needed to post more frequently, then scale back your efforts to focus on quality.
  • Assign each day a general theme or content type. Maybe you want every Monday to be a #motivationalmonday, or you want to alternate posting between polls, graphics, recipes, blog posts, and other types of content.

Mapping everything out can ensure that you’re providing a variety of content on a consistent schedule. You’ll use this framework to help you create compelling posts that will resonate with your audience.

3. Develop Content that Speaks to Your Audience

Now that you’ve laid out a plan, it’s time to create your posts. Remember that each social media platform is a little bit different, so your content may need to adapt. For example, Instagram requires square images, while Twitter limits the number of characters to 280. And social media platforms are always changing and adding new features, so it’s important to know what the latest updates are. For example, Instagram launched reels, which are short videos, to compete with TikTok.

Generally, you should be real and genuine in your posts. Social media is full of enough flatteries and fake photos as it is. As you write your posts, keep your ideal audience in mind. What would you say to them in a face-to-face conversation? What resources would they find interesting and why? Try to tell real stories that will connect with your audience and help them like you and trust you. And you don’t have to be business all the time. Show pictures of yourself, your family, your dog! Allowing your audience to see that you’re human makes you more relatable and likable.

Try to offer value as you speak to your audience. That could mean providing a new recipe, sharing a recent study in nutrition, or other updates. It could be sharing a motivational quote or a fun video. If you don’t provide value, then your followers will simply unfollow you.

Of course, part of providing value could be talking about the services you offer. This includes telling your audience about the EatLove services you offer. Make sure this content still speaks to your ideal audience. For example, you can try something like, “I offer personalized meal plans for my clients,” or “My clients have access to a 6,000+ recipe database.” The key is finding that balance between valuable content and service promotion. If you’re only talking about your business, you could actually put people off.

Creating your content could also mean crafting more than just words. Think about the visuals that will go with your post — video, picture, infographic, gif. Visuals often complement your message and can be a great way to capture someone’s attention as they scroll through a social media feed. EatLove PRO has a built-in social media graphic generator you can use to help you create high-quality visuals. And there are many easy-to-use design platforms, like Canva, that can help you create graphic designs.

Need some ideas on quality content? Check out Ale Zozos, MS, RDN, and our Client Success Manager! Visit her Instagram @mediterraneannutritionist.

PRO TIP: Once your social media posts are polished, you can schedule them in advance to make sure you don’t miss a beat! This can be especially helpful if you post frequently, are short on time as it is, or forget to get on social media regularly. Facebook allows business pages to schedule posts in advance for free. To schedule posts on other platforms, you can sign up for a third-party service, like Hootsuite or Later.

4. Engage with Social Media Users

After you publish a post, you’re not done yet! It’s crucial for you to check in on your social media accounts regularly to engage with your followers. Make sure you respond to any comments, even if it’s just with a “like” in return. This helps you develop relationships with your followers.

You can also engage with other individuals and businesses. For example, you could search #pcosnutrition or #hearthealthnutrition on a social media platform to find content related to your services. Comment on posts you find interesting and engaging. Genuinely commenting and engaging with other people’s content is a great way to build brand awareness and get more followers to your social media profiles. And more followers = more potential clients.

5. Make It Easy to Sign Up for Services

As your audience grows and learns more about you, it’s natural that they will want to sign up for services. When potential customers reach this point, make sure there’s an easy way for them to get in touch or sign up for services.

Firstly, make sure that you have included a way for potential customers to get in touch with you about services. This could include providing your contact information, website link, or a link tree on your social media profiles.

Next, remember when we said you should sprinkle in posts promoting your business? Share how leads can sign up for your services when you talk about what you offer. This points potential customers right to your door to learn more. By sprinkling posts that promote your services, individuals who follow you can also scroll through your social media feed and quickly find their way to your website.

To learn more about how you can grow your business, sign up for EatLove PRO! We offer FREE learning sessions for all of our members.