The Social Media Hack Guide Updated Feb 19
The Social Media Hack Guide Updated Feb 19
The Social Media Hack Guide Updated Feb 19
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03 Introduction
06 Consistency is key
15 Finally...The excuses
There was once a time that in order to get your message out to a mass audience you had to pay thousands
of dollars to get a slot in the local newspaper, or an ad on the radio or TV.
Now, all you need are two things – a smart phone and the internet.
There has never been a time in modern society quite like now, where everyday people have the same
potential reach as a media outlet.
But you’ve got to start thinking like them. You have to start understanding your audience and delivering the
value and information they require. You have to give them a reason to want to consume your content.
Because the reality is, you have the exact same fundamental tools as any media company. You have the
power to make your own news, spread your own information and educate your own audience.
It used to be only celebrities and politicians who could use their voice and fame to tap into the mainstream
media networks, but now people are looking to entrepreneurs and businesses to lead the way.
Kerwin Rae
One of the most important things you can be doing for your business right now is to become an absolute
champion on social media.
There are
7.7 bil
people on earth
4.4 bil
have internet access
3.5 bil
are active on social media
3.3 bil
use their mobile to
25 mil
population in Australia
16 mil
Australians on Facebook
connect with people
on social media
Here’s the thing. There are 7.7 billion people on earth, 4.4 billion have Internet access, 3.5 billion are active
on social media, and it’s growing daily.
Furthermore 3.3 billion people use their mobile to connect with people on social media, and that number is
growing by about 297 million per month!
And if we look at Australia alone, there’s about 16 million people on Facebook right now which is pretty
bloody impressive when you consider that there’s only about a 25 million population.
So the question is, how are you communicating with these people? Are you meeting your market?
Your view of social media and how you use it for business is fundamentally crucial in this time and space.
One of the most important things you can be doing for your business right now is to become an absolute
champion on social media.
Social media has a 100% higher lead to close ratio than outbound marketing.
Leads that come from social media, when generated correctly, produce 100% more
leads than any other marketing source.
People used to go to Google to investigate products and services, now they go to Facebook, and
Instagram, and LinkedIn and other social networks.
The question is when they go to your page are they impressed or distressed? Are they compelled to buy or
are they put off? What was their lasting impression?
These are all really important questions to consider. Because these are the questions that could be making
you money or losing you money.
Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Dance like no one’s watching’?
Now, I don’t mean dancing naked in the shower while singing at the top of your lungs – that might be
awkward. But you need to be smashing it at social media, even when it seems like there’s no audience
there to watch.
Because here’s what people tell me – “Kerwin, why would I bother putting effort into Facebook posts,
videos and blogs when I only have a couple of hundred followers?”
Well the reality is, if you don’t post consistently, no one will have a reason to follow you in the first place.
Or, at least, choose two or three platforms and do them exceptionally well and most
importantly...consistently.
Choose the platforms that your target market likes and uses, after all, that is who you
want to engage with.
I get that for some people creating quality content that adds value can be a huge time investment to begin
with, but you should at least be aspiring to post every day.
At the moment, we’re posting four to five times a day on Facebook and are constantly manipulating our
distribution to find the right mix, but we keep it consistent.
One of the biggest mistakes people make on social media is that they’re inconsistent. They put something
up on Facebook once and then don’t bother to post again for weeks in between.
If you’re trying to grow your following (and you all should be) then you need to be posting frequently.
Because if you don’t give your audience something to regularly tune in to or engage with, then you’re not
going to grow. It’s as simple as that.
Five years ago my presence on social media was pretty dismal compared to what it is now.
In the beginning of 2013 I had around 3800 followers on Facebook, I had no Instagram, my LinkedIn was
nothing special, I had about 1000 views on YouTube across the board, and around 2000 followers on
Twitter but they were all crap follow-for-follow bullsh*t.
But it was on the 14th of November 2013 that I posted my first piece of content that went viral. It was a post
about a donkey that fell into a well… (now animal lovers don’t lose your sh*t, this is a fable).
The story goes, a donkey fell into a well and the farmer who owned the donkey was so distraught that he
decided the best way to help was to put it out of its misery and euthanize it.
The farmer started filling the well with dirt. But the donkey had other ideas. Every time the distraught
farmer shoveled dirt onto the donkey, the donkey shook it off and stepped up on top of the dirt that was on
its back.
The farmer kept shoveling and the donkey kept shaking it off and stepping up, shaking it off and stepping
up, shaking it off and stepping up…
The donkey eventually got itself out of the well and the moral of the story is if you find yourself in a dark
hole and people are shoveling sh*t on you, keep shaking it off and stepping up because sooner or later you
will get your ass out of the hole.
If you’re not already creating content for social media, you just have to start because if you don’t you are
about to get screwed. And not in a romantic way, think Shawshank redemption.
Here are my top four tips to get you started when it comes to creating killer content.
Give people something for nothing. It’s that simple. Give them a result before they even do business with you.
Show them how to get a result without parting with a single dollar. This not only creates goodwill it also
demonstrates you are a specialist, an expert in your field and that kinda positioning is priceless.
Add value to people’s news feed, timelines and their life by giving them practical and helpful information,
knowledge, ideas and content that enriches, empowers, entertains and educates.
Before you publish ANYTHING, you need to be asking yourself, ‘How will this help people and is there real
value in this content?’
Pro tip: Video is 1.8 times more likely to lead to a sale, so when it comes to adding value, video should play a
big role in your strategy.
Don’t be afraid to spark debate, conversation or provoke opinions – that my friend is called
ENGAGEMENT and engagement is the aim of the game. Because the more interaction we can have with our
audience, the more likely they are to convert into real paying clients.
More engagement also means that your content is likely to get shared, and shared content is FIVE TIMES more
likely to result in a sale.
I’m a big fan of pushing the boundaries, and by doing so I polarise a few people, I know I’m not for everyone’s
taste but if people feel compelled to react, comment or even challenge my views I know I’ve captured their
attention enough for them to take an action, and action on social media is everything, it drives your reach.
You want to make that much of an impact on your followers that they can’t help but talk about what they’ve
read, watched or heard with their friends and family.
Any content you publish needs to demonstrate that you’re an absolute expert in your field.
You must be able to genuinely prove you are a specialist with real valuable content not just puff and bravado.
You show this by doing the above two pointers really well, but also by drawing on your knowledge and
expertise in your market or field, in every piece of content you create.
People want to be lead by others stronger than them in particular areas, they want to know that if they work
with you, that you are at the top of your game and are going to look after them better than anyone else
because you know your sh*t.
Focus on your strengths don’t try to make sh*t up just to please everyone.
TIP 4 BE AUTHENTIC
Just be real. There’s enough phonies on social media and people can usually spot a fake a mile away.
If people have never met or worked with you, chances are they will form their opinion of you based on how
you come across in the content that you publish, and if it’s too robotic they may feel you lack substance. And
let’s be honest, no one wants to do business with someone who tries too hard to be something that they’re
not.
Just be real.
People want to see that you’re human – the good, the bad and the ugly. And I know my audience LOVES
hearing about all my f**k ups and mistakes because they can relate to that more than they can relate to my
success in most cases.
So if you can get these basics right, you’re one step closer to getting more eyes on your content, and more
eyeballs means more ROI.
But if you’re serious about taking your content marketing to the next level, it’s crucial to understand the
landscape of social media.
CONTENT HACK
Linkedin is a professional platform, the best content for this type of platform are posts that provide industry
insights and expert opinion. A good start would be to re-purpose blog articles by publishing them as LinkedIn
articles.
Post stories throughout the day spaced out, not all at once.
Use location tags.
Write copy that encourages either action or engagement.
Encourage your followers to turn on post notifications.
Share some of your timeline posts as stories to drive traffic to your post.
Do regular Instagram Lives.
Share user-generated content as much as possible.
Include both popular and niched hashtags in your caption and/or comments.
Add account mentions and hashtags to your stories, this will only be useful if your
account is public.
Create a free Linktree for your bio link, so you can drive traffic to multiple destinations.
CONTENT HACK
Research has shown that Instagram is the place people go to engage with brands, influencers, and keep up
to date with trends. Make sure to post multiple stories of high value throughout the day. Remember that once
you post a new story, or do a live, your icon will appear first in the list which encourages more views. Build a
strong aesthetic by building a consistent style and use #hashtags to increase post reach and engagement.
Generate more engagement by liking and replying to every comment on your posts.
Ask questions that encourage users to respond.
Start community management within the first 15 minutes of a post going out.
Respond quickly to Facebook inbox to increase your response time on your profile.
Look at Facebook Insights to see where your audience is located and post content
around their time zones.
Post native Facebook videos. Native videos get 70% more reach and double the
engagement of YouTube links.
Share the photos you post on Instagram, to your Facebook feed as they will get more
reach. This is because Instagram is owned by Facebook so special treatment is applied
when sharing across the two platforms.
Shares from your Facebook Page to your Personal Profile can increase reach.
Caption your videos! 82% of people watch their videos in silence, so you will be getting
a lot more eyeballs on your clips if you use captions.
Link to your Facebook business Page under the employer section of your Facebook
personal Profile.
Setup an automatic welcome message for your inbox.
Acknowledge every share with an emotion or comment.
Engage with and share other Facebook Pages’ content if it adds value to your audience.
Do regular Facebook Lives.
Use the assignment, labels and notes features inside your inbox to keep your
messages organised.
Setup Facebook Business Manager for improved security and to manage user access.
Claim your custom Facebook URL, which is a custom address for your Facebook Page.
You are eligible to do this once you have over 25 followers on your Page.
Use a profile image that stands out in a sea of other profiles and text. For example, you
could use a high-quality profile picture of you on stage presenting to an audience.
Improve your page by getting a free Facebook Page analysis report at likealyzer.com.
This report will not only provide you with accurate metrics of your Facebook Page, but
also actionable insights to improve your page.
CONTENT HACK
With Facebook changing their algorithm so regularly, it is important to make sure you are asking questions
that encourage users to respond. Reply to and like comments within the first 15 minutes of your post going
out to maximise your reach. Keep an eagle eye on Facebook Insights and other analytic stats to optimise your
content for the behaviours of your audience.
CONTENT HACK
YouTube has had a choppy relationship with its creators especially when it comes to the algorithms they use
to show videos to users. To ensure your video has the best chance of being seen, make sure your thumbnail
and titles stand out from all the other videos on the platform. Do further optimisation by including no more
than 3 links in your description and use tags to show up in people’s suggested videos.
Jump on trending topics, for instance, if Instagram just announced a new feature, the
hashtag #instagram might be trending. Tweet your thoughts on the new feature and be
sure to use the trending #hashtag.
Add relevant hashtags to your bio, to increase your ‘search power’. For example, we
have used #Kday #HeyKerwin and the #SocialExperiement.
Use ads.twitter.com to schedule text, images and videos.
Join in relevant ‘Twitter chats’. For example, this could be jumping into conversations
that are happening within your industry.
Retweet and reply to tweets by people who you want to follow you.
Create an industry and topical ‘Twitter list’. Twitter lists are a curated list of Twitter
accounts. You can create these lists yourself, or subscribe to others.
Use Twitter search to find discussions you can add value to.
Twitter is a real time, casual platform which encourages you to be yourself and have fun.
Post Twitter polls and ask questions to increase engagement.
Save 20 characters of your 280 limit for links, images and retweets.
Follow people you respect and those you would want to follow you.
CONTENT HACK
Post real-time, short form copy that encourages community engagement, frequently and LEVERAGE Twitter’s
trending topics to increase reach. Unlike other platforms, it’s acceptable to post numerous times a day, so use
this to your benefit! Stay relevant and get involved.
By now, you probably know I don’t beat around the bush…and I certainly don’t hold back any punches
when it comes to people making excuses.
One area I get so f**king sick and tired of hearing about is why you can’t get your sh*t together on social
media. So I’ve compiled the top excuses business owners use to not produce content, grow their following
and put themselves out there online…and I have BUSTED all of them, leaving you with ZERO reason not
to start!
Like these guys, I’ve had all the same challenges to face when it comes to growing my social presence, but
I haven’t let it stop me and you shouldn’t either – here’s some tough love for those of you who need some
straight talking hard advice in order to get your sh*t together and up your game today!
It took me almost 20 minutes to work out on my own how to launch an Instagram live and I still needed a
f***ing millennial to do it for me. Age is irrelevant, and if you think it’s a barrier you’re already lost.
It’s not how old you are, it’s how you think. It’s not the number, it’s the number of times you keep trying.
Everyone has the same 24 hours in the day, including myself. Einstein had the same 24 hours, Steve Jobs
had the same 24 hours, Elon Musk has the same 24 hours, Oprah Winfrey has the same 24 hours…time is a
bullsh*t excuse.
It’s never a question of time, it’s never a question of resources – it’s a question of resourcefulness and
prioritisation, and the ability to plan and identify the things that are most important and then being able to
execute while ignoring all of the noise around that wants to distract you and take your time, your oxygen and
your energy to get you to focus on drama rather than productivity and producing the things that need to
be done.
The platforms change their algorithms like I change my underwear…at least once a week…I’m kidding, at
least every day, sometimes twice a day.
They are constantly changing the algorithm but that is not an excuse to stop and it’s not an excuse to slow
down. Whatever the algorithm changes are, I look at strategically placing content to take advantage of it.
Changes in the algorithm do nothing more than amplify the goal and the purpose of what a social media
platform is here to do, which is to create a connection. To connect people, to change people’s lives and to
make the world feel better than it did yesterday.
And it’s only going to get better if you keep producing content but you won’t keep producing content if your
whole goal is for people to interact with it. Because if that’s your goal then you’re looking at the vanity not
the sanity. You should be focused on producing content that actually serves people.
People will only watch things that will help them. People will only watch things that entertain them. People
will only watch things that will serve them to achieve more or have more of what’s already important to them.
If you’re not tuned in to what people want then you’ve missed the whole f***ing point of what social media
is all about. Social media is about the connectedness of things that are important, the social connection with
media is about trend. It’s about providing education, information and entertainment for people in a timely
manner that hits the mark on where they are in their life right now.
It’s not about money, it’s about content. If you don’t have money then chances are you have time, and
there’s even more of a chance you have a f***ing smart phone.
You don’t need money to produce content, all you need is a smart phone and the Internet. There are free
apps that actually help you create content so just start.
If you look at the first video I ever did, it took me seven-and-a-half-hours to produce 3.5 minutes…and I had
a script! I was terrified, I was scared, I looked like sh*t on camera, I was balding, I was fat and I couldn’t get
my words in a specific order – I was sweating like a pig but I still did it anyway.
It’s about not getting to a point where you’re absent of fear. It’s getting to a point where you do it
regardless of the fear because your priorities are more important, your purpose is more important, your
mission is more important than you dwelling on the emotion of being scared like a little b*tch. Face your fear
and do it anyway.
Do it anyway and you will find over time as you expose yourself to the very thing that made you afraid, it will
no longer produce fear, it will produce excitement and inspiration, and one day you will wake up and that
very thing that you were afraid of will drive you to be even better every single day. Go and video yourself
today…in the shower – kidding!
Now that we’ve got those excuses out of the way, are you ready to set your social media on fire.
Rae, Kerwin
The Social Media Hack Guide e-book Version 6
First published & distributed December 2018 by Kerwin Rae
This is proudly a Kerwin Rae resource
Disclaimer
The content of this e-book is to serve as a general overview of matters of interest and is not intended to be comprehensive, nor does it
constitute financial (or other) advice in any way. This e-book is a compilation of one person’s ideas, concepts, ideologies, philosophies and
opinions. You should carry out your own research and/or seek your own professional advice before acting or relying on any of the information
displayed in this e-resource. The author, and its related entities will not be liable for any loss or damage (financial or otherwise) that may arise
out of your improper use of, or reliance on, the content of this e-resource. You accept sole responsibility for the outcomes if you choose to
adopt and/or use the ideas, concepts, ideologies, philosophies and opinions within the content of this e-book.
www.kerwinrae.com