The Social Media Puzzle: “Edge Pieces” Are Only the Start

General

I have always loved a good puzzle and, to me, that’s exactly what social media marketing is. Every puzzle you pick up has the same basic rules and goals, but has its own unique solution. Social media marketing is the same. Ultimately, we’re all doing the same thing and working towards the end goal – connecting with our audience and making sales – but what the strategy looks like and exactly what that end vision is will be unique to every small business.

Strategies for everyone

You will find a lot of social media marketing advice online, and I like to think of it all as the equivalent of advising someone to start solving their puzzle with the edge pieces; it’s genuinely helpful advice, and it’s true for every puzzle, but it is only a starting point.

On social media, you can go a very long way with these strategies that work for everyone. You’ll be able to build a consistent presence, you’ll be able to build a space you’re proud to direct people to, and you’ll be able to have conversations with the people that really make a difference.

However, I believe there are three main limitations:
1- You won’t stand out. If you’re doing the same as everyone, you will look like everyone.
2- You won’t feel good enough. You’ll be trying to fit yourself into a box that simply isn’t a nice fit.
3- You won’t be excited by it. Social media can be fun, but not if you’re just following ‘rules’.

You’re basically trying to complete the puzzle upside down without looking at the picture!

If you’re feeling like you have no idea where to even start, strategies that work for everyone are definitely the right place. You can find a whole load from me on the Free Support Page of my website – and I add to it regularly!

Strategies for you

Are you doing all the things, and it still feels a bit… meh? That’s your sign that it’s time to start focusing on your unique puzzle. It’s time to find strategies that work for you, find exactly what your audience loves most, and find ways to make social media fit you. It’s time to flip your puzzle over and see the bigger picture starting to form.

This is when you start getting real results!

Finding strategies that work for you is about bending the rules so that you can show up in a way that feels more natural – both to yourself and to your audience. Here are some examples:

In my free support, you will likely find me recommending that you create some Facebook Reels, but if you check out my page, you’ll see that I rarely follow that advice. That decision is made because time and time again, when I do create a Reel, my audience simply does not pay it any attention. It’s still something I will test out every so often, but currently, it’s not an effective use of my time. The formats that get results for you will be different to what works for others.

During a Powerhour with a small business owner a few months back, we were talking about live videos. She knew, from advice online, that it’s recommended to plan a live so your audience knows to tune in. Unfortunately, that meant that the anxiety before going live was getting to her, and she avoided going live at all. The opposite was true for her pre-recorded videos – she wasn’t doing them because there was no commitment or deadline to do them. So we flipped the strategy around, and now she tells her audience when she’s going to post pre-recorded videos, and she goes live in the moment when she has something to share. For her, this strategy allows her to deliver higher-quality content on a regular basis.

The norm is to run a free challenge in a dedicated Facebook Group, but if the fear of running that group is preventing you from sharing that challenge, you can absolutely just do it publicly!

That’s where I come in

As I said, I love a good puzzle! And more importantly, I know and understand the rules of social media, so I know how and when they can be bent. Having someone like me working on your strategy by your side is like trying to solve the puzzle with the picture on the box next to you.

Imagine getting: