Episode 30: Proven Social Media Marketing Methods

In this episode, Bella talks to Britney Young. Britney is a digital marketing professional and social media enthusiast. Her day-to-day life as a social media marketing manager includes: finding/curating relevant content to post to social channels, analyzing post data and post performance to see key trends or spikes in engagement, looking for relevant industry influencers to connect with, and responding to customer inquires, etc. They discuss: What a social marketing manager does The pros and cons of using automatic republishers like Meet Edgar How often should you post What should you be posting What you should be doing with all of those pet pictures you post Their favorite apps for doctoring up pictures The differences in the social media channels and a good workflow for pushing one post through many of them. Focusing your efforts on a few selected channels. Knowing your audience and finding out what channel works best for them.Apps mentioned: - Canva - Abobe Spark - Pixaby For more information about Britney Young, you can find her on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/britneynyoung/ Subscribe To The Show: Transcript: This is episode 30 of Bella in Your Business. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella's got your chute. Let's jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. I'm Bella Vasto with Jump Consulting, and today I'm here with Brittany Young. She is a digital marketing professional and social media enthusiast. Her day-to-day life as a social media marketing manager includes finding and curating relevant content to post on social channels, analyzing post data and performance to see keyword trends or spikes in engagement, looking for relevant industry influencers to connect with, and responding to customer inquiries. I have her on today because I know that so many pet sitting businesses are struggling through the social media tidal waves, trying to figure out where they need to be and what they should be doing. Brittany is here to help save the day and explain what we should all be doing. Brittany: Thank you. So social, digital, everything has really been my passion pretty much since I graduated from college about ten years ago. I originally started off in a small digital agency where I got a lot of hands-on experience learning what social and digital were and how they worked. I often think of a professor I had in college back when Facebook was just starting up. At the time, I had MySpace, and she encouraged us to sign up for Facebook and Twitter. I thought to myself, “What’s the point?” I didn’t want to be bothered. But I thank her so much because I did it, I learned, and now here I am doing this for a living. I love building community, connecting with people through social, and helping drive business. Bella: I love that story because it sounds like you’ve really accomplished the idea that when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. Tell us more about what a social media marketing manager does. I think so many small business owners wear so many hats and think, “Yeah, I can post to Facebook, no big deal,” but they don’t understand the true power behind it. Brittany: Besides just posting—which is a big part of it—you really have to listen and understand what your audience wants to hear. Businesses often get on Facebook or Twitter thinking they’ll just blast their latest promotion, but it’s really more of a song and dance. You post, but you also listen and engage. I look for content that my audience will like and share, and I also pay attention to what they’re saying about my business and the industry so I can interact meaningfully. Bella: A lot of business owners struggle with engagement. What if your audience isn’t saying anything? How do you get them to engage? Brittany: That’s a good question and something I’ve experienced in my current position. We deal with urgent care—not the most fun thing to talk about—but there are opportunities to start conversations. One thing I recommend is leveraging “bizarre holidays,” like National Chocolate Lovers Day or Left Handers Day. People love to share and engage with those kinds of posts. They might not always tie directly to your business, but they’re great conversation starters. Bella: Great idea. It’s about breaking up the noise and grabbing attention. So what’s the difference between using automation tools like Meet Edgar or Hootsuite and having a live person like yourself managing social media? Brittany: There are pros and cons to both. For small business owners, you need some automation because you can’t realistically post manually every day. These tools help, but you still need to review, respond to comments, and interact. Automation doesn’t replace genuine engagement. You need both. Bella: Exactly. One of my favorite tricks is that when you get a post with a lot of likes, you can click those likes and invite people who aren’t already following your page. That’s something automation can’t do. So, how often should a page post? Brittany: It depends on the network. For Facebook, if you have fewer than 10,000 followers, don’t post more than once or twice per day. Facebook’s algorithm changes mean that posting too much actually hurts your reach. On Twitter, you have more flexibility since a tweet’s lifespan is only about 18 minutes. As for content, it should be a mix—some user-generated, some curated, and some original. People respond well when they see you sharing their content, but you still need to maintain your own brand identity. Bella: Exactly. Pet sitters often post tons of photos of their clients’ pets, which is great, but after a while, people only care about their own pet. I think those photos should be part of a bigger content strategy—mixing in blog posts, engaging questions, and helpful tips like “When is it too hot to walk your dog?” Brittany: I completely agree. While images get good engagement, it’s important to balance them with valuable information that adds something new. That’s what keeps followers coming back. Bella: Maybe they could use tools like Canva or Pixabee to turn pet photos into quote graphics or engagement posts instead of just “Here’s Fluffy!” What apps do you like for editing photos? Brittany: Canva is my go-to. I also use Flipagram for slideshows and Boomerang for short looping videos—people love movement. Instagram has also improved its editing features. Bella: I remember when Instagram filters were new and I’d edit there just to post on Facebook. I’ll check out Boomerang. I also recently discovered Adobe Spark—it’s great for quick, animated social videos. (Commercial break – ProPet Hero CPR ad) Bella: Welcome back. Brittany, thanks for joining me. Let’s talk about translating one topic across different platforms. For example, if you wrote a blog about keeping pets warm in winter, how would you share it on Facebook versus Twitter or Instagram? Brittany: Each platform has its nuances. Facebook allows longer posts with more context and targeting. Twitter requires brevity, so you might link to the blog with a catchy headline and a few hashtags. Instagram relies on visuals, so you’d focus on an eye-catching image and use relevant hashtags like #dogsofinstagram. It’s worth tailoring each post to its audience rather than auto-sharing across platforms. Bella: Great point. And social media drives website traffic. For example, you can post that “Keep Your Pets Warm” article on Facebook, tag local pet stores, and boost it to your city. On Twitter, you could make it a quick “5 Ways to Keep Your Dog Warm This Winter” with hashtags to reach pet bloggers. On Instagram, use a funny image—like a big dog in a small sweater—and caption it, “Does this make me look fat?” Same message, different delivery. The number one thing I hear from small business owners is, “I don’t have enough time.” My advice? One, get help from someone like Brittany. Two, focus on one platform first and get great at it before expanding. Brittany: Yes, absolutely. When I started at my company, they had five social accounts but barely used them. If you can’t maintain it, don’t have it. Focus on one and do it well. Bella: Exactly. And maybe add a question to your intake form like, “What’s your favorite social media platform?” so you know where to focus your efforts. Brittany: That’s a great idea. Bella: Brittany, thank you so much for being here today. If anyone wants to connect with you, how can they reach you? Brittany: LinkedIn is best—just search Brittany N. Young. Or email me at [email protected]. Bella: Awesome. This has been another episode of Bella in Your Business. Please like and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher so new episodes automatically update every Thursday. And remember—always keep jumping!