Hi, Alex! Tell us about you and your business.

I run a social media company called Altrincham HQ. We’re a social media management company based in South Manchester.

Basically, I live my life on social media!

While I’ve been running my social media business for nearly 14 years, I have been involved in marketing for over 20 years.

Originally I was in music and entertainment journalism and eventually opened an events business in 2004, the age of MySpace.

I also offer training courses for succeeding on all social media platforms.

So much has changed with social media over the last two decades. How do you adapt?

I’ve definitely seen the trends ebb and flow over the years with the various social media platforms. For example, Twitter is not as popular as it once was. 

I like to think I’m ahead of the curve with trends simply because of how much time I spend on social media. At any given time we are managing social media for eight different businesses across several platforms, as well as my own.

I also network with other marketers to discuss trends we are seeing.

In terms of adapting, I always keep a sense of enjoyment with me. It excites me to try new things, to learn new trends, and find fun ways to discover what’s new.

It’s also important to understand that you don’t have to follow every single trend. If dancing on TikTok isn’t for you, do something different! 

Find a way to make the platform work for you in a way that is consistent with your image and brand.

How do you overcome the fear of putting yourself out there?

I’m naturally an introvert, but being in marketing forces me out of my comfort zone.

To make it super simple, I talk about things I am passionate about.

Talk about things you enjoy doing outside of work, giving your audience insight into who you are as a person and not just a business owner. 

Start small and find what you’re comfortable sharing and share it!

Should businesses ONLY post about work?

Definitely not!

As a business owner, you’re a part of your brand. Show people what your real life looks like outside of your business.

Do you enjoy running? Reading? Eating out? Going to concerts? Knitting or crocheting?

People gravitate towards people, not businesses. Share what you love and your audience will welcome it.

Once they have a chance to chat with you and get to know you, they’re more likely to do business with you.

What ways can people put themselves out there on social media?

Naturally, you have the day-to-day life you can share, in your business and personal life.

If you’re a dog walker, you can show the behind-the-scenes, videos of you walking the dogs, and literally document your entire day.

What do you do when you get home or have downtime on the weekends? Share it!

Whatever you’re doing, you can find a way to introduce an element of that to the outside world.

You should always acknowledge how much of yourself you’re willing to put out there, though. 

Find your boundaries and stick to them.

Are you a planner?

It’s a bit of a mix for me. 

When I’m feeling inspired I can knock out five posts at a time. But life happens and I’m not always in that headspace.

I give myself time for the brain fog to lift and know eventually it will come.

Tell us about the weekly round up post and what kind of impact has it had for you?

On social media, as business owners especially, we think we constantly have to be providing value – giving a social media tip or a marketing stat for instance.

But that’s just not the case.

Once a week, I’ll do a roundup post of my entire week. I’ll break it down by day and literally share what I did that day–both in my professional and personal life.

It shows the depth and breadth of what I do and provides a lot of insight to my audience into what my business is without ramming it down their throats constantly.

These posts are one of my best every week with tons of engagement! It also makes my life easier because it’s one of my posts that’s already pre-planned. 

It’s so easy and everyone can do it!

What are your thoughts on blogging?

Blogging is one of the easiest ways to push out valuable information. 

The beautiful thing about a blog is that it lives on your own website. You aren’t beholden to the dreaded algorithms and it helps you get discovered on Google.

If you link your blogs to what you’re trying to achieve as a business owner you will get results.

Find something easy to do, repeatable, and a good quality resource for others.

For example, I launched a blog last year that keeps track of new businesses in the area. It’s super simple to update and is valuable for people.

Just in January of this year, it reached between four and five thousand people with that one piece of content.

Any tips for sharing on social media and feeling more confident in your marketing?

First and foremost – just do it. Someone posting without a strategy is better than someone not posting at all.

Get into the habit and then start formulating a strategy.

Once you get that down, start looking at analytics. Determine what your best-performing posts are, and why. 

Try to show up as often as possible.

Inconsistent marketing delivers inconsistent results, while consistent marketing will deliver consistent results.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help from people like me that deliver training or save you loads of time by outsourcing it completely.

Find out more about Alex

Visit his website: Altrincham HQ Website

Learn more from his blog: Alex’s Blog

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altrinchamhq

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/altrinchamhq

And on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amccann/

Check out They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan on Audible

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