NEXT LEVEL SOCIAL MEDIA
5 EASY TIPS FOR NEXT LEVEL SOCIAL MEDIA
1. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH ANGLERS ONLINE
As a valued member of the Church Tackle Pro Staff, and someone trying to build your own personal brand in the fishing industry, effectively managing your social media presence goes way beyond posts showing off your catch. The most effective way to use social media is to treat it like a conversation, not just a a bunch of little billboards about you, you, you. By building genuine relationships with other anglers online, you’ll grow your personal brand, strengthen the Church Tackle community, and get surprisingly more reach from every post you make.
2. SUPPORT OTHERS FIRST
It seems counterintuitive at first, but one of the best ways to grow your own following is by genuinely and consistently supporting others. Be just as diligent about commenting on fellow anglers’ posts, sharing their successes, and cheering them on as you are about making your own posts. When you consistently engage with others, they’re far more likely to return the favor. And the social media’s algorithm keeps track of both the inbound and outbound interactions on your profile. It is programmed to reward you for those interactions. Ultimately, that puts more eyes on you and on Church Tackle.
3. STRENGTHEN THE CHURCH TACKLE COMMUNITY
When you use #churchtackle and #justplanebetter, you’re helping us all connect. But don’t stop at hashtags. Take the time to intentionally seek out, tag and engage with other Church Tackle pro staff members (and Church Tackle’s social media posts, too). By supporting each other, we build a visible, authentic community that anglers (potential Church Tackle customers and/or potential fans of your personal brand) notice. People want to be part of a team that feels active and supportive.
4. BE GENEROUS, NOT SPAMMY
Quantity without quality will not work. Never risk just posting a lot of shallow thoughts that could seem spammy. Focus on authentic interactions like congratulating a buddy on their personal best, asking thoughtful questions about an angler’s particular setup preferences, trolling speeds, baits, etc., or shouting-out another pro staffer doing something cool with a Church Tackle board. Real relationships help everybody.
5. PACE YOURSELF
It’s also worth noting that social media algorithms seem to require a certain number of “selfless” posts that keep readers engaged on that social media platform in order for the platform to continue showing your posts to your followers. If all you ever post is “here’s a link to my new YouTube video,” that social media platform will literally throttle your posts down to the point where almost nobody will see them, even if you have a list of 50,000 followers. You can post links to things off platform, but you need to have several posts that have been selfless, engaging and on-platform in between posts that take traffic off of that social media site.
PRO TIP: 5 EASY COMMENTS THAT SPARK CONVERSATION
- “Great fish! What depth were you running?”
- “I see you’re running the TX-xxx. Great board, but I’m curious if you’ve ever tried the TX-xxx in that situation”
- “Congrats! Always cool seeing the Church boards in action.”
- “I love the TX-xxx too! How much weight have you found you can pull with that board?”
- “That closeup photo with the board in the foreground is awesome! Well done!”
MAXIMIZING SOCIAL MEDIA
Every like, comment, and share builds a bigger community while also building your own personal brand. When customers see the Church Tackle Pro Staff supporting each other, they recognize the strength of the brand and the people behind it. And when those customers get a like, share or thoughtful comment from someone on the Church Tackle Pro Staff, they won’t forget it.
Remember, social media isn’t about talking at people, it’s about talking with them. The connections are what make both your personal brand and the Church Tackle brand stronger.