3 ways to get BIG results from your tiny social media budget
It seems like budget is the Achilles’ heel of social media managers, regardless of industry. In my experience, this is equally true at credit unions. The reality is that your social media budget has to compete with the rest of your marketing goals, and might get ignored as a result.
The good news is that there’s a lot you can do with the little resources you might have at your disposal. After all, doing more doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing better. Here are 3 ways to get BIG results from your tiny social media budget:
Deal with what you have, not what you wish you had
In one of his recent blog posts, Seth Godin shared a short, but elegant message. In essence, he said that limits such as deadlines and budgets should be considered opportunities. The metaphor isn’t perfect, but he’s right to say there’s no point in spending your energy thinking about what you can’t do.
Have you ever heard of “choice overload?” It refers to a paralysis we feel when we’re offered too many options. While options are generally a good thing, having an unexpectedly large budget for something could create a new problem: I can do anything, but what should I do?
I’m not going to say that a small budget or a tight deadline is fun to deal with. But their advantage is they limit the scope of the project, which means you spend more time focusing on what’s actually possible.
Also along these lines, there’s no reason to adopt a “jack of all trades” approach to social media as a whole. That is to say, you don’t have to master every social media platform out there. Stick with what you know, and where you’re getting the most engagement.
Take the opportunity to get real
We’ve known for a long time that high-budget social media campaigns are a double-edged sword. There’s definitely such a thing as an overproduced campaign. And spending a chunk of change to get a bad reaction is the last thing anyone wants.
People like authenticity, and it works. When basically anyone can make a TikTok video and get their message out there, the need for high production value goes out the window. You can start as soon as right now.
We’ve been believers in the power of authenticity for a long time, and we have a lot of ideas to share about authentic video content.
Recognize the opportunities in front of you
Even once you’ve done the other things I mentioned, it’s really easy to shoot down ideas before they get off the ground. So my challenge to you is this: Accept all ideas. Write them down. Nurture them a bit and let them grow. What seemed like a mediocre idea at first might become something incredible.
You might spend all day at the same desk. You might have worked for the credit union for 25 years and counting. You might see your coworkers most days of the week. All of that is old news to you. To you.
It’s worth remembering that other folks haven’t spent nearly as much time with your life as you have. And if you don’t really want to be in front of the camera, find someone who does. Chances are, you’re surrounded by interesting, creative people. But you’ll never know if you choose not to ask.
It’s almost funny to me how often I hear people say something like, “the problem is that most people don’t know what a credit union is,” and then not doing anything about it. YOU know! If you believe in credit unions and think everyone should be a member, shout it from the rooftops!
As a parting note, I want to remind you that you shouldn’t feel like you have to do everything. Focus on your strengths, make the most with what you have. If you don’t know how to do something, reach out to someone who can help you.
- Email Marketing – The Overwhelmed Marketer’s Guide (OMG!) - April 23, 2024
- How do you get new members to Google you? - March 26, 2024
- 3 big money questions from a new father - March 5, 2024