Showing up on social media as a content entrepreneur is different than showing up on social media as an influencer. You want to grow your business – that’s not the same as boosting your popularity.

So how do you address the often necessary evil of social media without getting overwhelmed and frustrated with little fruits for your efforts?

Katie Brinkley shared a great plan at Creator Economy Expo – the four-post social media strategy. “It balances informative, helpful, community-driven, and promotional content,” Katie says. As a result, it delivers increased engagement and organic reach. Plus, it simplifies your content planning and creation time.

Let’s look at five things you can do to show up less on social and build more business based on Katie’s advice.

1. Know yourself and your audience: You can’t plant your brand on every social platform and expect your presence to grow well. Pick one or two platforms and go all in on that. In making that decision – and later in creating the content – you need to know who you are talking to. Which social platforms do they use the most? What content do they want? How can you stand out with your content on that topic?

TIP: Plan to incorporate all the social platforms’ content formats into your mix to reach more people in their preferred medium. For example, if you publish on Instagram, think images and videos, Reels and Stories, etc., to reach a wider audience.

Now, let’s look at what makes up the weekly four-post strategy.

2. Publish an awareness post: Educate your audience about your brand, product, or industry to pique their interest and provide value.

Examples: Publish videos on Reels, use a quote in a graphic, add a colored background to a Facebook post, or create a LinkedIn newsletter.

3. Post a tip or tutorial: Empower your audience by providing content to help them do something or to make what they do easier to execute.

Examples: Share practical advice or industry insights. Address common challenges or pain points. Offer step-by-step or how-to guides. Get creative in how to use your products or services.

4. Talk with the community: Building a community involves a social presence that fosters connection and engagement.

Examples: Pose a question to prompt a conversation, encourage interaction (and participate in the subsequent conversation.) Go live to discuss your work or chat about industry news or trends. Share a lesson you’ve learned. Publish user-generated content. Celebrate your and your audience’s milestones and achievements.

5. Motivate the audience to act: Often referred to as the call to action, Use your social content to drive conversions and generate results related to your business and its goals. Invite your audience to take the next step with you.

Examples: Listen to your podcast. Visit your website. Sign up for the email list. Register for the event.

TIP: Get more insight on helpful CTAs from our previously published article, How To Convert Your Viewers Into an Audience You Own.

Katie says studies have shown that posting three to four times a week on social media can be just as effective as daily posting when it comes to engagement rates. By publishing content with a goal in mind – awareness, tip/tutorial, community, action – and doing it four times a week, you’re well-positioned to grow an audience and deliver results for your business.

Like any content initiative, track what works and what doesn’t and adjust your strategy based on that audience feedback.

About the author

Ann regularly combines words and strategy for B2B, B2C, and nonprofits, continuing to live up to her high school nickname, Editor Ann. An IABC Communicator of the Year and founder of G Force Communication, Ann coaches and trains professionals in all things content. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.