7 Social Media Tips Every Babywearing Educator Needs to Know

When I first graduated from my Foundations in Babywearing Education Training, I was fired UP. I couldn’t wait to start the work and begin sharing everything I had learned. To me, it seemed that a key part of that work was making use of social media - that’s what so many of the babywearing educators I admired were doing, so I knew it had to be important! I dove in and spent the summer creating endless how-to’s, tips & tricks reels, and tutorials.

And I completely burned out.

As far as I could tell, everything I was doing on social media was a giant waste of my time. I was discouraged, overwhelmed, and wondered what I was getting wrong. Why was no one but my dad liking my videos? Why wasn’t anyone asking questions or booking my services? What was I supposed to DO?



Since then, not only have I learned a lot from my own practical experience - I’ve also seen many other educators struggle with the same challenges I had. I’ve seen social media be an incredibly useful tool…and also a dream-killing bummer.

If you’ve ever:

• Felt intimidated by posting reels or videos of yourself
• Gotten discouraged by posts & reels that get hardly any views
• Wondered why your follower count isn’t growing (or if you should even care about it growing)
• Felt confused about what to post
• Worn yourself out posting a TON, without seeing any traction or business from it
• Felt like giving up on the whole darn thing…

…then this post is for you! Read on for my top 7 social media tips for babywearing educators.


1. Get clear on your “why”

   
   First things first…why are you posting on social media at all? If you’re just doing it because that’s what you think you’re supposed to do, think again. Your goals will help you decide what to share, where, and how often, and will help you stay on track when things are slow. Are you trying to establish your authority so people will pay to work with you? Sharing free content in order to foster engagement and community? Trying to get noticed to work with brands as an influencer?
This is also a good time to think about who your audience is. Are they babywearing newbies, or enthusiasts? What platforms are they already using? What do they know right now, and what do they need to know?
   Answering these questions might take some time, but I promise you, it will be worth it - anything you can do to get to know your audience and get clear on what you’re giving them will save you energy in the long run.
   
   

2. Establish a strategy

   
   Once you know what your goals are, it’s time to think strategy. And no, I don’t mean posting a testimonial on Mondays, a tutorial on Tuesdays, etc. That’s a calendar, not a strategy!

   This doesn’t have to be complicated. The bare bones of it is that you need to think about the best way to fill the magic gap - the kind of content that will move your ideal people from where they are now (point A)  to where you want them to be (point B). What do they need to hear right now to be ready to understand what you’re teaching in your upcoming workshop? What is no one else sharing in the same way that you can? What can you do to intrigue them, engage them, and build their trust in you and what you’re offering?
   Hint: 9 times out of 10, this will not be babywearing tutorials, how-to’s, or tips & tricks content.
   
   

3. Set boundaries around your time & effort


   
   This is a big one. Don’t spend 80% of your precious time on something that’s not giving anything back to you. If your goal is to sell a certain service, and social media doesn’t notably help you sell it, then don’t dump all your effort into making engaging tutorials and posts about it! Many people will happily engage with your account without ever intending to interact or purchase anything from you. If that’s ok with you and aligns with your goals (see above), then great! But if it doesn’t, maybe it’s time to divert some energy elsewhere.
   
   

4. Focus on quality & consistency, not quantity

   
   This ties in with the point above, but it deserves it’s own discussion - when you’re setting your boundaries around your time and energy, set yourself up for success. Even if social media is a big part of achieving your goals, can you really commit to posting every single day on multiple platforms? If you’re like most people with a life and other commitments, probably not…or at least, not right away.
   Focus on creating quality content on a consistent schedule that you can keep up with in the long term - it’s better to post once a week on one platform with content people adore than to post random stuff all over the place for a month and then give up. 
Don’t post just to post. People’s attention is already being dragged a million different ways every minute these days…they don’t need another person just adding to the noise!
   
   

5. Reframe your social media “fails”


   
   So often the things we think of as “fails” actually aren’t! I see so many people feeling sad that their follower count isn’t growing, when actually a big percentage of their followers have proceeded to actually do business with them - that’s a win! Or maybe your latest reel isn’t getting any likes…but people are saving and sharing it like crazy. This tells you your content is valuable - another win!
Or perhaps you’ve filmed a dozen videos, and haven’t been able to gather the courage to post them. But in each video, you’ve honed your message, practiced your technique, and gotten better at communicating…so the next time you work with someone, you’ll be that much more prepared and professional! That’s a win, baby. 

   Focus on the metrics and successes that actually matter for the work you’re doing, and you’ll find a lot more to celebrate.
   
   

6. Capture your people

   
   Here’s the thing - social media is borrowed land. At any point, the algorithm could change, a platform could shut down, and poof - there go all your followers and painstakingly created content. 

   No matter how it fits into the bigger picture of the work you’re doing, social media should not be your be-all-end-all. Future-proof your work by finding some way to capture your followers in a way that allows you to follow up and stay in touch with them - even if the social media landscape changes. Maybe you direct them to sign up for your email newsletter, or invite them into a private community. Whatever it is, you’ll find that having a way to communicate with your biggest fans outside of social media gives you more control, more freedom, and less stress when things change (which they always do).
   
   

7. Adapt, but be patient

   
   Yes, it’s important to review how things are going periodically to get an idea of what’s working and what isn’t (remember, based on YOUR goals, not someone else’s). And with algorithms and trends constantly changing in the blink of an eye, it’s easy to feel like you need to be constantly adapting to the next new thing. But ironically, even something that tends to capture people’s attention for only a few seconds here and there can take a long time to build. It’s easy to get caught up in the “success” or “failure” of each post, but stepping back to see the bigger picture can make it easier to identify patterns and ride the waves.
   If you’re constantly switching up your strategy, not only will you miss out on opportunities, your audience won’t know what to expect - and may struggle to trust you to deliver. Be flexible, but remember that patience is key.
   
   

I don’t want to see another educator burned out by social media! So don’t let yourself be swayed by what other people are doing or what you think should work. Use these tips to slow down, create with intention, and figure out what resonates with you and your people - because that’s what will make social media worth the effort!

~Elise