How to Gain Confidence In Yourself of Social Media
Time is precious. The shorter our attention spans get, the more refined our desires and choices of what does and can entertain us. And it’s not just the millennial generation,it’s all of us. We can’t escape from thefast-pacedworld with the constant techni-clutter and neon distractions. I’m sure even my Grandpa couldn’t stand a slow paced old English novel nowadays. If we are going to consume, we want it to be worth our 45 minute “scroll” through the feed (of our liking) each night. The question as a consumer is easy; read, stare, and engage with good, valuable content. The question as a creator has become much harder; how do you compete, compare, and comply with the everchanging media-needs of our culture? How do you “make” something worth taking in?
How do you stand out and hold on and get “deep” with your reader, client, customer, or shopper?
And, to get specific; speaking to YOU as an entrepreneur – maybe a blogger, marketeer, or social media expert: why should we care & continue to consume your content?
If you’re still reading; boom! I’m past the hard part. Something I’ve done (or do on a continual basis) either intrigues you, perks your interest… maybe something I said might’ve made you stay or return to my blog. Maybe it was a comment I replied to 3 months ago that made you a dedicated fan, who knows?
All I know is that you’re here now. So while I have you *wink*… allow me :)
Let’s get into the meat of it.
And let’s get specific.
No one wants broad, stupid mumbo-jumbo.
AND, it’s actually a good thing if you exit now, because it means that this saga wasn’t meant for you and that’s totally okay.
***This post is specifically geared towards influencers/bloggers/photographers/marketers***
This is simply my humble opinion, so here I go. I’m going to start with Instagram/Blogs, because quite frankly so many lives around me revolve around IT.
ONE : Why does someone follow you / your content?
People follow you for one of 4 reasons.
They know you well and are interested in your life, no matter what you post
They followed you to be in a giveaway, #follow4follow trade situation, or because someone you love did a shout-out or tag, even an ad would fall into this category.
They stumbled upon you (thank you EXPLORE PAGE) and loved your vibe
They met you (randomly) in person and you told them to check out your stuff
All of these options can be longstanding, but it’s what you do day-after-day, week-after-week that makes a difference.
DISCLAIMER: IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW SOMEONE GOT TO BE YOUR FOLLOWER, it matters if they stay.
How do you get them to stay? You ask…
TWO : Why should I follow you?
This is all just my personal opinion but this is what I like to follow:
An interesting, real life & life story
Beautiful photos & writing
A consistent, relevant, genuine take on things/places I love
Someone or something that has new content for me virtually every day (something raw, real, and relevant is better than super catered, perfect, and contrived: ALWAYS).
This is just me. I don’t care how cool you are or how hard you work, if you’re boring; I say BYE-BYE to that feed. If you post to seldomly; SNOOZE. For bloggers - If you pre-shoot everything and don’t go anywhere: I’M ASLEEP. If you aren’t a terribly good writer; NO MORE READING FOR ME. I want to consume good content that makes me LONG for that one thing. That place I’ve been dreaming of going. That coffee I’ve been meaning to grab with a friend. That wine I didn‘t know existed. If you aren’t showing me something I really want, I don’t want to bother looking. If you’re a creative dealing with Social Media…
I strongly encourage you to be authentic and show real life.
One of my favorite bloggers once said“always be more than an outfit, always provide more value than an outfit.” What she meant was that was not that you can’t be a “fashion blogger.” You can! (I mean, you’ve really got to have it “going on” though because boring non-outrageous looks aren’t going to cut it in fashion). But, what she meant was you need to make them FEEL, LEARN, GROW, or WANT. Anyone can buy that stupid florally dress from Brass Plum. Everyone can get steallllls at the Nordstrom Sale. But I want someone to educate me on when and where to wear that stuff, oh, and with what? SHOW ME. Don’t just tell me where you’d go in that posh outfit in a city like Portland… freaking GO. If you’re a lifestyle blogger or photographer… BE A LIFE that I’d want to ENVY & ENJOY.
I really feel like the term “Lifestyle Blogger” is thrown around so loosely that it almost fails to have a true meaning. You can just be a “self journalist” and blog about randomness and cramit into the definition. NO. I truly believe that every influencer is already a lifestyle blogger and a fashion blogger. Those shouldn’t even be things you can claim. I like to blog about building a business, photography, entrepreneurship, and social media. Although they seem broad, they’re not. Every once in a blue moon I’d have a recipe post or a favorite things post….but it’s not my purpose or jam. Those are sadly fillers. This is the real stuff I like. It’s the real stuff I know and love.
I don’t want to run this post on for longer than it needs to be, so I’ll conclude with this.
If you are trying to be a time-suck, don’t be a time-waster. Even that millisecondthat someone sees your precious photo rolling through their feed… MAKE IT GOOD, make it worth their time. This doesn’t mean be extremely psycho and particular about content. Just make it flow, make it creative, and make it worth seeing. If you post social media for someone else’s brand; think outside of the box. If you’re a photographer; branch out and do odd jobs. If you’re a blogger; step outside yourself and ask YOURSELF if YOU would want to follow YOU.
Who else needs to do a serious decluttering of their insta-folliowing? #SignMeUp
TTYL NYC 5 HR flight. Time to listen to my audiobook xoxo
