Phew, you really have to stay in tune with how the socials work and how they make you feel don’t you… just when I feel like I’ve figured out one channel, I hear I should be hanging out on another one too…. what’s your instagram handle? Do you tweet too much? Do you really get work through linked in? Is pinterest big news again? Was it ever not? HELP!!
I tend to stay a little on top of how to use social media because it crops up in my creative coaching a lot – it’s free marketing after all so creatives want to know how to do it best….
I’ve always been of the opinion that to truly stay in a #slowlived lane… I need to choose just one channel to put my energy in. After all, social media is NOT my full time job – it’s really at best a way to grow my brand and business and at worst I guess a distraction, a hobby, a way to connect.
How much time are you really using social media?
I set my timer on instgram to 1hour5minutes a day – which is still more time than I’d like to be on there (I think) but sharpening self awareness on it is a good step. Do you know how long your online and why you’re there? Is it purposeful, does it feel good?
What’s your home online really like? Do you like hanging out there?
Last year I wrote about ‘My Home Online’ and how I wasn’t going to go back on facebook, only to go back onto facebook a month or so later after over a year out… but it’s different this time – I don’t follow friends or political opinions I just manage a page on there for my business – keep visible. It’s here if you want to follow it?
So… the point of writing this post right now is that I met a lovely insta buddy via Sara Tasker’s monthly insta meet on (on twitter) where you’re on twitter tweeting but you chat about instagram – yep we are all geeks about it – it’s great!!!
Sara runs a set of 5 or so questions over an hour and you all chip in and chat and see if you find any like minded folk – it’s very fast paced. Anyway I met a lovely Scottish lady Trona from Aye Lined and a few insta stories or so later I noticed she was talking about Pinterest a little.
Fast forward a few DMS and I had her VERY comprehensive guide to pinterest – ‘Pin Pals’ in my inbox and you know what? All of it made sooo much sense… it is very step by step, it explains how pinterest works as a search engine and how you can best use it to grow and communicate online presence.
Does your follower count make you more credible? Likeable? Important?
So… I know it’s not a numbers game – but is it a numbers game a bit isn’t it… sometimes? So for Jan 2019, I was on around 600 on every single platform I actively use (instagram, pinterest, twitter) – I don’t tend to take much notice unless my follower count shows 6*6 or goes up to the next 100. After all to be talking to 600 ACTUAL real people in a room is more than ENOUGH right? Does anyone else think about social media that way?
Oh but instagram says you can have the ‘swipe up’ function for 10k followers and share websites with people – you’re alright pal, I don’t want to talk to 10,0000 people on the daily thanks! YIKES!! That is NOT my goal. And of course it’s ok if it’s yours – that might seem like your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and I know for some bigger goals like writing a book publishers are SUPER keen on you being good at self promotion.
Follow, unfollow, faceplant!
But I tell you what I do notice about my online social media platforms, when my follower count goes down, when I get followed by loads of ‘follow/ unfollow bots’ (RUDE) and I tell you what else I’ve noticed…. the only place that happens is instagram – as much as I love the community and the connection, spending all of my online time there and it being my ‘chosen channel’ started making less and less sense sooo here are the changes I’ve made and some questions for you too;
Top 5 tips for staying sane on your social media platforms in 2019
- Think about other platforms and what they offer for your creativity/ connection and business. Make a pros and cons list about each. I started tweeting again a few times a week and I really like twitter now because it connects me to a different online world to instagram including lots of colleagues I really respect and my friend who has written a book and doesn’t instagram much (although I try not to see the news)
- What about pinterest? – I gave some of Aye Lined pinterest tips a go and really started to understand the platform for the first time – it’s great for hobbies, interiors but you can also really figure out and build a brand there. After a week, my pinterest ‘unique views’ per month (what ever that means) went up from 600 and something to 2.2k – so I felt like my time spent there was so worth it. Although I still don’t know whether I believe the numbers….? Sara Tasker will tell you instagram rewards you for being on there but I have never felt like that with the platform – maybe that happens when you reach bigger numbers?
- Set a timer for your time online – do you want to be using your travel time. lunch break, kids bed time interacting online – if you manage it well it’s great and inspiring and a creative space to be but if it doesn’t make you feel good then well you know what to do…
- Decide which platform you’ll use and for and what’s relevant right now… perhaps there are platforms you dismissed last year that feel more relevant now? Maybe it’s time for mailchimp or linked in or to start making your own pins for pinterest? I tend to say to my clients – choose a space that you feel happiest in and you feel you can express yourself and your brand most authentically.
- How open do you want to be really? This is always a HUGE debate about our digital footprint, what we share – what people decide about us because of it – we are all all just figuring it out really. There’s always a delete button so curate what you want to curate, say what you want to say, express the parts of your social media self you want but try not to fall into the ‘comparison trap’ or get judgey with other people because everyone is doing the same thing and managing their own ego at the same time!
What do you think… do you have any tips to have? Any gurus to share? I’d love to know more about how you navigate your space to share?
To find out more about my coaching packages for creatives just follow this link.
and if you live in the North East me and my incredibly talented pal Yvette have a workshop coming up next month in partnership with Yoga Therapies in Gosforth….
Claire x