Are social media lessons from an old business writer an oxymoron?

Depends on your perspective. If you think social media is a young person’s domain, you probably didn’t even get this far into this post.

On the other hand, all you have to do is look at the U.S. political scene the last few years. Some pretty old dudes had some serious influence.

I’ll share a few social media lessons I’ve learned. By no means do I think of myself as an expert. You may relate. Or not. I would love to hear your point of view – no matter what age you are.

3 Social Media Lessons

Back in 2008, when I first started freelancing, I had no social media presence. Who had time in my crazy corporate career? So, I started from scratch. The first platform I joined was LinkedIn.

• LinkedIn felt familiar
• It was networking online instead of in person
• I felt safe (not always a good thing)

Eventually, I worked my way on to Facebook and Twitter. Although I had serious reservations about both. After 13 years, these are the lessons I’ve learned about social media strategy.

Lesson #1 – Choose Your Own Path

Recently, this Twitter chat caught my eye. I found myself nodding my head in agreement.

 

You can always find someone who has an opinion on how you participate in social media. LinkedIn was way down the totem pole when I started my business. But, it worked for me.

• After 30-plus years in a corporate career, I knew a lot of people
• I reconnected and built my network through LinkedIn
• It paid off for me – nearly 80% of my clients were a result of LinkedIn activity (in one form or another)

The “experts” telling me I was wasting my time on LinkedIn never understood my business.

I hate being told what to do. This was one time I was happy to have that trait.

When I didn’t follow my own path, I regretted it. At the time, everyone said you had to be on Facebook. I signed up, but have not used the platform for business. I hated their policies but got hooked on the social aspect of connecting with family and friends.

So, explore the various platforms. Find what works for you and don’t let others tell you which platforms you MUST be on.

Lesson #2 – Keep Control

Who can keep up with the evolving platforms and tools in the social media world? Certainly not this old business writer. And that’s okay.

Your business is your baby. No one knows it better or is more passionate about it. So, an important lesson I learned is remembering to keep control.

• Platforms change
• Some disappear
• But your business site is yours for as long as you want it

In the beginning, I kept control. Any platform I used brought participants back to my site. I invested (and still do) the most time maintaining Simply Stated Business (SSB) as my hub. But, one time I didn’t. And, boy, it was painful.

Just Whose Company is it?

Several years ago, LinkedIn created Company Pages. When I first started freelancing, I struggled with viewing my business as a business (and not a series of writing projects).

I thought the Company Page was a perfect vehicle for showcasing my business. Instead it slapped me silly.

After spending a huge amount of time (if you’re bored, you can read about it in the previous link), the social media platform completely transformed the feature. And has several more times.

Lesson learned. Invest most of your time in what you can control – like your business site.

Lesson #3 – You Can Change Your Mind

When I started my business, tweets seemed centered around what someone had for dinner. I’ll admit, I pretty much blew Twitter off. While I had an account, I was not very active.

Gradually, I began using Twitter more frequently. Before I semiretired from business writing, I shared tweets from my niche specialty. I also began using it for the social side (such as, my long-time participation in the 3-Day, 60-Mile Walk for the Cure).

And I’ve connected with others in the writing industry. When I finally figure out what I’m going to do when I grow up, I anticipate using Twitter more for my social media networking and marketing.

Lesson learned. Platforms evolve. Keep an open mind and revisit your options.

I have not changed my mind about Facebook. I still use it merely for the social, personal connections. However, I would have thought LinkedIn was the last place to become a major platform for #Antiracism.Talk about change.

Bonus Social Media Lesson – It’s Okay to Limit Yourself

I debated about sharing this one. Some people seem to be everywhere. And they make it work. I’ve never been one of those people.

For example, while still actively pursuing my niche clients, I refrained from jumping into Instagram. Despite a familiar refrain of you MUST be there, I could not handle another platform.

My sister who is a wonderful photographer (and not active at all on social media) joined Instagram several years back. Her photography was for personal pleasure and she liked the sharing aspect of the site. I told her I’d join after I retired. I knew it would be a major time-suck for me.

• Well, I’m not fully retired
• And my sister tells me Instagram has changed a lot
• Not for the better (in her opinion)

I have found marketing tools like Missinglettr help manage marketing to multiple sites. But, my control freak still monitors the automation.

So, what lessons have you learned? What would you do differently? Go ahead. Act like one of those consultants and let us know what you think in Comments. No matter how old or young you are. 😉

 

====================

Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours

=====================

BigStock Photo Credit