“I hate social media, but I need it for my career!” Or that’s what everyone tells me.
You hate social media, but you aren’t set on the conventional career track: high school, college, job, promotion. Your career is going to require a few extra steps.
Right now, your career is too young to debate whether social media is the right tool for you. As of now, it’s all you’ve got. So, let’s make the best of it!
WHY DO YOU HATE SOCIAL MEDIA? IS IT BECAUSE:
- You can’t keep up with the trends? Social media changes too often for anyone to keep up with. If you are off social media for even a month, there are new rules, updates, trends, and standards for content. It isn’t hard to create eye-catching content once you have a grip on the trends, but it requires constant scrolling to stay hip! As draining as social media already is, having to look at the content with a professional, critical eye, is even more draining.
- Short-form content is not your thing? You’re a writer, an actor, an image consultant- anything that takes longer than seven seconds to be appreciated. The attention spans of people everywhere are shrinking, and influencers are making content to accommodate that decreasing attention span, instead of challenging it with longer content. That’s frustrating! Because how can we show what makes our service or product good or useful if we aren’t given but a “breath” to say it.
- You find social media shallow or sickening? You genuinely hate social media itself. It is saturated with self-glorifying, egotistical people. You’re cringing while you scroll, you’re bored or under-stimulated.
- You can’t find your target audience? You’ve been posting consistently for three months, and the algorithm is not sending you your people!
- You just don’t fit in? I don’t either. The hyper, cookie cutter persona just isn’t my style. I understand that.
WE ARE RIGHT THERE WITH YOU!
Social media is a headache for anyone who has spent years perfecting a skill or product- only to have it overlooked and passed over for someone less qualified, dedicated, or talented, simply because they have cracked the social media code!
We are all drained by social media. It feels like we’re all fighting to be seen, appreciated, and engaged with.
HOW TO COPE
- First know that social media is just smoke and mirrors. It’s a lot easier to follow someone’s page and like their posts than it is to purchase a product or sign up for a service. You are looking for sales and impact, not clout, or merely attention.
- Consider social media a gig! You’re acting! Smile, interact, pretend you are perfectly within your comfort zone!
- Stop comparing your page or your post to someone else’s- UNLESS IT IS A PROFESSIONAL COMPARISON. Putting yourself down, wishing you had their followers is useless. If it isn’t a question you’d ask or a statement you would make at a workshop or seminar, then do not kill your spirit repeating it yourself. A more appropriate comparison would be related to the organization, frequency, and quality of their content.
- Follow the right pages! Follow some pages that post positive uplifting content or pages that post business tips, or studying tips. Whatever could possibly give you the boost or reminder to be optimistic. It’ll make your stay less torturous.
- Follow pages that do what you do! If following Covergirl or Mac cosmetics, is demotivating, then follow some smaller brands. Follow people on your level, in your age group, in your industry!
- Unfollow the right pages! Unfollow pages that would send you down the rabbit hole of watching cat videos for hours. Or pages that post controversial or political content. Don’t torture yourself while being on social media.
TIPS TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA DESPITE YOUR HATRED OF IT
- Do not become addicted to social media. Do not argue in the comments, do not become riled up by the outrageous posts! Social media is a cesspool of human waste- it is and will continue to be triggering. Don’t become addicted to fighting the anarchy! Don’t allow it to be a pastime, hobby, or comfort. Keep it strictly professional! If you do not, you will grow even more frustrated not only with it but also with yourself.
- Don’t use social media in the morning! Most people are active passed noon or in the evenings, anyways. Social media is instantly gratifying. If you get all your serotonin from this app first thing in the morning, you are less likely to work as hard later in the day. Remember you are not an Instagram influencer. Your heart and skillset is still with your craft. Maintain focus and drive regarding your goods and services. Your business shouldn’t slack for the sake of social media. Remain productive. If you’ve already been sucked into the vortex and have become less productive, do regular dopamine detoxes to stay refreshed! Don’t be resentful, it happens to the best of us.
- Prepare your content before you open the app! Edit your pics in the photo app, create your collages in Picsart or your short clips in iMovie if possible.
- Decide when you will post and decide when you will engage with your followers. Post at the appointed time and allow the comments and direct messages to build up. Assign another hour to respond to those interactions.
- Follow trend tracking pages and social media coaches! You won’t have to do the investigating for upcoming trends and hashtags if you follow someone who already has. Let these social media experts do their jobs! They are there to make it easier for people like us!
- Don’t be afraid to post a longer video! If your video is engaging, aesthetically pleasing, or impressive enough people will watch it, at least for more than seven seconds. Give it a shot! If you have a longer video on your page, encourage your followers to watch it. Advertise this lengthy video in shorter posts and in captions.
- Create content strategically! It’s not a race to 100 posts. You may not be reaching your target audience because your aim is weak. Use specific hashtags, comment under popular pages, and use direct language in your posts. Your post should be the start of a conversation between your audience and yourself.
- Use reels! They get way more traction and views- even if that doesn’t lead to sales immediately, you could reach new accounts and gain followers.
- Hire someone- even if it’s a friend you pay $10 a week, to manage your social media presence for you! It’s a win-win for both of you. The only thing here is that you will never learn or overcome this dislike or hatred for something that is not going anywhere anytime soon.
- Have fun with it! Don’t repeat the same old anti-modern technology jargon day and day out. Try to remain positive!
- Remember posting is likely the easiest part of running a business, blog, or writing a book!
I still hate social media, and I’m not 100% sold that it’s the key to a writing career, however, it is FREE, and it can’t hurt. When your career is a baby, sometimes free and “can’t hurt” are all we’ve got. When everyone tells you that you absolutely need this for your career, and even your hatred for it is not a good enough excuse, as teachable individuals, we must give it a go.
Everything takes time. Sooner or later, you’ll have employees that can run your social media pages for you, or you’ll have the following that doesn’t require multiple posts a day. But for now, we’ve all got to suck it up and at least try to put ourselves in a position where we gain something for doing the most dreaded task.
I hope this was helpful! I’ll see you out there!