Having a brick and mortar store, we have the privilege to be face to face with our customers on a regular basis. We get to learn more about them, what piqued their interest to come visit us, and how they heard about us. Majority of the time they’ll say, “I found you online, my friend posted about you.”
I think a lot of people really underestimate the power of social media. I’d say that half of the people I encounter don’t know how full wrap their head around the idea of social media, how to use it in a a realisttic way, and be authentic. And the other half has never known life without it so they do nothing but post, watch, and share 24/7. To most people, social media it’s a promoting tool. You’re either trying to promote a product or service or you’re showing off all the great highlights of your life. Either way, business or professional, you’re promoting something. But at its core, this isn’t what social media should be about. In my opinion social media should be a tool to communicate with others. I view it like phone calls or texting, just on a different scale. Instead of communicating with 1 or 2 people, you have this opportunity to communicate with the world at the same time!
Maybe it’s just me, but this is amazing!
Social media is a great place to share, ask questions, help people, and talk to each other. I find more and more people looking to the internet to get recommendations from friends and family.
If you own a business this is something to think about. If you talk and give freely instead of posting expecting a return I firmly believe this approach will get you the results you’re hoping for!
If you watch my videos on YouTube or listen to my podcast you’ll know that even though I have multiple social media accounts the only 2 I really use are Instagram and Twitter. To be honest it’s more of a preference thing but it’s also about other factors.
A common misconception is that you have to be on every social media platform there is. Though that may be true to an extent I believe that what’s more important is to utilize what social media platforms you are on to its full potential. Sorta like a zone defense approach vs. a shotgun approach. Let me explain a little more in depth.
The point of my social media accounts is mostly for business and sharing my personal journey as an entrepreneur. My accounts have purpose driven goals behind them, it’s just just a personal account. I use social media differently from the average person. That being said, I wanted to be realistic with how I can achieve social media goals. One of those ways is consistency. I know that the main way to be consistent on social media is to actually enjoy using the platform. If you don’t open the app every day, scratch that – multiple times a day, then you probably won’t make much of a dent.
It’s crazy that the above statement is our reality, but it’s true. We see so much information flash before our eyes on a daily basis that it’s really hard to fully absorb any of it. Nowadays people are use to quick 1 minute/to-the-point type content. What that means for those trying to grow their social media platforms is you’ve got to be ready to post, post often, and add value every time you post. What do I mean by “add value?”The goal is sharing; which should be the goal of every social media account regardless if it’s business or personal. By posting, how are you going to enrich your followers lives? There is a difference between sharing and promoting. The more you share, the more you give, the more true to yourself, the more value you give to your followers. Trust me, it works.
I mainly use Instagram and Twitter for social media because I truly enjoy and use these 2 platforms. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a Facebook, LinkedIn, and SnapChat account. I just don’t really use them, which means I also don’t promote them. I do, however, claim my usernames/accounts on new platforms for sake of consistency. That way if I decide to use it in the future, I have no trouble getting the “JustKissa” username I have for most of my social media accounts.
Also, I don’t use all my accounts the same way. I strategically chose these 2 platforms for a reason, mainly being that they’re very different.
As much as possible I try to create unique content for each platform. I’m not really big on the idea of copying the same content onto all platforms (but I do admittedly still do this on some platforms that I don’t use often. I need to make it a point to stop lol!) The good thing is Twitter and Instagram are very different at its most basic function. I mainly use Twitter to share random thoughts and written posts and I use Instagram for photo and video based posts. Even if I post the same topic on each platform I won’t just copy and paste. For example, if I post a video of some family photos I put up on Instagram Stories I won’t just copy and paste the caption onto Twitter. I’ll share the same topic on Twitter but with a different approach like a photo or write about the meaning of the family photos. Ya feel me?
No matter what social media platforms you use, maybe you use a few or maybe you use all of them, my one piece of advice is to be consistent. Make it part of your day, show people what you’re up to, and don’t be afraid to be authentically yourself. You don’t need to broadcast everything about your life, I don’t. I’m actually a very private person. But the idea of social media is exactly that – to socialize on media. Create conversations and share with your audience; maintain that line of communication. Keep it open so they feel like you’re there for them and they can relate to you.
So if you haven’t already, let’s talk! Let’s socialize! Follow me on Instagram and Twitter 🙂
I seriously can’t believe I’m writing this post already. Just like that half of my birthday month has come and gone. WTF?!
July 16th Selfie against our signature purple wall. No make up, just me 🙂
As I mentioned in my July Goal Setting post, my focus for this month has been on self care. A positive body image and mindset was on the top of my list, even if that meant putting my work and business secondary. You guys don’t know how hard this is for me!
I’m so grateful for the wonderful friends and family that I have in my life. Whether it’s someone I see often or good friends that I see every once in a while, I value them all. They’re amazing and remembered me on my bday, most of them asking what I was doing to celebrate. I replied with a “absolutely nothing” and they were all happy for me! Lol 😂 They know how much I work and know me well enough to know that rest is exactly what I needed. It was glorious guys! I didn’t think I needed it, I actually had every intention to come in to work that day. But Charlie urged me to take the day off. It was a hot day so I stayed home, caught up on my TV shows, ate fried chicken, and took a nap. Best birthday ever!
Just some of the amazing people I have in my life <3 SO SO grateful for them
As far as goal setting goes, I think I’m doing pretty well.
My plants that I bought and mentioned in my June post are still alive! It makes me so happy that they’re doing well. I bought a rosemary plant (I’ve killed a rosemary plant in the past) and I’m determined to keep it alive. It says on patio in our back yard since the directions say it needs 6 hours of direct sunlight. Because of the heatwave I think I need to water it more, though.
Skincare has been a big thing for me. I’ve never been one to take care of my skin growing up, I was lucky enough to not have to deal with acne. As I transitioned into my 30s skincare has become a priority of mine. Maintaining healthy skin not just on my face but my entire body has been something I’ve made part of my routine. Dry brushing, cleansing, moisturizing, exfoliating, masks, the whole 9. All of it, even the daily maintenance things, have become a treat for me.
One of my goals has also been to find gratitude in every day. I’ve made a section in my bullet journal dedicated to listing at least 1 thing I’m grateful for every day.
Growing my blog was a general goal I had for this month. Ever since I did the 30 Day Blogging Challenge I found blogging to be extremely therapeutic. The focus of “growing” my blog isn’t to necessarily grow my readership but to just grow its purpose and meaning for me. I realized how much I love writing and how valuable it has been to have a log of my life and things I’ve experienced for the past 11 years or blogging. Consistency hasn’t been the best because it’s a special month and resting is important for self care. But finding my stride in how I want to further blog in the future is starting to take shape.
Spending time with Charlie, friends, and family has also been on my list. This goes along with prioritizing my personal life over work because in the end this is what truly matters.
Improve self and do something fun. I think in my head this basically means to spend a little on something I wouldn’t normally, something I’d consider a “luxury.” Like going to the driving range, spend the morning reading a book on the beach, buy a book, get a hair cut…that kind of thing. This definitely contributes to a healthy mind.
July has been quite the month, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Except maybe cooler weather lol! 😂
