Where to even begin with social media? Well to be honest I hate the whole thing. Personally I came to a realization at the beginning of the year that Social Media and I needed to break-up. Mentally it was a struggle in the beginning, that point of still loving something that just constantly hurts. However, as time went on I loved the clarity it brought.
I say that to let you know where I was at when I started this, for lack of a better term, side hustle that is my art business. The nature of the small business beast is Social Media is a “free” source of marketing. I say “free” because you have to pay in more ways than money, time, energy, mental strain, rejection, etc. Then you have to invest in other things that eventually cause you to actually pay lol!
I was able to reopen my Facebook account and easily blend that into my business model and create my page. Instagram I had to start from the ground up. When I opened my Instagram, I was like well I had 400 followers before I got off this should be easy to get that again. HA, well 2 months in, studies show that to be a lie. I have just reached 120 followers. I am grateful for every last one, but this shit has been a battle. Instagram is constantly changing their algorithm and having so many moving targets to be shown even to those that are following you. You have so many “influencers” selling how to programs to grow your audience, ALMOST all are fake. These followers are bots and people that are not interested in your products.
My personal conclusion to the Instagram issue is to just be me. Either you are going to like it or not. Do I post 5-6 stories a day, a post, a reel? Somedays, but I am not going to spend hours each day to grow this presence. My art is the priority. I’d rather spend my time doing the thing I am passionate about and hopefully you come along for the ride.
Well, Josh, if you don't do this you will never gain the global attention? Ok, that’s fine, maybe it is not in the cards for me. But if I can continue to do what I love without losing the joy of why I started this project.
I am digressing, if you are going to try to play the Social Media game, here are some things I have found that many “experts” agree on:
-Facebook:
You need to make 2-3 posts\stories a day
They now have reels but the service is much more limited than Instagram
You can link your Business Facebook to your Business Instagram
There is a very big difference between personal accounts, professional accounts, and business accounts. Make sure to do your research on what account will serve you best.
You need to make 1 post, 5-6 stories, and 1 reel.
Reels are the most important. The original Photo Posting App, only focuses on videos now. I would love to say I have found a rhyme or reason to why some of my videos get viewed or not…. Well I haven’t found it yet.
You can cross post to Facebook so you can kill two birds with one stone
Why work harder when you can work smarter
-LinkedIn:
Typically don’t post more than 1 post a day. This is a more professional environment.
-TikTok:
You will want to post 1-3 posts a day.
Finding Trending music and different formats.
Tiktok is, in my opinion, the wild wild west. Some of the best videos will get no love and the shit you throw together in 3 seconds blows up.
-Overall tidbits:
Hashtags are starting to be considered spammy. I recommend 5 or less.
The posts I do without Hashtags don’t get much interest
The posts with more than 5 the same results
The posts in between 1-5 tend to hit the right sweet spot
Don’t forget a great catchy description\caption\post to give the audience a call to action.
Asking what they think of something?
Asking to vote?
This is almost a full time thing. Decide the amount of time you are willing to spend on it and let all results be what they are. Don’t let it get to you if it takes a bit to get some traction.
Paid Boosts seldom work. I will randomly spend $20 to see if I get more traction. Yes you will get impressions and possibly some clicks on your website, but I question the quality of these. More to come as I grow and have more data.
In conclusion, Don’t give Social Media the power to do what you love. Remember your passion and always come back to that center if you feel like you are losing sight. I am speaking to myself first about this and hopefully you will pull the same conclusion for yourself.
As always, thank you for reading. I am always open to any feedback on topics, art, social media (especially), and any other things you want to tell me.
Much Love,
-Josh
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