Writing a blog post was not on my agenda for today, but sometimes inspiration strikes and you have to take advantage of it.
And when I say “inspiration”, in this case it very well could have been titled distraction.
Let’s rewind: While updating our proposal template this morning, I was looking through past client work and realized that I’ve been creating social media posts for clients for over 3 years now.
Naturally, my brain went a step further, and I wondered how long it’s been since my very first post on Instagram (yeah, I told you this “inspiration” really was a distraction).
Eagerly putting my proposal template on hold, I jumped into my personal Instagram account to investigate when, exactly, I published my very first Instagram post.
May 14th, 2014.
Seeing as today is May 16th, 2024 it felt like a sign from the universe to write about my past 10 YEARS (!) on Instagram.
So, here we are.
In a lot of ways, Instagram has been a part of my life for nearly a third of my life, which is absolutely mind blowing.
While I never posted very frequently on my personal account, I do find myself checking it nearly daily to keep up with friends & my favorite influencers.
Between my personal Instagram account, business Instagram account, and multiple client Instagram accounts, I’ve spend A LOT of time on Instagram over the years.
So - what have I learned from the past 10 years on social media, both personally and professionally?
Don’t Share Everything
This first one might seem counterintuitive since the whole point of social media is to share content, but hear me out.
I am often shocked by the amount of information people disclose on their personal and business profiles about their private lives.
Over the years, I’ve realized the less information you share, the better.
If you want to take your followers through your day in order to be more personal, great.
But please leave out any information on where exactly you like to get coffee or what neighborhood you live in.
The best time to post really doesn’t matter
How often have we been told to analyze our posting times and find the best time to post? Yup, too many times to count.
Just post at a time that makes sense for your brand (e.g. don’t post at midnight if you’re trying to promote a greens powder to people getting up early in the morning) and you’ll be fine.
Adapt to stay relevant
Social media changes constantly, be it trends or algorithm updates, or even your target audience growing up.
In order to stay relevant, you need to stay on top of changes and continue to adapt.
This is not to say you need to jump on every trend you see (please don’t, this will only hurt your brand). Instead, you need to observe new changes and understand the bigger picture to then adjust your strategy accordingly.
Not everything you see on social media is true
(Realistically, I’d even go so far as to say that most things shared on social media are embellished, edited, or straight-up made up).
Accounts that share authentic content are few and far between.
Consider makeup content creators. Most use professional camera equipment, lighting, filters, and photoshop to make their makeup look good for Instagram.
But is that really what their faces look like in natural light, in real life? Of course not.
Consistency is hard, but key
I used to love makeup accounts when I first joined Instagram.
At the time, I’d venture to say that most of them were only posting for fun and weren’t really making money just yet.
The accounts you see today with millions of followers are the ones that stayed consistent and posted, no matter whether their engagement was down or they didn’t know what to post. Now, they get to reap the fruit of their earlier labor.
This goes to show that consistency is key to success on social media, and quick fixes aren’t going to lead to lasting success.
Engagement
I remember when I first got comments from random brands on my posts on my personal account, asking for likes on their latest posts.
I was confused as to how they found me, and why they’d care about me liking their posts.
At the time, I didn’t understand the importance of engagement on posts. It’s funny how simple techniques helped brands grow.
Engagement—liking, commenting, sharing—is vital for building a community and increasing visibility.
You need to limit your time on social media
I used to log into social media once in a while back when I first joined, now it’s my job and my screen time is through the roof.
I’ve started to set boundaries for myself to limit my time on social media, both professionally and personally.
As fun and inspiring as social media can be, your attention span and sanity will thank you for limiting the time you spend on the various social media platforms.
As much as I wish I could think of 10 things I learned from 10 years on social media, this is all I got. Time to get back to my proposal template 😊
P.S.: I’d love to hear how long you’ve been on social media for, and any lessons you’ve learned. Comment on this blog post & let’s chat!
Comments