I wrote this back in 2014, in my Novelty & Nonsense email newsletter:
There are “social media tips” everywhere. Most will tell you to automate, schedule, blast, post every hour – every 30 minutes! Post more Instagram photos, images on Facebook, special deals every morning on Twitter. Day and night. Mind your time zones. Fill those schedules. Program your entire week.
Let’s think about analog and digital for a moment. Slow vs fast.
:: There are Keurig coffee machines, and people who wait five minutes for pour-over coffee.
:: There are burgers you order from your car, and there are sustainable restaurants with hour-long waits.
:: Stream music on your smart phone, or flip over a record when Side A is done.
One is not better than the other. Some people choose one, some people choose the other.
What do you choose? What does your audience choose?
:: The person who enjoys fashion and style may likely want to be inspired, not be reminded daily of your sale. Inspire, don’t annoy.
:: The person who enjoys fine coffee can only “like” so many photos of latte art per day. Tell great stories, stop dumbing it down.
:: A person that buys $22 magazines (like Offscreen Magazine) may not have need your 13 updates per day.
This flies in the face of the, “we finally reached 10,000 likes!” boasting, but stop imitating the corporate brands with your online marketing. That’s not you. You have the ability to connect with your audience in ways the faceless giants can’t afford.
We keep hearing about “being authentic,” even way back in 2014, and it’s even more true today. You don’t need to pretend to be something you’re not.
Don’t “fake it till you make it.” What if that fake-ness attracts a fanbase that you despise? Or you make work you’re not proud of. Do you think it’s going to be easy after five or ten years to suddenly change course?
Be who you are – there are thousands of people out there waiting to discover you.