Dear Reader,
A good pal of mine quoted here posed this question to me at the beach this past weekend. It’s one I’ve gotten from friends and family a lot over the years since they realized I started “one of those blog things.”
And it’s a tough question to answer.
Working as a social media manager sounds great – lots of creative time at the office, travel, and helping clients.
But the year is 2013 and things have definitely changed. In this post I’d like to explain why I tell folks I’m pursuing other routes and see if you feel the same way.
Why social media isn’t my career of choice
- Industry is aging/crowded
Social media growth has been an active industry for almost a decade now and lots of qualified and unqualified folks have secured themselves in social media manager, guru, administrator, and director positions. - You MUST get results
Building our own communities feels great, right? Each Like is worth a lot. But the tables would turn if you are forced to get X amount of follows each month, or else lose your business. Likes represent people, not trivial numbers, and this really shouldn’t be marginalized. - Not your content
Similar to #2, the perspective shifts when you are promoting the content of a small or large business. You have to truly believe in it in order to find creative ways to engage the audience. - Users are smarter now
Indeed, it is harder now to gain a following online as people are constantly bombarded with new offers and signups and can’t always tell whose is worth it. - Self-presentation must be 110%
This last one is a personal thing – In my case I would just rather blog and writ eBooks and code in my pajamas looking like a bum that arrive early to board meetings looking like a male model.
Those are just my usual responses to why I avoid social media as a full-time career. To make this post complete though – because there are two sides to this coin – here are some positive reasons social media might be the right path for you.
- Creative line of work
You get to find images, quotes, and other new ways to interact with which audience you’re dealing with. - Permanent learning curve.
Like many industries, there will always be beginners who need your help! - Free tools
From Facebook insights to Google Analytics to Alexa (though I dislike their new update) there are lots of free and fun ways to track social media growth. - User interaction
This one is something I’m quite fond of – if you do run a booming social media community (or several!) you get to hear feedback from and chat with LOTS of users via the various outlets. - Feel of satisfaction and ownership
We all need to feel like we’re creating and adding value in our work and successfully building a brand you believe in is one of the best feelings out there.
At the end of the day, it’s up to you how much time you want to invest in social media, but I hope these two lists help if you’re thinking of becoming a social media guy/gal in your career.
Here’s what some beach goers thought of blogging
Surfers at the bagel shop:
Them: “Dude you blog? I’ve been trying to put my photos on a blog for months. Got some from Cape Cod, Costa Rica, lots. How long would that take me to do? And bro, are you Greg too? Sure you didn’t take my bagels?
Me: I’m not bagel thief bro. A blog is quick to setup – if want to truly ride the wave that is blogging and carve out your own corner of the web, get your own domain and hosting space and run WordPress. Takes about an hour to setup, n’ way easier than learning to surf!
Casino attendant:
“Oh, you blog, so do you like sell stuff too? How much can you make?”
Nope, I currently give everything away for free! It’s the best way to build trust among readers.
Lawyer at the tennis courts:
“You work as a Blogger? If you’re good at communicating, become a lawyer – they make a fortune you know.”
Yes, lawyers do. I bet I could buy a house up here in that walk of life. But with a window of opportunity to do what you love for a career, as opposed to investing years of reading and late-nights in a field society tells you is a good path, why not give the first one a shot?
Gals at the beach:
Dr Mironi and I encountered two lively gals at the beach and after “accidentally” hitting our tennis ball in their direction to say hello, we moved on “what do you do for a job?”
“What does blogging mean? We work as personal stylists, it’s fun building a network and meeting new people each day.”
Yes! Blogging (with a hint of web-design) is just like an online personal stylist – you help sites look better and their owners grow more confident. You should blog your work to new clients.
Over to you
Do you focus a ton on social media, or do you leave it in the background and build content instead? Do you have a new/fresh approach?
For the creative people out there (probably 99% of you) why not pursue a hard skill set like HTML based web design, Photoshop, copywriting, or even newsletter (the 3rd rail of social media) too?
Let’s chat in the comments.
Hello Greg,
I was writing my post today, when I thought, “Hey, what has Greg been up to lately.”
Right now, I am focusing on not shutting up for 365 days. Every day I look for something meaningful in the ordinary.
Making friends while I write books. One on not giving up on your dreams, and the other one is a memoir by my cat. He dictates I type.
I miss your writing Mr. Narayan.
Perhaps write because you have something to say. And you do. Only you can write your story.
And readers won’t come unless you say something. So write more often.
All the best,
Pamela
As usual, the finest advice Ms. Hodges.
I’ll try to dig my way up from all these side-projects and hit publish soon. Only a fool leaves his blog alone, afterall.
Don’t cats dictate every aspect of our lives?
Love how both topics sound, any previews or mini chapters out?
With deepest honor,
Greg
I have to agree and it might be because I’m somewhat of an introvert. Social media for me is exactly that; Social. So I much rather prefer human interaction.
I don’t believe it’s an effective marketing strategy if that’s what some people try to use it for simply becuase that’s not what it was built for. It’s probably the least profitable and least productive use of anyone’s time, plus, having been on and off it for some time I can say most of the stuff people say is nonsense.
You also have to realise that there are so many conversations going on in the social media atmosphere and therefore trying to cut through that clutter will be extremly difficult. I never advise my private clients to use it because as Greg said above, “Likes represent real people” so you’re not supposed to try and convince people to like you.
Would you go into another “social space” like a bar and just try to make friends with the sole intention of selling them something at a later time? Furthermore, what happened to the good old ways of meeting people like what Greg did at the weekend?
Try “accidentally” hitting a tennis ball at some attractive females using social media. Let me know how that works for you.
I’m not a creative person by far but I do aim to be effective with anything I do create.
Hey Shola!
Mighty good insight here.
I like how you said go into another social space…Neil Patel used to do that with clients and though he’d get shot down a ton (more painful in person) it worked out big time.
Cheers,
Greg
After being on a long online hiatus…(not that anyone cares)
I had no idea you were making such astute observations this weekend! I’m also not attracted to the world of social media, but I’m curious to hear some responses from social media people? I believe a large amount of the of self proclaimed social media/online marketing gurus are as you describe, misusing statistics and making empty promises of new business. Social media seems to fit into greater industry of Marketing/Advertising/PR. This industry has been around for a long time in one form or another, and it’s always been infamous for its smoke and mirrors. However, throughout time, people have risen above the norm and consistently produced results that resulted in repeat customers and growth. Many say that social media/online is the new frontier (relatively new) in marketing/advertising. Anyone can do it, but only a tiny percentage actually do it well. So maybe its NOT the easy route? I totally agree that the road less traveled is the most rewarding. Do you social media marketers feel dishonest, or do you feel like you’re providing real value?
WOW, thanks Dr M.
“Anyone can do it, but only a tiny percentage actually do it well”…genius.
I’m going to frame this entire comment.