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.