Why you shouldn’t worry about social media rules
It’s something I hear often from business owners. “I know I should do _____ on my social media accounts, but I just don’t have time.” This statement is usually accompanied by a sheepish tone or a sad-face emoji. As if they’re breaking some social media rules that are somehow set in stone.
STOP! First off, there should be NO guilt when it comes to using social media for your business. Social media is merely a tool in your marketing toolbox. It’s helpful, and when used effectively, can create opportunities to increase your brand awareness, your authority as an expert in your field, and most importantly, increase sales.
But you should never feel guilty for not having time to use that tool, or not using it the way someone else tells you to use it. Think about it like actual tools. I have many screwdrivers in my toolbox and if a screwdriver is the only thing I have a handy in a pinch, I will use it to hammer something in, or pry something out. Neither of those uses are what I’ve been told to do with that tool, but it works for me.
Social media should work for you and your business. However that looks.
Social media managers and coaches, Instagram gurus, TikTok teachers, we’re all guilty of making you feel like you HAVE to do things a certain way, just by the nature of our content. We’re trying to give you tips, and how-tos, and examples of things that you can do. We need good hooks to make you stop the scroll and pay attention, so it often feels like we’re saying you MUST do this or you won’t be successful.
Take it with a grain of salt.
There are no hard rules for social media marketing and content marketing. It’s all guidelines.
Social media rules don’t exist.
What all social media experts are showing you is a method that has worked for them, or for other accounts they’ve worked with. But that doesn’t mean it will work for you.
And different methods will produce different results.
Some accounts on Instagram almost exclusively post reels. Others still focus on single posts and carousel posts, with only the occasional reel. Some creators will tell you it’s important to post multiple times every day. Others will say you only need to post a few times a week. And yet they’re all successful. They do what works for them.
If WHAT, and WHEN, and HOW to post on social media is stressing you out repeatedly, then you need to take a step back and re-evaluate.
Remember these 3 things
1. Social media is not your only form of marketing.
While social media has become an incredibly important part of the marketing strategy for many businesses, it shouldn’t be your only marketing avenue. Don’t spend all your time on it. The Instagram glitch that banned accounts for no reason and dropped crazy amounts of followers for other accounts should make this obvious. Encouraging word-of-mouth/referrals, print marketing, email marketing, website marketing, and networking should all be part of your marketing plan.
2. Showing up is more important than getting it right.
Did you follow all the steps for a perfect post, down to perfect lighting, an incredible hook, and world-changing content? No? Good! Just show up. Make content. Your audience isn’t looking for perfection. They’re looking to A) connect with you, and B) have a problem solved by you. Even if that problem is that they don’t have enough cute stickers in their life.
3. Do what works for you.
As I go further into this journey that is social media marketing, the more I realize that you’ll only do it if it works for you. I watched a Gary Vanyerchuk video where he talked about what type of content to produce. He argued that you may excel at writing blog posts, but you might have more fun and prefer making video, so you should focus on video (if you only have time for one). Why? Because you’ll make time for the thing you enjoy doing. You should enjoy social media. Find what works for you.
Social media should be SOCIAL and FUN. Yes, you want to educate, entertain, and sell. But not if it’s making you feel guilty or taking up a lot of mental bandwidth. Being an entrepreneur is hard enough. Let’s focus on no-guilt social media marketing.
Looking for guidance with your social media marketing? Sign-up for a 1:1 Coaching Session. Want to learn more about what a social media manager can do for you? Read this post.
