I am not anti social media.

I have a love/hate relationships with social media.

On one hand I love that I can stay connected with friends and family, see what they are doing, get insights into their lives, and also share the same to them. I love the power it has to build communities and bring like minded people together. I love that it has opened up the world to give us access to people that we would never ever have had.

What I don’t like about it:

• Keyboard warriors who bully and troll other people – it is easy to sit behind a screen.
• Fakeness and people giving an appearance that they are something they are not
• Scammers (which are increasing daily and the social platforms still allow them to advertise)
• The fact that so businesses put way too much reliance on it as a marketing channel
• That the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and friends have brainwashed the world into thinking they are indispensable, cannot live without them and are the future of marketing

In the podcast and with my clients and projects I work, I don’t say DO NOT USE SOCIAL MEDIA – let me clarify that.

Social media has its place in the marketing mix. In general, it is good for general visibility and brand awareness. E-commerce, fashion, hospitality, and retail businesses can do well using social (if done the right way). It can put you in front of new prospects, build your personal profile and share your expertise.

Yes for sure!

HOWEVER … however

1. This depends on the tactic or channel you are using
2. It depends on the product or service you sell
3. It depends on where your ideal client is spending their time

Social is part of a bigger strategy. Most social media experts will also tell you that.

Now what does the future for social media look like (what I believe)

I think people are starting to get really tired of it. The numbers on Facebook and Insta are decreasing which is why they are looking for ways to keep you on their platform longer (so they can serve you more ads).

So many business owners I speak to tell me the same things.

I am mentally exhausted.
I feel like I am on a hamster wheel.
I cannot keep up with the constant changes.
The algorithm is not showing my content.
I am struggling to show up constantly.
I feel totally out of alignment with social. I will procrastinate and make excuses why I don’t need to do it then feel guilty when I don’t.
It is a time suck and gives me a headache just thinking about it.
I have to spend more money to get a worse result.

They are comments from real people sharing their frustration.

So I am going to pose two questions to you:

Are you spending more or less time on social media?
Are your clients spending more or less time on social media?