We all know that person in our social network who no matter what time of day or night, always seems to be actively hanging out on any given platform and giving a big ol’ thumbs up to everything anyone posts. My question is, are you that person?
Before you scream “No!” at your screen, hear me out.
As a business owner, you of course need to be an active member of your different platforms; posing and answering questions, sharing cool things that people care about, and being accessible to your current and potential customers. But I’m wondering if you’re so accessible that it’s actually hurting your business.
Social media is a great escape. If you’re not careful, it can keep you from focusing on the other really important aspects of your business. You have to stop and ask yourself if you’re using social media too much in your business. Do me a little favor and answer these questions:
- How often do you check the feeds of your various social media accounts?
- How quickly are you “liking” “heart-ing” or “RT-ing” the content that others are putting out there?
- How soon after posting content do you go back to your accounts to see how much love you’re getting?
If your answers go something like “every half hour”, “I’m usually the first!”, and “umm, immediately, I don’t want any of my fans to think I’m ignoring them!”, then I advise you to close the damn computer, lock your phone in a cabinet, and focus on your business!
Listen, I’m the first person to tell you that social media, when done properly, is the most cost-effective and reach-effective way to create word of mouth marketing. It’s an excellent tool and I’ll never tell you not to use it to start and grow your fashion business.
I will however, tell you to stop living on it.
Until you are able to grow your company team and ultimately decide that all you want to focus on is the designing and the marketing, you should not be spending every waking second checking your Facebook feed, scrolling through Instagram, or categorizing your inspiration on Pinterest.
Do these things, of course! But don’t let them consume you.
The thing is, you have to find balance. Yes, marketing is absolutely crucial, but so is making sure that you’re creating a product that’s worth marketing, so is networking offline with potential collaborators, so is attending educational seminars and workshops to improve your business skills.
Social media is but one piece of the larger puzzle of configuring a successful business. Create yourself a schedule and a strategy and stick to it. Allow yourself enough time to be interacting and engaging but don’t commit so much time that other aspects of your business are falling short.
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