CAN YOU BUILD A FOLLOWING WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA? YES!
When I heard that resounding yes on a podcast recently, I was hanging on to the entrepreneur and bestselling author’s every word. Seth Godin had just released his latest book, This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans, and during his interview, he gave a lot of valuable advice.
On the topic of social media, he spoke squarely to those who despise the thought of growing an expansive online community through platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Do you have to use these powerful programs to be relevant, credible, and reach your audience? Are they necessary evils of modern-day networking and marketing that we all must figure out?
Seth took the sting out of this cringe-worthy subject. If you love social media and have already established yourself as a content creator with a loyal following, congrats. But if you’re like millions of people who sometimes dream of life before smart phones and selfie sticks, this is for you.
Here’s a small, partly paraphrased snapshot of some of Seth’s wisdom about social media, which intimidates, befuddles, and frustrates many writers and pretty much anyone who wants to launch a brand but is not the next YouTube Star or Kim Kardashian (and doesn’t want to be). Notes and additions in parentheses () are from me:
If I spent more time on social media, I’d spend less time blogging (which he’s really good at; he feared that he’d become mediocre at both, alluding to the fact there’s only so many hours in the day to focus on certain things).
Someone is going to win the influencer lottery. But (chances are) it’s not going to be you. You’ve signed up for a struggle. Feeding the algorithm, working for free for a social media company, and using it as the barometer of your days—your highs are based on whether you get a lot of likes, and your lows…. Why give up your future this way?
As a marketer, let me tell you: Social media is a symptom, not a cause, of a brand’s success. Meaning, when a brand resonates and catches on, other people talk about you—you don’t talk about yourself. (And there’s no better way to spread the word about a brand, a book, a business, than through other people—let other people do the marketing and advertising for you.)
That’s coming from a marketing genius who can attract a large following. He does have nearly half a million followers on Instagram. But he keeps his time and attention on his blogging—and writing great books.
If you don’t know Seth Godin and you want to learn more from this legendary marketing guru who is adored in publishing circles (he’s penned 21 international bestsellers), check out the podcast that got this blog all started:
https://youtu.be/JGgLBuxD_pw?si=xniSmEfktFqTT2TM
The host, Marie Forleo, has some great ideas too. Check her out. She lives by a motto we all would do well to tuck in our brains and that is the title of her bestselling book: Everything Is Figureoutable.
Note: Photo by Merakist on Unsplash