You’re already well aware that running a business consumes your time and maybe even your energy. And, everyday your social media accounts stare you in the face as happenings, stories, news, and trends saturate your timeline. But, what about your own? What do you post for your own brand’s page? What’s going to move the marketing needle for your business? How often do you post and should you post more often or take time to lovingly craft every…single…post?
Well, if you listen to Gary Vaynerchuk, serial entrepreneur and CEO of VaynerMedia, he’s been telling everyone for years to post…and post often! In fact he wants you to post at least 64 pieces of content every single day across multiple social media channels. But, what?! 64? In a single day? He shows you how it can be done, even for the solopreneur squeezing every ounce of precious time. But, even if you can…should you? Your time is precious after all.
Recently, I got targeted for a Facebook Ad (I love when they target me the right way! Exciting stuff.) and the bait was absolutely questioning and, quite frankly, condemning the idea of posting so many pieces of social content per day. Their pitch? That you should lovingly craft every single piece of text, image, video, and story that you decide to post. I mean…that makes sense right? Put some effort into what you decide to represent your business, your brand.
There are TWO huge things fundamentally wrong with the idea of putting quality at the forefront of your content… One, when you think quality first you are ultimately losing out on speed. And speed is everything when you’re trying to maximize the time spent in your day. And, in my experience, those who are so focused on quality often get paralyzed to take action. They spend so much time wondering if what they’re putting out is good enough or if they can even craft excellence into their social media output. So, ultimately, they output NOTHING…ZERO….nada.
Secondly, when you’re fixated on quality you’re assuming that you’re the judge of that. And, I’m sorry to burst that idealistic designer bubble, but you’re not! The market, or your audience, will ultimately tell you what’s hot and what’s not. And, I’m victim of this same way of thinking… I can’t tell you how many times I’ve put out something I thought would blow the socks off people and while…visually it looked good…it didn’t hit home to create the actual results I was looking for. Then, I tried something a little more simplistic or put out something that didn’t take so much tender, love, and care, and it performed! My audience loved it and my brand benefitted. And, at the end of the day for our businesses, that’s what matters, right? The numbers…
So what do we ultimately choose then? Quality or Quantity? This is probably where you’re expecting me to say, “Por que no los dos!” like that little latina girl in the taco commercial. And, while, both, is probably a good answer, I still think it’s too tough for the busy entrepreneur.
When you’re crafting social media content for your brand or business, you don’t have time to make extra considerations that can ultimately paralyze you. It’s why some successful influencers take the minimalist approach to their wardrobe. When you can minimize the amount of decisions you make in your day you free up your brain to make more important decisions, get the momentum ball rolling, and, above all, take action!
In the end, I think Gary Vaynerchuk is ultimately right. But, how can you possibly even fathom putting out 64 pieces of content in a single day when you’re not even putting out one piece of content per day? And, that’ s it…that’s the magic right there. Bruce Lee famously said, “A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.”
So, listen, you may not be putting out 64 pieces of content per day, and that’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up over that as that’s just as debilitating as staring your new post button in the face. 😳 But, do take action, do make a post, and worry about just putting content out than not putting anything at all.
Now, of course, that doesn’t mean to post without caring at all… There’s still those basic guidelines and values that represent your brand and your business, so stick to those. But, don’t let the angle of a photo, the messiness of a background, or the lack of the perfect wording stop you from posting. And, realize that your audience will ultimately decide to tell you what they love and care about. You just may make a post thinking it could be better, but that authenticity, that realness, is what your audience connects with after all.
We’ll go deeper on this in the future because there are countless examples of smash hit songs that the artist considered a throwaway or the cult classic movies that the producers thought no one would watch. The point is if we have to choose what to focus on when creating our social media content, it’s to create… As someone wise once told me, “You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going.”
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