Social Media: Use it Correctly
Social media serves one purpose: interacting. Within interacting, it can serve four functions: learning about other people, allowing other people to know about you, learning how different people can share you with others, and learning how all of you can serve each other. It’s all about relationships.
Those who try to sell on the internet drive us all crazy. Buy this! Buy this! Buy this! is a huge turnoff. For this reason, many of us don’t try to sell anything because it comes across as too crass (which this kind of selling is, not to mention it is not effective). Both extremes are anti-productive to your business and social media intent.
Don’t shortchange social media, though, in letting people know about your products or your business. It’s estimated that by the end of 2024, 5.17 billion people around the globe will use social media, with Facebook being the giant gorilla with 3.05 billion users. In 2022, social media commerce (things purchased through social media) generated $992 billion in revenue. By 2030, the estimate is that sales will reach $8.5 trillion. Yes, you read that correctly: trillion. You don’t want to miss this opportunity as someone with something to sell. If you are one of those who say, “I hate Facebook” (or some other platform), think carefully about what you are saying. There is a chance you’re missing an opportunity. But it would be best if you did it right. Again, it is about building relationships. Long-term relationships. It's not a quick sale to buy your book.
Success in the social media market comes from building relationships over months and even years, more likely years. That’s why you need to start now. Develop those relationships now and develop them because you want to know who other people are. When you have a product to sell, you become desperate, and if you haven’t laid the groundwork, you miss the whole part of the word “social” in the “social media” phrase. Start now building your relationships. And, again, I can’t overemphasize, make it genuine. That must come from your heart.
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