“What would it take for my Instagram to look like hers?”
A colleague posed this question. We were scrolling through the colorful, glossy feeds of several online businesswomen we follow.
I asked, “why do you want yours to look like hers?”
She said, “because it would be cool.”
I said, “cool because it would make you feel cool for having a sexy Instagram life, or cool because it would help your business?”
That is the question to ask yourself when you’re considering a new marketing tactic – especially one as tied up in appearance and validation as social media.
And it’s fine if your goal is to feel cool for having a sexy Instagram life. Goals are neutral, not “worthy” or “stupid.” (You might come to find that feeling cool on Instagram leads to a fixation on other people’s feedback and approval, but maybe you won’t!)
Whatever your goal, it’s helpful if you know what it is. It’s extra-helpful if you determine in advance what achieving your goal will look like, so you know when to stop, pivot, or start a new goal. Talk to your marketing manager about this: is it percentage increase in leads, traffic or followers? Is it posting x times per week?
My colleague laughed when I asked, and admitted that part of it was the desire to look good online – which not exactly a business goal. But, she went on, there’s also something to be said for credibility.
Credibility is somewhere in between this makes me feel/look good and this helps my business. It has to do with reputation and appearance management, branding, and converting new clients or opportunities.
It’s up to you if it makes sense – and you have the willingness – to be credible everywhere at all times. That takes a lot of work, which is why I recommend that my clients don’t focus on more than three social media networks at a time.
And wherever you do focus, ask yourself: what is the real reason I’m doing this?
This post is part of my 100 Blog Posts in 100 Days series. View the rest here.
