This may come as a surprise, but I do have a life outside of my work at Slanted. I’m also getting a degree in music. Because I’m a masochist and enjoy torturing myself. I’m in my senior year, so I’m wrapping things up. But in an effort to make me marketable after I graduate (as marketable as a person with a music degree can be), the university has decided that I need to be trained in a variety of musical styles. Which is how I ended up in a Jazz Improv class. And let me just tell you- I am terrible. I’m just a spaz. My teacher has compared learning jazz to learning a new language. I’ve studied a lot about jazz in my time as a music student, but I’ve never really put it into practice. And as my teacher says, you don’t learn Spanish from reading a book. You learn it by speaking it. Or in my case, I’ve got to learn it by doing.
Starting out with social media can feel a lot like learning a new language. And in some ways it is. There are lot of things to learn and there are a lot of places to learn about it. But the best way is just do it and learn as you go. Unfortunately, this means we have to get over our fear of doing it wrong. Like in learning a new language, our first posts may be awkward and disjointed. Or maybe you’re just not sure how to say (or do) it all. That happens. But over time, you’ll get the hang of it. And nowadays you can Google pretty much anything you can’t figure out how to do yourself.
It’s funny that we can get so caught up on doing it “right.” Mostly because in marketing, social media, or life in general, there really isn’t a “right” or “wrong.” It’s not black and white. There are some things that are just not good practice—like starting your business page on Facebook as a person instead of a page (see our previous post on that here). But for the most part, it’s just figuring out what works well and what doesn’t. There are a few basics that are universal to every social media platform, but overall you are unique. Ultimately, you will know what is best for you and your company. You just have to find it. And if you’re having trouble getting started, we’re always happy to help.
If you’re having trouble getting out there, Fast Company posted a great article a few days ago about overcoming outside validation that may help get you out of your shell.
Oh! And don’t forget, we’re having a great special this month to help you get your content jump started!