A Chat with Natalie Zfat: Social Media Is Here To Stay

“Let me add you on facebook”, “Can we connect on LinkedIn”, “Do I follow you on Instagram?”. How many of you use phrases like this every single day? For most people (myself included) social media has become a life-constant. But in reality social media only started becoming “popular” around 2006. In fact 2006 was the year that Twitter was founded, meanwhile Facebook had only been around for 2 years, and LinkedIn was just gaining notoriety despite launching in 2002.

In only a short decade of existence we’ve seen countless forms of social media come to life and as a result it’s fundamentally transformed our everyday existence and the way we do business. It’s gotten to the point where even the late adopters have created social media accounts and the questions turn to whether social media is too saturated or how integrated is social media in our day-to-day lives? More importantly is social media a trend or a permanent fixture as society continues to evolve. 

Natalie Zfat, a renowned social media entrepreneur, suggests that social media is just getting started. It’s easy to see why Natalie believes in social media as her story highlights the transformative impact it can have on a single person’s career. 

Natalie is the founder of The Social Co., where she writes for and partners with elite brands to help them connect with their consumers, better brand themselves, and put themselves in the best position for success in todays business world.

Once laid off from Rolling Stone when the print media industry went into a tailspin, Natalie was forced to reinvent her journalistic career by jumping into the digital media space. Surprisingly it ended up being the perfect intersection of her passions for writing, branding, media, and technology. She soon found a niche in social media and now has over 300,000 followers across social media channels.

To Natalie, social media may have started slowly, but its certainly not going anywhere. As she frequently states “50% of the workforce will be self-employed by 2020. It’s time for big business to think small.” As our economy transitions to freelancing and self-sustained business, online branding and social media will only increase in importance. But that’s not all. Natalie’s prediction is, “In five years, it will not be as shocking to have met your husband on Twitter as it is today.” It seems like our world is only becoming more digitally connected so it’s more important than ever to be thoughtful in your online presence and usage of social media.

I had the opportunity to interview Natalie over a game of pool on her story, social media trends, branding, and more. See the full edited interview excerpt below.

Did you ever plan to become a social media expert or entrepreneur?

Not exactly. My social media business began very organically. It was 2010, and brands like American Express and Adidas were reaching out to me, asking if I’d blog about their products and services. Like any good entrepreneur, I recognized a demand and created a supply.

Social Media is characterized by a constant change and a desire for new content/platforms from users... how do you see the industry transforming going forward? 

I landed my first-ever job the old-fashioned way: online. It was 2006, ?and? I was preparing to graduate from college. I sent a blind message to the managing editor of Rolling Stone via LinkedIn. To my surprise, he replied, and I was on a plane to New York within two weeks. I meet a lot of people with similar stories; people who found employment via social media, business partners via social media, even their better halves via social media. My prediction is that in five years, it will not be as shocking to have met your husband on Twitter as it is today.

Do you think you can have a powerful brand or create a powerful brand without using social media anymore?

A broken arm can still heal without a cast, but it’ll take five times as long, and there’s no telling how well the bone will recover. So yes, you can treat social media as an option instead of a priority, but why would you?

What has been the most unexpected part of your story and with the social media industry?

When I got laid off from Rolling Stone in 2008, I had to figure out my next move - fast. The Internet threw a wrench into my magazine journalism career – and although I knew I wanted to continue writing, I also wanted to be a part of an industry that was growing. So I moved from print to digital. Being able to pivot has been, well, pivotal.

What do you see as the correlation between social media success and brand success?

In 2012, we held a focus group for one of my clients, Elie Tahari. Elie Tahari is a 40-year old luxury retail brand, and we wanted to learn more about our consumers – and perhaps more importantly, how our consumers perceived us. One woman in the focus group raised her hand when she heard the name “Elie Tahari” and commented - unprovoked -??about how much she loved our Facebook page. She cited specific posts (some of which had nothing to do with our products) and said our Facebook page? helped keep Elie Tahari? top of mind when she was making purchase decisions. It was an early realization for me of how important social media ?is in terms of brand awareness and loyalty, especially in the retail landscape.

How do you approach thinking about your brand?

The industry has changed a lot in these past six years, but ?here is my constant: I only partner with brands who are a good fit for my personal brand and share my same values: being open-minded, creative, smart and embracing of equality and education.

Why does brand matter?

50% of the workforce will be self-employed by 2020. It’s time for big business to think small.

What is the worst social media trend you see?  

Quantity over quality.

If you could accomplish one thing in the world of social media and branding, what would it be? 

I’d love to continue to build and mobilize my audience to be inspired by, think about and act upon they read on my channels.

What’s Next For You: In 5 years, 15 years, and beyond?

Being a writer comes naturally, but I’m still learning how to be an entrepreneur. Being responsible for other people’s well-being and income, making sound investments, giving back to the community - those are muscles I’m excited to be exercising.

 If you aren’t already, it might be time to think about how you can use social media to transform your career. There are no “one-size-fits-all” tricks, but think about who you are or what your business is, and how you can best represent that. Today our digital footprint spreads far beyond our "real-life" relationships. For people that don't know you personally; you are your digital identity. My biggest takeaway from chatting with Natalie is to stay true to yourself with the way you represent yourself online and the brands/companies you work with.

And finally… when you get to interview someone while playing pool its always a win.