The Invisibility of Social Platforms

So this is weird. For YEARS, I've had a dormant Facebook "fan" page (that's what it was called when I set it up back in 2011, I think it was). Yesterday, I changed the name from "Chris Brogan (but not a fan page)" to "Chris Brogan Business Advisor and Keynote Speaker." I figured it was a bit on the nose, but maybe it would be helpful in some way (because it sure wasn't doing anything for me sitting dormant.) And guess what?

People started commenting and interacting. Only, it was weird, they were commenting on questions that I'd asked way back in 2011 because there wasn't any new content there. I then got a TON of messages and comments saying "Oh, I'm glad you're back on Facebook." Only, uh, I'd never left Facebook. I had an active account and several active pages there.

Sometimes, You're Invisible

I wrote a quick post here a few weeks ago saying that I hate when I send a LinkedIn message and don't hear back. The post got a TON of comments. Only, either I have a setting wrong or LinkedIn acts weird sometimes because I never got a notification that anyone commented on that post.

The whole experience on both platforms has me thinking about the algorithms, the intents of the platforms, and maybe my over-played trust in their ability to actually deliver the interactions I'm trying to provoke.

Since 2006, I've written about the concept that you must NEVER use a social media platform as your primary website. I published the "home base and outposts" strategy document on my blog to help people understand that. Not that most people listened. They deleted their blogs (too much work!) and started building on Facebook, LinkedIn, Medium. Whatever they fancied. And sure, they got a few more eyeballs, but they also lost a lot of contact opportunities.

This, to me, is more of the same. I think sometimes, these systems inside Facebook and LinkedIn are leaving us "invisible" to people we want to reach.

Advice from Dory - Just Keep Swimming

The counter isn't all that difficult. We just have to keep making content, keep connecting, and maintain our home bases. Beyond just having a blog or primary website, what's kept a very healthy connection between me and the people I intend to serve has been my newsletter. That's the actual gem of my world. For the 346,800 people who follow me on Twitter, I still get 10x or 20x more engagement from my mere 28,000 people subscribed to my newsletter.

Make your own content. Make some content for other platforms on occasion. Share posts like this one in places like LinkedIn, but ALWAYS be inviting people back to where you can best connect and serve. That's the master play, no matter what size your business is and no matter which platform you say you prefer.

Chris Brogan is a business advisor, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. He works to help companies use the right strategy and tech to improve the customer experience at all the major checkpoints in the process. Connect any time!