What I've Found Talking About Social Media with People

In my roughly 2 1/2 years of doing social media, digital marketing and community building, I've seen a lot of people, had a lot of conversations (tough, easy, inspiring and heartbreaking) and witnessed a lot patterns.

Some patterns have been obvious! Others, subtle.

I get that not everybody lives and breathes social media or digital marketing, but when they find out I do they often ask

• if their situation is wildly unique, and/or
• if anyone else has been in their shoes.

Friends, humans are beautiful and unique but not complex. I have begun to see patterns over and over, and I want to tell you conversations I'm having and things I'm seeing:

1. When asked why social media is important, every single person has always come to the same conclusion: community.

People long for community! To love and be loved, to be heard and seen and affirmed and supported and challenged. I sat on a panel at an event with Sarah Nicole Landry, known on Instagram as @thebirdspapaya who said as an influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers, she now experiences almost radio silence because there's a perceived divide between her, the fame and the community. People long for the community, herself included, but people get in their own way.

2. People want sales overnight from social media.

Social media is easy, cheap (if not free) and accessible. Because it's within arm's reach, we expect so much out of it. Part of that hope is validation - we say to ourselves that if we can make it on social media we can make it out there. Part of it is that we put so little out into the world that we lose little if it doesn't work. Part of it is that if we make a mistake, it's easier to reverse than anything we do in the real world.

I'm sorry, but sales do not happen overnight from social media. While getting clients from social media is something I talk about, I have to say: it takes time, energy and consistency.

3. People put social media in a box.

Boxes are for packing, social media is for people. A common thing I see is people compartmentalize in their minds and in their lives social media as one thing, separate from everything else. People believe their behaviours are (and can be) different, that social media exists in a vacuum that is there when it's there and not when it's not.

Social media is just that: it's social. It's a social and technological extension of ourselves and often we forget this in how we approach it. I always ask: if you did something on social media in the real world, would it make sense? If not, don't do it.

The other side to this coin is that people don't know what to do on social media. I recently worked with a realtor who didn't know what to do with her LinkedIn connections. I asked her "What would you do if this professional walked in the door? What would you say to them?" to which she had a quick answer - THAT is how you approach it. What would you do if you moved to a new city? That's what you do with Facebook. If someone wanted to hear your thoughts on something, what would you say? That's YouTube!

Friends, get social media out of the box in your mind and let it roam social and free.

At the end of the day, it's just social media. Please, keep it social.

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About the Author:

Tim Campbell is so extroverted he puts the social back in social media. A generalist by profession, Tim focuses on seeing the whole picture of any problem or opportunity. Tim is a credentialed and award winning digital marketer and community mobilizer who takes a value first, people centred approach to his practice and his life. Tim has consulted for and spoken with hundreds of entrepreneurs, churches and organizations, most notably with CBaSE (U of Guelph), The Upper Grand District School Board, 10C Shared Space,The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), MoMondays, The Resilience Summit (F&CS Waterloo) and The GuelphWellington Small Business Centre. From bots to Facebook groups, church marketing to competitor analysis, Tim weaves humorous stories of hope and wit that will inspire, educate and entertain audiences.