7 years in social media

Well well well. Seven years in social media!

I’ve never been one to make a big deal of milestones but this one feels worthy of a celebration and a few drinks, which we did as a team and our business pals last week at Southside!

When I think back to where it all started I feel pretty humbled. I really just wanted to help small business owners navigate the rapidly changing world of social media, and see better results. At that time I was going out and providing advice. I never thought I would end up actually managing accounts!

Fast forward and we’re a small but highly potent social media agency with an in-house writing and graphics team who have worked with some pretty awesome brands and have been recognised by our industry for the results we’ve achieved.

Like all businesses, we’ve seen more than our fair share of highs and lows.

Sometimes we’ve definitely been in surviving mode more than thriving mode.

Social Media is no place for those who find it hard to move with the times: shifting algorithms, ever-increasing competition, constantly shifting goalposts and then throw in a few Covid-19 lockdowns (!)…

Someone recently asked me: “How have you survived this long in business?” I wasn’t able to provide a great response at the time - in fact, I’m pretty sure I said something along the lines of “Coffee and Wine.” Which have been extremely helpful on more than a few occasions! But since then I’ve given more serious thought to it. and I think it comes down to three things:

I LISTEN TO MY INTUITION.

I have learnt to ‘cut the noise’ and listen to myself. Sometimes that has been unpopular. But see the thing is: no one knows your business like you.

For example. One really important decision I made along the way was to have a business that offers a broad range of services and works across lots of industries, which is counter-cultural! It’s the age of the micro business. Everyone wants to find their niche, and I get that. It makes sense in many ways to specialise. It’s more efficient. It’s easier to resource. And so forth.

Over the years people have offered advice on this. “Why don’t you choose just one service stream?” Or, “Why don’t you hone in on one industry?” I recall really taking this on board and feeling challenged.

Why didn’t it feel right for me?

I’m so pleased I went with my intuition here. I mean, I also did the maths. I could see an angle in the market for a business like ours. But mostly, I went with my gut feeling which was telling me that keeping our diverse client base was good for us.

On reflection, had I not followed my heart I don’t believe we would have survived - especially when I look back on the last two years. Offering a holistic solution for our clients and working across many different industries has meant we have been able to pause in some areas, while pushing forward in others.

When that gut feeling speaks, listen.

I KEEP AN OPEN MIND

I come to work every day with an open mind about what the future might hold. At a micro level, we see new social App innovations rolling out pretty much every month. So for example, on Instagram we’ve recently seen the rollout of stickers which can be used to drive people across to website to Shop or Learn More. However small this may seem, to us they are important because they could be the thing that creates a point of difference for our clients. So we pay attention. And we change if necessary.

At a macro level, I’m constantly monitoring social media usage shifts. For example, Instagram users are spending far less time in their feeds, and far more time watching Reels. These kinds of trends are driving significant change in the way we create content for our clients and how we engage with our online communities.

I am constantly thinking about our social media strategies and our business model and how we need to adapt not just now, but into the future. And yet, I also need to be discerning because not everything is awesome. In this game you could spend a lot of time and effort adapting to all of the changes.

You’ve got to play the long game so you avoid the churn and burnout.

I STAY FOCUSED ON WHAT MATTERS

I keep it simple. I’ve always been able to work out what matters, right now.

When organic reach became a thing of the past, I changed our focus to the paid side of our service offering. When paid became more challenging (thanks Apple iOS), we were able to bolster this with our other services like influencer marketing and email marketing.

And I never lose sight of who we are doing all of this for and why it matters to them. Small business has always been the heart and soul of FULL STOP. We’re here to make a difference to their bottom line through cutting edge social strategies. We have never lost sight of that!

Business is all-consuming at times and it’s hard to find the space to reflect and learn, so thank you for allowing me to share a few of my thoughts! I hope it’s been somewhat helpful for you in your personal journey.

Got any other things that you think are essential for longevity in business? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line through our Instagram DM!