Now that we have your attention!

No we’re not promoting or condoning drug usage, (if you don’t know what the K hole is, then check out a link here.)  There have been numerous studies by researches which claim the use of Social Media IS an addiction and that as humans, when a boy likes our post, or when someone starts to follow us (not in real life, that would be called stalking), it actually gives us a those feel good endorphin rushes (you know the ones you get from sex, chocolate, jumping out of a plane etc). Social media interactions can make us shake off some of the days stress, feel good about ourselves, feel happiness and escape the troubles we have just if only for a short while. It’s no different really, as the same feelings that ICE and Heroin users feel and crave.

“Whoah hold up”!,I hear you say; “It’s just an app”, “I can stop whenever I like”, “I can turn it off”. Interesting huh?  Don’t just take my word for it though, check out the article and information here from actual scientists here Yeah, yeah we’re all functioning in society and well chasing the dragon, or shooting up in an alley way is a little bit different to Farmville or Black Jack Poker, but in the grand scheme of things is it really? I shouldn’t laugh but can you imagine, people coming up to you on the street, well dressed and in a suit asking “Hey man, can you spare a few coins so I can get my carrots planted and off to Market” or “Ma’am could you spare some change so I can just make the next level of Candy Crush?”. You read it here first, so don’t be surprised when you’re stopped.

Social Media’s a medium that’s really taken over and in such a short few years, and has drastically affected the way in which we promote and conduct our businesses and selves. Who we talk to, how we access information and how we complain too (myself included).Epiphany moment!  A few weeks ago, daily on my morning commute on both train and a bus (where the distance wasn’t even really that far) I noticed that like everyone else, I was always glued to my phone in the morning. That I like my fellow commuters, couldn’t go a single minute not know what was going on.  Who had what for breakfast, which hashtags were trending and I was pinning what I might have (but probably not make) for dinner that night.  If you asked me what has happening in the world of politics or world news, I’ve have no idea, but I could tell you anything you wanted to know about who was rating on twitter or who was my newest follower on insta.

I started to become wildly paranoid and suspicious if another commuter looked at me, and god forbid it a tourist asked me where to get off at a specific station. I avoided any morning interaction by putting my headphones on and heading to SoundCloud. Surely people would see I was busy and would then leave me alone?  After almost 8 years of living in Sydney, where I was always quick to say that people were rude and didn’t engage or talk to anyone, I now realised I’d turned into one of those snobby Sydneysiders.

But wasn’t me being on social media in the morning being smart? Wasn’t’ I being proactive, posting and interacting with people over the multiple business and personal accounts I liked? Wasn’t a like or a lol on a friends page as good as a smile to a stranger? I mean I was actually WORKING, I was being far more efficient than the guy playing Angry Birds (or whatever it is these whacky kids play these days). I was multi-tasking; making the most of my commute and if anything was starting my day before I even was on the clock. Kudos to me, or maybe not?

I was turning into this  weird social media obsessed person. I would freak out, if I my phone had low battery on my way home. What if I was mid insta post and it cut out?  Hold up lady, what would you do if  you actually needed your  phone in an emergency situation?  Smoke signals and carrier pigeon were going to be no good to you here, and I had already established in a crisis others are more interested in taking a photo of the situation than calling 000.

It was at this point, I had to give myself a swift (imaginary; but as hard as a real one) slap to the side of the head and wake up call. I would try something. Rather than be engrossed in social media on my morning commute, I decided to trial switching off (I’d like to say it was for a month, maybe 6, realistically it was a few days) and be more observant of my fellow commuters.  Hardly a massive social experiment I hear you say, but none the less an interesting one.  Part of what motivated me was exceeding my data usage, and that I would get so incredibly pissed off when in peak hour foot traffic at Town Hall Station, people would walk into me (as they were playing games on their phones).  We’re talking that from the train to the escalator (not even a 5 meter walk) they were still refreshing their newsfeed continuously. Was I this bad? I didn’t think so.

What made it more of a challenge and frustration for me, being visually impaired I was already having to pay particular attention to the hundreds of people that were sharing the floor with me. Throw in a Venti sized latte, an umbrella and trying to make a swift lane change to my street exit,  I’m surprised my bursts of shouting and Tourette’s didn’t rare their head more often.

As someone that’s business relies heavily on trends and what’s happening within social media I am as these people in the morning, if anything, I’ve just become more aware of it I guess

Which leads me to this; Are consumers really into what your posting, when your posting or really just the zombies going about their day to day and they’re now in tune to the habit (yes it falls into the category of a habit) of accessing social media? There are statistics and research which have been conducted on effective times of the day, day of the week and the content of social media posts. It’s hardly a secret as those smarty pants cats from Harvard (or some other dot com, or Forbes Top 100 – this is my way of not remembering or having to site my resources) but the information is out there.

If you’re in a specific industry which relies on email marketing, direct marketing or social media marketing,  you’ll know what and when best works, which posts get the best engagement and often be perplexed (as often I am too) at some things which get a massive engagement to them. Is there a rhythm or reason to it? Yes. Are there mediums of social media that appeal to different demographics and age groups? Hell yes. Are there some forms and mediums which are obsolete (I got a 4 Square invitation the other day and almost peed my pants laughing) and are there some which are on the up and up? #absatinstaloutely.

So what’s my advice to you? Find a happy medium and find out the platforms which work for you. Know WHO your demographic and clientele are, what makes them tick. See where they best interact and engage and  direct your tone, correspondence and voice to them. Remember try as you might, you can’t be something to everyone. Pick your niche.  If social media’s not your strong point, or scares the living bejesus out of you, focus on what you’re good at. If you want to get involved, take a course , read a blog, or outsource or delegate to someone that is. Trust that person to lead you and your business down the right track and support them!

Stand out, push the envelope, make people pay attention and make them banter with you. Banter back, have conversations in just emojis, be fun and be approachable (even when the feedback is negative).

If you need to brush up on your skills, luckily for you, we’ve a Social Media for Small Business training course which is now available and we’re taking bookings. Interested and want to find out more? Email us at info@creativelittlesoul.com.au