Forget what social media guides are telling you
There is only one thing that matters if you want to grow your channels.
Believe me, I was where you are now.
I was reading articles, books and social media guru posts. I was in a constant search for new and fresh material as “A definitive social media guide for 2018!” type of crap.
Forget growth hacks, engagement, hashtags studies, collaborations, optimal posting times, analytics, contests, and cross-posting.
The only thing that matters is QUALITY CONTENT! All the rest must come later.
They say you learn most from experience? They are right.
Working for a small fashion magazine based in Milan as a social media guy, I had a task to grow their Instagram and Pinterest profile. Having had experience only with super high-quality content, I was stumped, when in Milan I wasn’t getting the numbers I was expecting. The Italian content sucked!
Having had a boss that doesn’t understand much about social media, his only markers for success were follower and like growth. And it wasn’t once that I was listening to his lectures on how the accounts aren’t growing fast enough.
At the time, If I didn’t have my moral compass set up straight, I would simply order likes and followers, like some of his fashion “influencers” do, and it would shut him up.
But I wanted a challenge.
As content wasn’t getting better, I asked myself. Is it possible to grow well even with such posts?
- We were super consistent, posting up to three times a day. GROWTH WASN’T FAST ENOUGH
- We employed a person responsible only for social engagement. GROWTH WASN’T FAST ENOUGH
- We filmed stories in shops giving tips for dressing. GROWTH WASN’T FAST ENOUGH
- We created a contest giveaway. GROWTH WASN’T FAST ENOUGH
- I researched hashtags. GROWTH WASN’T FAST ENOUGH
- I studied caption optimisations. GROWTH WASN’T FAST ENOUGH
- I used growth pods and Facebook groups. GROWTH WASN’T FAST ENOUGH
- We tried follow/un-follow techniques. GROWTH WASN’T FAST ENOUGH
.
.
.
New and better opportunities came up, and I left the job.
The 80/20 rule
Also known as a Pareto principle.
The new job has opened my eyes. I learned I was wrong, not insisting that content must improve in Milan. “It is not your job thinking about content, your job is to grow the accounts” was a standard response I was receiving there.
Vilfredo Pareto proved that for
20% of work, you will obtain 80% of results
and for
80% of work, you will obtain 20% of results
Wait and think about above statements! It is a fact.
What do you think my position was in Milan? Yes, you’re right. I was doing 80% of the work.
Sadly, I got to learn this only at a new job as we were posting quality content on a freshly made, ZERO followers Instagram account, and we obtained MORE traction than I received on Milan’s Instagram profile. And the beauty is, it was in automatic! No engagement, no following, no nothing.
So why do gurus even promote things such as engagement?
Because in a way, they work.
If you have a channel and apply their techniques, you will see bigger growth than you had before. Fact.
80% of work | 20% of results
But it won’t be bigger as if the base content was already of higher quality. Fact.
20% of work | 80% of results
Focus on quality and only apply growth techniques if you have time.
Thank me later.
My digital unicorns would like to bring you some emails. 🦄
You love unicorns, don’t you?
