From Consumer to Creator

I'm not going to lie...

This Social Media Content Creator thing is complicated for me. 

If you know me at all… especially before I put on my 'social media mogul mask'…

You'd know that I despised social media, actually. 

Scrolling endlessly, looking at everyone's awesome fkn lives…😒

Some, showing off, talking about 'Look, I made it! You can too… if you buy my $7000 course.'

Others… addicted to the scroll…

I ruined it for my kids because I saw them becoming scroll zombies.

I told them… Social media is designed to keep you constantly scrolling for treasure indefinitely. 

It taps into your curiosity, that part of you that's always looking for the next best thing, and monetizes it. 

Barf…

The cat videos are funny, though…

But as with many things in this life, perspective plays a large part, if not all the parts.

If you've ever seen the film The Social Dilemma, you know that social media platforms have become dangerously addictive. 

But I'm not here to talk about that. 

My point is there's more than just one side to it. 

The last social platform I fully invested in was Myspace, and you know what came out of that? 

2 kids… 😆

When Facebook launched, I was just outside the initial target market, and I just couldn't get into it… 

So What's Changed?

I have a newfound appreciation for social media, and listed below are my previous thoughts about each of the most popular platforms vs. what I use it for now. 

Facebook 

Before: Connecting with Friends and Family

Now: Business landing page

Instagram

Before: Girls and pet videos

Now: I find inspirational posts for content and post my own to scratch the artistic itch.

TikTok

Before: Girls

Now: Testing engagement theories and products under anonymous accounts

Pinterest

Before: Girls and Tattoos…

Now: Searching for logo, font, and graphic design inspiration. 

LinkedIn

Before: Post a new resume when I need a job…

Now: Daily posting, leads, networking, and marketing myself, my skills, and services.

YouTube

Before: Video Game reviews 

Now: Creator analysis, management, and learning. 

Twitter

Before: Absolutely Nothing

Now: Content creation: Stream of consciousness, raw satire, and inspiration. 

The Transition

As you can see, I've gone from consumer to creator. 

That's the difference. So now, when I need something, I dip my toe in the current to get what I need, being extra careful not to get sucked in, caught up in 'the scroll.' 

It still happens. Every now and then, I'll open up Instagram to look for a specific account to get insight into their business, and 10 minutes later, I'm watching cat videos, girls, cars, or some basketball graphics edits, and I catch myself like 'wth am I doing?'

LinkedIn is your place to be if you have a business and want to advertise and promote. It's still highly underutilized, and even when I talk to various people, they don't even think of it as a place to promote yourself, your brand, and your business. 

https://youtu.be/U4VMThGSsys?si=bLC7XFFyM9Cttopf

Instagram is your place if you can whip out art quickly, like to draw, or have inspirational messages you want to share. They've even modified the algorithm to not focus so heavily on video reels anymore, but now, it's more about engagement with your audience, people bookmarking and sharing your content. 

https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-algorithm/

TikTok is an experimentation gold mine; you can find just about anything on the platform and post your most Random crazy ideas, products, or experiments to test the demand or response to them. 

https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-algorithm/

YouTube, with which I've become highly familiar lately through client work, has people giving away millions of dollars worth of education for free. We all know that, but when you use it as a way to share and monetize your skills, it can become insanely lucrative. 

Mr. Beast (I'd never heard of him, but the kids had) makes ~$3 million per video… and he's not even the most popular YouTuber. 

I know someone who makes a full-time living from making YouTube videos and supporting her two children as a single-parent entrepreneur. 

There's literally money everywhere… you only have to know how to extract it. If that's what you're after. 

And with that… I'm off. 

Taking the holiday week off to recharge, learn some things, and carefully plot out my next scheme for world domination. So I'll see you in the new year!!! 

Oh… before I forget… my shameless plugs: 

1. The mind, using it to achieve great things and business is my sh*t… if you have ideas or want to chat it up about any of that, DM me on LinkedIn. Love to hear what people are working on. 

2. I'm running some sweet holiday rates on websites should you or someone you know be in need… I've been pricing some of these services out there, and it's expensive! Set up a 1:1 15-minute complimentary consultation to discuss a project you have on your mind. No sales. I hate it when people do that. 

3. Stop playing and follow my social media accounts for science…

Besides that, It's been a crazy year. Have you seen Leave the World Behind??? 

I sincerely wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Holiday!!!