How I’ve Reclaimed Social Media

Marketing

Mar 26

I recently finished “Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet” by Taylor Lorenz, and it led to some validation.

The book shares the history of social media, including the rise and fall of popular platforms like Tumblr, Vine, and MySpace.

It was fascinating to read a history book that covers history I've lived. I remember when blogging took off, hearing about MySpace and Vine, and loving Tumblr.

I also remember the organic content boosting Facebook/Instagram algorithm and the way Twitter used to be.

My Journey With Social Media

I opened my Facebook account at the end of my eighth grade year, and created my Facebook page, originally for my photography, in 2009.

This was before I started my business, so I was just using the platform to connect with friends and share my landscape and macro photos.

When I unofficially started my photography business around 2011, my Facebook page shifted to promoting my portrait work. I opened an Instagram account a couple of years later, the same year I officially started MegaBug Photography.

I was also in college, and though I have a minor in marketing, none of the course material covered social media. I learned marketing as I was promoting my business.

And I gained attention for it.

When I graduated from college and entered the workforce, I was often contacted by older small business owners who needed help with online marketing - including social media, email, and later web design.

Though marketing wasn't a service I offered, I was all about the hustle in my 20s and began taking on these clients. And I loved it!

I enjoyed planning promotions, designing posts, and learning social media strategy. This was the golden era, when it was easy to get your posts visible. There was no push to post daily and only one post type: a single photo or graphic.

As I transitioned from photography to marketing, social media took up more of my time. Eventually I stopped offering the service to clients (here's why), but I was still active on my own platforms.

In 2019, I launched my online courses. The narrative was that you had to post free educational content to entice your audience to invest in your course.

So I begrudgingly posted reels consistently, and here's what happened…

…I was posting 2-3 reels per week and my account only grew by 132 followers in a year.

I wasn't selling online courses, and I was tired of putting in so much effort for no payoff.

I share more in this blog post, which inspired me to go on a social media detox.

The detox made me realize that I miss the community aspect of social media, but not the selling, which is what social media was created for in the first place.

Social Media's Original Intent

In “Extremely Online,” Lorenz notes that almost every social media platform in existence was created as a way to keep in touch with friends, and when creators and influencers started gaining traction, the platforms resisted it.

Creators and platforms argued over compensation, which led to the affiliate coupon codes and “sponsored by” posts we see today, in addition to platforms adapting to now share ad revenue based on views and engagement.

As more people found success on social media, more people jumped in to try and find their own.

The algorithm shifted and now you see accounts posting almost every day and changing their strategy often to keep up. There are now reels, stories, carousel posts, lives, and more that we didn't have to balance in the early days of social media.

And all of that work is fleeting, because the lifespan of an Instagram feed post is only 48 hours. Reels, however, can gain momentum for up to 14 days.

I've had enough of chasing the algorithm and putting in work that doesn't pay off, so I quit.

My Reclamation of Social Media

My business quit these social media platforms, and since writing that post, I've reduced my social media marketing even more.

I'm no longer posting business-related newsfeed posts to Instagram. I'll post my upcoming website design project start dates and completed work to Stories, but that's about it.

When I post to my Facebook page, it's the direct link of what I'm posting to Stories.

And I'm still receiving work inquiries, because most of my work has always come via word-of-mouth anyway.

Which made me realize that my business doesn't need to be on social media to be successful.

How I'm Reclaiming Social Media

1. As a result of this epiphany, I've decluttered my Instagram profileby removing much of my educational reels and graphics.

→ You can still spot some. If you're curious, check them out.

2. Now I'm only posting life updates and what brings me joy to my newsfeed. (I may get back into photography again…)

3. I've also unfollowed many business and marketing strategy accounts, instead listening to my intuition on how to run and promote my business.

I'm now only following friends, small businesses I love, and creators who inspire me (on topics like homesteading, books, thrifting, minimalism, financial literacy, and more).

Conclusion

I see too many business owners stressing over social media. And I get it, social can be super effective for some businesses and organizations (see “Gaining Momentum” under the What's Bringing Me Joy this week section of this email below).

But you don't have to follow conventional social media advice to be successful. Much of that's geared towards big brands and influencers. As a small business owner, you have the advantage of already having a community IRL.

Psst! I've ranked the most effective marketing channels for small businesses. →

Downshifting my use of social media has released so much stress from my business and brought back the joy of using it.

Instead of feeling defeated when a post doesn't perform well, I'm excited by the comments. Which I'm receiving more of, because people seem to enjoy my life updates more than my educational content.

Instead of feeling like I'm not doing enough when I see posts from other business and marketing mentors, I feel inspired by accounts I genuinely want to follow.

Is your business on social media? Has your presence paid off? Or are you considering shifting your strategy? To learn how to market your business the right way and nail a strategy that works with your skills, check out Self-Employed School.