Things I Used to Believe About Social Media
I’ve been working in social media for about nine years now, which is long enough to have watched platforms change, algorithms change, trends come and go, and approximately 47 different “rules” of social media emerge and then disappear.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that some of the things I was very confident about early in my career… I no longer believe. And I’m glad.
I think one of the most valuable skills I’ve developed as a marketer isn’t knowing all the answers. It’s being willing to change my mind. And that’s valuable no matter what you do for work.
So, here are a few things I used to believe about social media that I don’t anymore.
photo vida Dupe Photos - Ebony Forsyth
1. Every post needs to be perfectly on-brand.
I used to think consistency meant every post needed to look, sound, and feel exactly like everything else the brand had ever published.
Now, I think there’s a difference between being on-brand and being predictable.
Every post should feel like it belongs to the brand. But that doesn’t mean every post needs the same graphic template, the same tone, the same structure, or even the same personality in some cases.
A brand can be recognizable without being repetitive. In fact, sometimes letting the brand stretch a little is what makes it feel more human.
2. More followers = better social media.
This one feels obvious now, but I used to put a lot more weight on follower growth. And sure, growing an audience is important.
But I’d much rather have 1,600 people who actually care about what we’re doing than 50,000 people who scroll past our content without a second thought.
A follower is a number. An engaged follower is a person.
And I’d rather build something with the people who actually want to be there.
3. You have to post every day.
For a long time, I really treated consistency like this huge math equation:
Post every day. Keep the calendar full. Don’t disappear.
Now? I think the better question is: Do we have a reason to post this?
Your audience doesn’t need to hear from you just because it’s Tuesday. They need a reason to hear from you. Sometimes that’s five posts a week. Sometimes it’s two. Sometimes it’s a spontaneous post that wasn’t on the calendar at all.
Which leads me to…
4. The content calendar is sacred.
I love a content calendar. I love a spreadsheet. I love knowing what we’re posting and when we’re posting it. That’s the Virgo in me for sure.
But the content calendar is a plan, not a prison.
If something happens on Tuesday that your audience is suddenly talking about, I don’t care how beautiful your Thursday post is; we might need to rethink it.
Social media is social, and sometimes the best content opportunity is teh thing you couldn’t have planned two weeks ago.
5. Viral content is successful content.
I have absolutely celebrated a big number before. 100,000+ views!
Those numbers are fun. I am not immune to the dopamine rush.
But I’ve learned that viral doesn’t automatically mean valuable.
A smaller post might generate meaningful conversations. It might bring someone to your DMs. It might get shared with exactly the person who needs your product/service. It might move someone further down the funnel. It might make an existing customer feel more connected to your brand.
I’d take the right 500 people over the wrong 200,000 views more times than not.
6. Businesses shouldn’t participate in the internet.
I used to be much more hesitant about brands jumping on trends. And I still think brands should be careful.
But I’ve changed my mind about whether businesses should participate in internet culture. They absolutely should. They just need to understand the culture before participating in it.
There’s a difference between participating in a trend and looking like you just discovered TikTok yesterday.
The goal isn’t to prove your brand knows what the kids are doing.
It’s to find the moments where the culture genuinely intersects with your brand’s personality and audience.
And sometimes that means knowing when not to participate.
The funny thing about working in social media is that the longer I do it, the less interested I am in declaring universal rules (like you’ll sometimes see people creating on LinkedIn…)
There are very few things that are always true:
The platform changes
The audience changes
The brand changes
The culture changes
And what worked six months ago might not work six months from now.
What would you add to the list? What’s something you used to believe about social media that you’ve completely changed your mind about? I want to know 👇🏻
This post was originally published on my Substack, If I’m Being Honest.