A while back I went on a bit of a long talk about how we measure success and failures
A big inspiration for that was that I was struggling to see any linear improvement in my growth online, which brought about a lot of deep issues I’ve had with myself and how I view myself when posting online.
Since then I’ve had the chance to re-pivot my goals. And importantly, look at things more objectively.
I’ve never really looked at how I post with an analytical eye, but since doing so I’ve found the experience to be not only eye-opening but also incredibly educational.
Let's see what sticks
My initial plan was to try a bit of everything. Videos, reels, posts… any content goes. I’m incredibly lucky to have a great PC that my brother built for me, and I managed over time and with help from my husband to buy the software and tools I’d need to try out anything, With that in mind, well, I did try everything I could think of!
Maximum effort
I then put a lot of effort into different social media tools. Starting with TikTok, then YouTube, followed by Instagram. I learned the basics of how each one worked and had varied success with the content I had.
Now we analyse the results
Initially, all worked well, But I noticed over time that the content started to wane when it came to interest and success. To me initially, this hurt a bit – as I was working as hard as I could around my full-time job. However, the numbers don’t lie. If the content isn't appealing, I realised it was time for a change in plan.
Reels and shorts get the most initial exposure...
but retention is low, which means the content within them is good enough to get people to click, but not enough to make them stay.
Regular/daily uploads of videos = best traction, but isn't possible…
whilst working a full-time job. My focus going forward shouldn’t be to burn myself out, but focussing on improving the content is worthwhile due to the reach. Quality over quantity!
Stories are not worth the time I invested in them...
Out of my max followers, platform-depending, at best only a fifth look at stories. I enjoyed making nice stories but I honestly noticed that the results that got the most views were less polished and more candid.
Posts don’t perform as well, but that seems to be an everyone issue...
I think in general there has been a shift to video content on most social platforms. I think posts have their place for showcasing new work regardless, but shouldn't be part of a growth plan necessarily.
Art VS content production...
The truth is at this point I’m not sure what is best – but I’m very aware the only way to find out is to try.
One thing I learned from looking at everything more objectively is that social media can be a total time-sink if you’re trying to put yourself out there. I feel that they tend to push your content a lot to get you to use platforms more to get the same reach you initially got. Before you know it you’re spending 80% of your time content producing and 20% of your time doing art. Which is a great way to burn out.
I think it's important to always keep in mind that content is most social media site’s currency. They make money if you use their platform. With that in mind, you should ensure you spend time on your content plan, sure, but don’t allow their tempting algorithm to make you waste your time.
Conclusion: Quality over quantity?
Post high-quality reels that focus on high retention. Focus on the music, less talking, and posting the whole painting – start to finish – where possible. From generally looking around this tends to be more successful than my current output.
Aim for 1 video per week, but again this is because quality must be higher to justify this schedule.
Generally stick to candid low-effort stories if you feel the need to post one, with the odd high-effort story post when necessary.
Keep posting as and when you can. Keep the focus on art and make sure the caption is decent (not really many changes needed on this, as there's not much I can do to change or improve this as it's just not favoured by the algorithm on any platform right now)
Final thoughts
I think the most important thing to keep in mind with this plan is that the goal isn't to ‘figure out the algorithm’ or ‘beat the system’ – it's just to find a balance between my personal life and the goals I’ve set myself for social media this year.
For example: I know a big path to success is posting every day – but I know that would kill me creatively, so it's not something I’d consider. It's about finding the most beneficial path for myself, not an unseeing social corporation!
Hopefully, with this plan, I’ll hit either one of two goals:
More traction on my social accounts
More creative time without feeling bad for not posting so much
Depending on performance I’ll re-analyse and readjust in a couple of months.
I must admit it's been more fun than I thought it would be to actually break down my progress and output so far. Hopefully, I feel the same about it in the coming months.
Have you ever had to plan and reanalyse your social media? What did you learn from the experience?
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