Social media has taken an unprecedented role in our lives, from the way we communicate with friends to how we grow our business ventures. Even the companies we use to make our daily lives more manageable have a resemblance to popular social media platforms. Many websites let us create an account by linking our Facebook or Google accounts with a singular tap.
As technology and data speeds evolve, so does our ability to communicate and succeed in life. A hundred years ago, we wrote letters, sent telegrams, and relied on newspapers and catalogs for outside information. Now, you can simultaneously congratulate a family member from two thousand miles away on their new baby, listen to a podcast, and browse hashtags to find dinner inspiration.
With the world now at our fingertips, we have become exposed to a new mode of advertising, networking, and even dating. Social media is like the airport of the internet; a digital hub for human connection in every single aspect of life.
Social Media Works for All.
Many argue that platforms like Facebook have ruined the way we inform ourselves. Our newsfeeds have filled up with serial paid advertisements and the same viral political articles that manage to reappear branding a new candidate’s name. Consumers using social media have become more unbelieving and now possess a show-me attitude.
People often feel conflicted with the amount of time they spend on social media as if they were robbing themselves of leading a more productive life. The truth is that we carry the power and social media is here to serve us if we know what we want and how it works.
One of the best tools in discerning what we consume through social media is to accept that the internet is much bigger and faster than we are lead to believe when all we do is scroll through our feeds. Consider the original purpose of the internet and the birth of social media: the ability to communicate in real-time. Instagram and Facebook have created, and are still creating, tools to further empower our consumerism as we become more intelligent and investigative.
If there is a city you want to tour, there is a hashtag that has been used a million times by real people. We can see statistically without actually viewing any numbers. Through Instagram Stories and tags, the user has physical evidence that says a product is being used. More importantly, you can see where, and how, other like-minded people explore the world and turn their passions into success.
Use Social Media to Build Trust.
Some of the most successful entrepreneurs have shared their tips on how they were able to land their dream job, grow a large social media following, or how they turned a profit in having their start-up acquired. The key advice they all share is to build meaningful long term relationships with like-minded individuals. We feel better about a product, service, or brand when a fellow human takes the time to communicate and engage with us.
To build trust through social media requires active engagement. Small businesses have a better chance at building a following when they connect with other businesses and support each other. There are coalitions of female entrepreneurs banding together and setting up conferences throughout the country, and we are the first to see these relationships form when they share each other’s products and services routinely. Simply by banding their concepts together, they’ve created a domino effect of ideas we can trust and rely on.
Modern-day social media platforms want to get to know us and they want to show us the parts of life that interest us and can benefit our everyday lives. Here is an example: you can use your phone for thirty minutes on your lunch break to listen to a podcast from one of the top financial advisors in the country and end up on that advisors Instagram, liking their post and watching their stories, maybe even sharing a post that piqued your interest.
Your friends, family, and coworkers see that you’ve shared this person’s work and are now getting a dose of powerful information from a trusted advisor. Even as a consumer, social media helps us to encourage one another and the more we use it to enlighten ourselves, the more it will provide similar content for us to enjoy.
Social Media Offers Limitless Potential.
Social media also offers another key asset in its ability to facilitate community. Whatever your niche may be, there is strength in numbers. With the advent of private Facebook groups and open forums, like Reddit, individuals can form a unique dialog about several topics.
Whether you’re looking for more perspective on a local political matter, or you desire to share your success in the computer engineering industry; these groups provide a way to understand a particular subject better. In the past, we were limited to our social circles to find knowledge or to generate clientele. Social media is a powerful tool and holds a limitless capacity for opportunity when we strive to be intentional in how we utilize these adaptive open forums.
