Hi everyone, Some advice on how to overcome social media shyness? Like being more active in posting content online or promoting yourself?
As a fresh graduate, I find it challenging to post content on social media. It is well-known that having a social media presence nowadays is a must. However, I am not the type that likes to advertise myself to my surroundings but this has to change. I believe that everything is possible as long as you do it step by step. Therefore, I would be grateful to hear from your experiences on how to be active on social media.
Replies17
- Fully agree with @Nas Abraham .If you focus on the thought, you may actually help someone - suddenly you care less about being shy, or what people think of you.
- Hey Kelly, I would say put yourself in the mindset of trying to help others. When your focus on helping others and adding value take centre stage, you focus much less on yourself and become less self-focused.
- Hey Kelly, I always believe in baby steps. If you look at the whole pictue of being on SM it can be daunting.Try not to overwhelm yourself and go slowly. Experiment, that's the best advise I can give you. You'll see what will feel comfortable and what doesn't. You can only leant from just doing it, so make a start, anywhere.You can also make a point of being shy as your main topic. Many people feel the same way so you could build up community.Best of luck.
- Hi Kelly,I've always used Twitter for one thing: to talk about my job (copywriting) and the industry I'm in (advertising) - that helps keep me focussed on what I want to say and who I want to connect with.You could do the same at first - find something to focus on. And you could post with passion rather than opinion if you aren't ready to do so yet i.e. show/talk about things you like, admire, enjoy, etc.Hope that helps,Vikki
- Hi Kelly,Up until lockdown I had never posted.I was advised that it was important for self promotion.100 posts later I’d say draw from your own interests and experience.Ask yourself; what can't be googled?Make it positive, helpful and informative.Little known facts are good - they give people a ‘well, who knew that’ moment.
- You can promote yourself through commenting on relevant posts by adding value to it.
- It's been very interesting to hear people's opinions about this and how they challenged their use of social media. I agree a lot with what @Gavin Kemp and @Rob Wright mentioned. I feel that it all depends on why you're using social media and what do you want to get out of it. For instance, if it's just to keep a record of sketches, ideas and thoughts then it's best to do what @Soraia Soares said and don't worry about it. It's also best not to worry so much about likes, follows etc (easier said than done I know) and just use it as an open sketchbook for people to see.If you're aiming to use it more to gain clients/jobs then, in my opinion, a more targeted approach is needed. I would first think about who it is your targeting. This should help you focus on which platform to spend time on and not stretch yourself too far. It also helps with messaging, content and building your network. Secondly, I would then think about what your story is, why is it relevant to your audience and what do they gain from it. And thirdly it's forming all the research and thinking into visually accessible content aimed at your target audience. It's also worth noting that it's best to plan your content several months in advance so you have enough time to create and generate posts as well as have a consistent output that's on time.Personally, though in some cases I think social media is not as important as people say. For me, social media has done me no favours other than cause stress and anxiety (that might also be because I'm not using it to its full potential or people don't like what I produce or I'm not someone who plans content well). I only really use LinkedIn, Instagram and the Dots now. LinkedIn to build networks, Instagram as visual experiments for entertainment and the Dots for support and advice.
- Hi Kelly :)It can definitley be daunting when you start out, so I'd suggest to start small. If you don't feel comfortable showing yourself, you don't have to - the platform is yours to do what you want with it.But if it's community and engagement that you're after, it's a good thing to work towards. But why not start with asking a question in your captions, and then engaging in conversation with people. Then over time, as you start to see that people are interested (as mentioned below, they wouldn't be following you if they weren't), you can push your confidence a little more and more.I'm not at the point where I can post talk to camera videos yet, but there's no rush.In terms of advertising, the best way to do it without obviously doing it, is just to share valuable content with your audience. Just by posting your work and talking about it, your advertising yourself.If you focus on providing value, people will be able to see your talents without you having to actively and obviously promote them.Just belive in yourself and it will develop over time. I hope this helps!
- typo - seel = feel
- I also like to keep my private life private, outside of the business I post nothing personal, my friends have tagged me into things on occasions but that's about it. I don't care what a friend had for tea, or what they watched on TV, or something else that may matter to them but won't change my life! I have very specific things I'm happy to post and there is a reason why they are there.My view is that social media is there for the social media company to gather data (by any method) and to sell me as an advertising target to others so they can make money from it - that's about it. Any benefit I get personally from interacting with others is incidental to that process. So managing it in a way I'm are happy with makes allot of sense.It's worth thinking about what you want from social media, be able to identify when you are getting what you want from it, know what you don't want from it too. Put clear limits on it, time, subject matter, know what you are giving away, regularly review your privacy settings, and be conscious of the difference between signing on with facebook (for example) and the additional data they will grab and use compared to using your e-mail and password. Use it from an informed position don't blindly use it becasue you seel you should.
- @Rob Wright Thank you Rob for these inspiring words.
- I only cracked this last year, Kelly! Social anxiety was a thing for me for many years, so my physiology was telling me that this is too scary & best stay clear.What helped me significantly was going live on FB. Excruciating to begin with, but so therapeutic, even exhilarating once I’d met my goal.But before I finally showed up, I had to work on what it is I wanted to say. What’s my signature sound? What’s my why? Who do I want to serve? Being driven by a worthy cause is so powerful. Makes the effort less about me.Then, keeping my audience in mind as I talk to them made a big difference, too. Feeling too self conscious restricts connection.Which is what this is all about – engagement. So as has already been said, remember that you can’t connect with everyone but you will connect with some. And that’s more than enough.Oh, & one more thing: don’t go wide, go deep. You don’t need lots of connections. You’ll get far better results (& a far more fulfilling ride) going for deeper relationships with fewer numbers.Nobody on their death bed is ever going to say “I wish I’d made more connections on The Dots…(!)
- @Kelly Esteves You are welcome! When I started I was exactly like that, so I'm glad I could help you :)
- @Soraia Soares Thank you very much Soraia. You are right, the most important thing is to start. Thank you.
- @Ø Macioti Thank you Ø Macioti, your reply is very insightful. I appreciate it.
- I am literally the same! I’m a very private person as well, so being active on social media has always been tricky for me. What did help me, though, is realizing that the people that follow me follow me for a reason. Those that actively decided to follow my art account and interact with it, be it likes, shares or comments, do so because they like what I make and are invested in it. So as uncomfortable and uneasy as it is for me, reminding myself all these people out there don’t think twice about whether I like it or not and just want to see more of what I make and how I get to the final product really didn’t the trick for me!If they didn’t like you, didn’t care for your art and weren’t interested in your skills they’d easily not follow you in the first place. But instead they’re there and they’re sticking around, so it’s safe to assume there’s something about you that’s magnetic and captivating, and you should trust your following on that!
- Hi there Kelly,My main advice to you is: Just do it!just start doing it, you know. in the beggining is exactly like that. You will feel shy, embarrassed, underwhelmed and even feel like everyone is judging every word you write. But the truth is that is all things from our head. when you start creating content and seeing that people appreciate it, you will see how valuable the things you share are, and the fear and shy will go away.So just go for it! Just try it out! :)
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