If you’re a social media nerd like me, then you’ve probably noticed how the social media scene has evolved and shifted at a whirlwind speed over the past eight months or so. New platforms have emerged, some have been taken down, and others have rolled out new features.
I’ve had the urge to start blogging again, and maybe even to really dive deep into some things and do some long form content posts.
Over the past month or so I’ve become more active on Pinterest. I forgot how much I enjoy the visual platform and I’ve doubled down on my content over there. If you like recipes, drinks (coffee, beer, and cocktails/mocktails), and of course writing, business, and marketing tips, give me a follow! Although I enjoy social media, if I’m not careful I’ll spend tons of time online, and being that I do social media for a living, I try to utilize social media management tools when I can. I’ve used Tailwind to schedule and manage the pins I post, otherwise 30 minutes can disappear in a blink on Pinterest.
Last week I got an email from Pinterest letting me know my account was suspended. I was informed that I’d posted something that went against their community guidelines and had been labeled as a spreader of spam (but they didn’t let me know what I’d posted that violated their terms *shrugs*). I appealed it, and won! And my account was restored within hours. However, as much as I enjoy social media, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that over the past year I have followed the breadcrumbs left by these tech giants that perhaps they’re a little too comfortable with the power they hold over our ability to share information, and as detailed in my Pinterest experience, determining if you even have an account at all.
From a business perspective, I think it’s a smart move if you start developing a strategy now, not when you see your reach tanks, or when the next algorithm changes, or when your account is suspended. My strategy is rooted in the urge I’ve had (call it intuition?) to get back to blogging. I want to know that I own my content, that I can keep my content in a space that isn’t going away (which can happen if a platform loses popularity, you decide to leave that platform, or you get thrown into social media jail), and that I can always share my content in other ways and in other places.
How can you come up with a strategy to start primarily putting content out in non-social media spaces? You can start a podcast, post articles or blogs on your own website, or pushing out content to an email subscriber list.
I hope this post has sparked an idea for you to start implementing a change in your content to shift it away from being dependent on social media to a space you have more control over, and if you do, I hope you’ll come back here and let me know how it’s working out for you!
Amanda Bretz 