Instagram and Facebook: It’s The Message, Not The Platform

“It’s never the platform. It’s always the message”

- Gary Vaynerchuck

This morning Facebook announced the wopping $1 billion acquisition of Instagram - the popular mobile photo-sharing app. Instagram make zero profits but Facebook are clearly paying for the so called “eyeballs” (..Instagram have 30 million members)

Meanwhile LinkedIn keeps growing membership and is by far the biggest professional networking site in the world with 150 million members

And last week we heard that the relatively new platform, Pinterest now has more members than LinkedIn in the US. In fact, Pinterest drives more revenue per click than Twitter or Facebook.

But what does this all mean to you and me?

Do you get confused and overwhelmed by all these platforms and wander what you should or shouldn’t be using when it comes to managing your career and professional life?

Well here are some questions to ask yourself and a suggested way to approach all these platforms:

1. What’s your current objective?

- Are you actively looking for new career opportunities?

- Are you passively looking for new roles? (ie open to new opportunities without actively searching)

- Are you trying to figure out what you want to do in next?

- Are you looking to find new clients or freelance work?

- Or do you simply want to protect and enhance your online Personal Brand?

2. Who is your target audience?

- Given your objective – who are the target audience, customers or employers to need to engage with?

- Where do they hang out? (Both online and offline)

- Online, what type of platforms would they most likely be using?

3. What’s the message you want to convey to your target audience

- What value do you bring to the market, to clients and employers?

- How are these people and businesses better off having worked with you or your business?

- What makes you different from others who are targeting the same types of clients and employers?

4. Choose the best media platform(s) for you

Based on all of the above, select the best platform for you and your target audience:

If you’re a professional looking to stay on peoples radar and attract opportunities passively – ensure you’ve an updated LinkedIn profile that’s keyword rich. Also ensure you’re connected to at least 100+ contacts (ideally in the sectors you’re interested in) so that you come up on searches on LinkedIn.If you’re a back-to-work-mum trying to figure out what career path to go down, you may choose a combination of LinkedIn and Facebook as the two main tools to reconnect with old contacts and friends (…which is usually where most ideas and opportunities come for mums returning to work).If you’re keen to become a thought leader in your field, you may to start writing a blog and then use LinkedIn and Twitter to share links to your content whilst also engaging with bloggers and experts in your industry via those platforms. Or if you’re feeling brave, you may start a YouTube video blog to share your views and opionionsIf you’re artistic and looking to show-off your talents as a “side-gig” away from work – you can use Instagram, YouTube or indeed a Facebook Page to showcase your talents and connect with other like-minded people.

5. Do something that’s effortless for you

Any activity which feels like a struggle is not something you’ll stick to – and so you’re unlikely to yield the true benefits (just think of all those “keep fit” regimes that have fallen by the way side after good intentions).

So no matter what the ‘experts’ tell you (or what I’ve just said above), ensure you find and use media platforms which you enjoy using and find effortless to use. That way, you’re most likely to use them consistently and get the results you want. (Just like the keep-kit programmes we actually stick to).

Anything that feels awkward or that “just not me” – most likely isn’t. So don’t do it.

So the next time you hear a big social media story– ignore the hype and make choices based around your needs and your personal style so that you get your message across in the most authentic and impactful way.

And just remember Gary Vaynurchuck’s advice at the top of this page – “It’s never the platform. It’s always the message.”

View the original article here