Okay, so again, I attended another event where I was surrounded by interior design professionals that either (A) are in denial or (B) are overwhelmed by social media! The ones that are in denial are running, hiding, or avoiding it all together, saying "Oh, I'm old school! I like to get out and see and talk to people!" The ones that are overwhelmed are saying "It's just too much! Does it really take all of that? I just don't have time to do it!" To the ones that are in denial, I say STOP! Please! Enough with the 'old school'! People typically react this way to things they don't understand and are intimidated by! This is the 21st century! Get it together! If you are happy with where you are in your business, great! Keep doing what you've been doing and I hope it continues to work for you! Really, I do! For those who are overwhelmed and frustrated by it, I get it! I totally understand! I feel the same way as you from time to time, and I have a pretty good handle on it! Here's the thing, social media is here to stay! It is apart of our culture and it can and will benefit you in ways you never imagined! It goes hand in hand with getting out there and networking in person! Find a seat on the train now, or find yourself hanging on for dear life later! And with technology being what it is and changing as rapidly as it does, trust and believe, if you go any slower you will get run over!
We're all really busy, literally, just living! We have careers, families, friends, commitments, so on and so on! My advice is to take some time to learn about the social media platforms that are out there. The most popular are Facebook, of course, Twitter, Linked In, and here in the last few months, Pinterest. Are there more? Absolutely! But start with these. I gave some insight on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest in an earlier posting Social Media: A Conversation Between Friends, that you can take a look at if you like. I want to elaborate on Pinterest a bit more because in that posting I only gave a basic overview of what it is and a smidget on how to use it. I want to share why I think you should use it as a design professional.
Think of Pinterest as a place where you can digitally "curate" collections. You are able to compose boards of different interests, ie. "Living Rooms", "Bedrooms", "Kitchens", etc. On these boards you can pin images of rooms, furniture, and other elements that you find inspiring, want to use for current or upcoming projects, or simply captured your attention and piqued your interest. Over time, the images that you have pinned will reflect your design aesthetic, interests, personality, and attitude; giving those who follow you insight into who you are as an individual and the type of design professional you are without ever having to say a word! Remember, a picture is worth a thousand of these powerful things! Will you gain clients while using Pinterest? Hmm, I haven't! But of course that doesn't mean you won't! But that's kind of not the point! It's another way to express yourself and gain a following of people of like interests and sensibilities. There are people that I follow on Pinterest, where I see things that they pin and think, I could totally be friends with them, or I could so work with them! Pinterest may not be for you and that's okay! I will say, once you start it, it is addictive! At the end of the day, it is a vehicle to gain exposure, enhance credibility, and honestly, believe it or not, create your own celebrity among your followers and theirs!
Linked In is a platform that I am on, but don't utilize. Am I missing out on the benefits of it? Possibly! I am a member of quite a few groups and get emails from some of them daily! Have I ever interacted in the discussions? Never! I used to feel bad about this and stress out because I felt since I am on Linked In, I should be doing something with it. But, you know what, I had to pick my battles! I want to do all of them, but I just can't; at least not well anyway! I think it is a fantastic platform to network with professionals in your industry, as well as others, because this is where you find out what's the latest and what's going on! I do suggest signing up on Linked In, joining as many groups that interests you, and taking the time to become familiar with all that it has to offer. This could be the place where you flourish! The design community is very supportive and are very forthcoming with information that will assist in anyway that is needed.
Again, take the time to learn about these social media platforms so that you are able to make a quality decision on which is most fitting for your personality and business objectives. I understand being "old school" (at heart), and being overwhelmed; but please don't let that be your excuse for not trying to become familiar! As I said earlier, I get so frustrated with social media, because I feel that I am not getting the results that I want; but then I have to back the train up, and really consider am I affectively using my knowledge of the platforms that I use! I can tell you right now, sometimes yes. Sometimes, no! But guess what? I am using it!
I have a passion for what I do as it relates to design and social media! However, sometimes I'm just plain old tired and don't want to do another thing! Discipline kicks in when passion has taken a break!
Make it AMAZING!
Rhonda
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