I woke up 4am one morning just thinking and talking to myself. So here I am putting down my thoughts... I have a habit of doing that. Mind you I’m feeling a bit whoozy since I had only three hours of sleep before my brain started her motivational pep talk (at the time of writing this). I may be talking nonsense here and it isn't even the full version that was going through my mind. This is sort of a spin-off.
Welcome to my Ted Talk.
I was never the patient kind. I can never sit still for long periods of time and I’m always itching to learn new things. The thought of leaving my development and progress up to luck and fate gives me anxiety. That pushed me to take the online fashion course back in 2015, which eventually led to the birth of my social media life and LMN.
Some people probably wonder why the sudden deviation from finance. I mean... let’s be real here, some of you think being a blogger just means splashing our vanity across social media... but being active on social media has taught me a lot.
Five main things I learnt from social media:
1. Entrepreneurial skills
When you're paid to showcase a product on your platform, you essentially become a standalone advertising and marketing company. You become a service provider but not just for your client but to the end-users as well. Your job is to reach as much audience as you can while providing them accurate information and sincere thoughts with regards to the product. You learn about the strategies that work best which includes, the type of marketing that gets the best engagement, the best time to post such photos (probably a bit less of a factor now thanks to the unhelpful algorithm changes), etc.
2. More confident in valuing my work
Initially when I started getting inquiries about potential collaborations, I did a lot of work for free because I found it hard and uncomfortable to put a value on my work. Eventually after you realize how much it was worth especially when you use up your free time to think of a theme, put a story together, edit it, or take time away from your family, you're more confident to put a figure down. If they value you, then they'll agree.
3. Branding
Building that marketing platform is a form of personal branding. After going through a few collaborations, the definition of your brand becomes clearer and clearer. You would know who your target market is. You would know if you're specialized towards a niche market or you're a general one who caters to the wider market. You learn that being true to your brand is important.
4. Being less wary about what people think, makes you more productive
At the beginning I used to really care about what people thought of me and what I do but I realize that if we learn to care less about other people and put more focus on what you love... your creativity just flows and your product on social media improves. Like in the real world, the moment you stop caring about what others think or say, you'll be happier. You wouldn't be able to be productive at work every time you took a bad comment to heart. Just focus on your work, your art... focus on developing yourself and delivering the best you can. If others don't see it... then going back to #2... if they don't see your value, they're not your target market... and that's okay.
5. People love realness
I feel like a lot of businesses haven't mastered the art of story-telling nor do they understand the importance of having a story behind the products they sell. I love this about people. We love realness and human connection despite living in such a disconnected world.
Love,
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