5 Reasons You’re Not Finding Success on Social Media

I get it! Social media can leave you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. ? We’ve all been there at some point. Once-upon-a-time even I disliked social!

Well, don’t worry. There’s hope! Change how you think about your social and it can be a super fun way to express yourself and move your career forward (instead of a real pain in the #hashtag).

Here are 5 big reasons you’re not finding success on social media (and how to fix them!):

Reason #1:  You constantly compare yourself to others on social media. 

I know this one is hard especially if you're also comparing yourself to other actors in the waiting room. You need to STOP comparing yourself to others both offline and online.

Remember: You can't compare your Chapter 1 with someone else's Chapter 10. The accounts you're comparing yourself with may have been on Twitter since 2009 (and you just joined). Or you're comparing your 1 like per post (with your 100 followers) to someone's 180 likes (and they have 100,000 followers). What's important is that you're constantly trying to improve your social media for your career, not that you have more followers or likes then the accounts you see in your feed.

So remember...

Reason #2: You're trying to be perfect in every post (or video)! 

You think the whole world is watching (and judging) so you stare at the screen for 15 minutes before hitting tweet or you edit your YouTube video for 3 days until you think it's perfect. ?

I can tell you right now that if you read ALL of my 70+ articles, take all of my online courses and take every class about social media ever created, you will not achieve perfection on social media!

The best tip I can give you for your social media (and your acting) is to stop trying to be perfect. 

Your videos will never be perfect and your tweets may sometimes have a typo (thanks auto-correct). Do the work but don't obsess about them being PERFECT.  Just post them!

The best way to learn how to use social media for your career is to keep posting. See what works and what doesn't work. The more you practice the better your posts will be. 

Remember on social media it's not about being perfect, it's about effort. 

Reason #3: You think Social Media is a waste of time.

Ooooooh.....This is a biggie. 

Social media CAN be a big waste of time if you are using the wrong platforms for your goals or if you spend hours and hours watching videos of cats, cute babies and baby owls. However, when it’s used correctly, social media can accelerate your acting career by helping you build relationships. You create your future one post at a time by showing the world how to cast you. 

Reason #4: You've fooled yourself into thinking that you're not good with social media because you're not good with technology.

Sound familiar?

So many people think you have to be a tech geek to be a social media rockstar. That's just not true! 

Yes! You need to learn social media 101 (so you know what buttons to push). Once you do, social media isn't about tech, it's about connecting with your friends and fans. It's about building relationships!

Trust me- just because you can design a website, doesn't mean you're automatically great at social media. I've had clients who are web designers who are terrible with their social media because they forget it's about making connections.  So it doesn’t matter if you grew up with a rotary phone and a typewriter (which was me BTW), you can do this!

BUT to be successful on social you must be at peace with the fact that technology will not always be on your side and let it go. Say to yourself:

Reason #5: You think social media is a 'necessary evil.'

Maybe you've said something like this.... "I won’t like it, but I’ll do it because I have to."

This is what so many clients tell me when I first meet them. They're frustrated because in addition to new headshots, acting classes, and a website...now they have to learn social media too. They think of it as a 'burden' and because of that negative mindset they resent their social media every time they sign in. 

Remember: You will never get good at something you don't like to do.

Social media is becoming part of your job as an actor so until you can afford to hire someone to do it for you (which is a pretty penny) you must  find a way to start liking it.

Start small. Pick 1 platform to focus on. Perhaps you love taking pictures- so focus on Instagram or  maybe start re-connecting with your industry friends on Facebook more regularly. Baby steps. 

The good news for you is that social media is completely learnable. Every Social Media Rockstar started from somewhere. All it takes to totally rock your social media is:

☑️ A good teacher (you've got me!)

☑️ The will to learn

☑️ A little time

Remind yourself everyday:

Which one is holding you back from your social media success? 

Now adopt a new way of thinking and stick to it! 

See you on social,