Forge a lasting relationship with Social Media

 

With artist Philippa Stanton and director of Consortium Business Lara Squires.

 

As a creative I understand that social media offers an opportunity to get my work out into a public space and create a dialogue. But, having found a voice for my own medium, I confess I’ve struggled with finding a voice for twitter, or facebook, or instagram.

 

Here’s my dilemma. Do I put it all out there and let the audience sift through? Or is careful curation the answer? The first is time-effective, but probably ineffective. The latter - well, lovely, but how do I make it work?

 

Phillipa Stanton, artist and instagrammer with not far off half a million followers, says the key is finding a story and documenting a process. She shares a slice of beautifully composed everyday life, one that is universal and clutter-free. This gives people space to think around each image. Occasionally she will introduce a character (her cat), but the underlying theme is consistent.

 

So Philippa’s advice to social media dabblers like me is: be honest, be personal and be consistent. Find the medium that suits you best. Engage. Stay fresh If you’re successful – keep up with who’s doing what, follow clues and find the connections that fit with your image and ethos. Uncover the businesses that want their audience to contemplate, rather than blatantly push their products (unless of course, you’re only in it for the money…)

 

Lara Squires from Consortium Business lent her support to the importance of planning. It’s tempting to concentrate on the visually appealing aspects of social media, but that will result in a scattergun approach. Find your voice and stick to it – people want to know what they’re going to get from you. And monitor what you’re doing and who’s receiving. Google Analytics can be your pat on the back for all your hard work.

 

It’s crowded out there, but it seems that genuine voices will be heard. Good luck.