I’ve found myself asking this question a lot lately and I’ve come up with two things – allowing others to relate to you and allowing others a way to share what you’re doing.
The term “relate” is purposely vague. You don’t get to determine what relate means to someone else. But I picture each post on social media as opening a door through which people can see something about you and decide whether they want to walk through the door and engage with you about it more.
The idea of sharing things is much clearer. People can easily share what is important to them which might resonate with a large population and get shared even more. Businesses can share their latest work as an artist her most recent painting or a barista her coffee art – and people who enjoy that work can easily share it.
Until recently, I thought the goal of social media was to amass as many followers as possible. I’ve been misled by the prominence of the follower count across each social media platform. But the more I think about it the more I think that is an inconsequential side effect of sharing on social media. The more you share, the more doors you open to allow others to figure out they like you.
My goal is to share who I am, and for my business to share who we are and the cool things we make.