Marketing yourself in a massive online world is already daunting, especially when you’re up against an enormous competition of companies and individuals. Like my website, blogs are a great way to show off your skills and knowledge.

However, the issue is that these posts are only accessible if they choose to visit my website. These posts don’t appear anywhere else, resulting in getting little to no reach. Knowing the limitations can be daunting and may create reluctance to use blogs to market oneself. Fear not, as numerous online marketing options like blogging may seem niche and difficult to reach the vast public.

Here, we will discuss social media, a game-changing element introduced to the digital world. Every digital tool falls under a URL, app, or platform that allows users to find specific content. Social media requires a platform designed for users to create photo and video content with text that can easily be searched on that platform.

Instead of working with Google or another search engine to find a URL of an individual, apps have their platforms filled with content that can be searched both in-app and through search engines. Social Media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, X (Formerly known as Twitter), etc. are prime examples of quick and easy ways to reach audiences that want to discover you.

The internet is a new feature and is still very unfamiliar to most of us. That said, not knowing how to navigate the digital realm and social media is normal. Despite seeing all of these influencers and experienced users making the platforms seem easy, to new users it will be overwhelming.

Different platforms have different functions, and I could write essays on each platform discussing their functions and uses. Instead, having a general understanding of how social media is readily available and how you can use it to your advantage is more important.

When joining social media, you will start from square one. Zero followers, zero posts, zero clue how to work the platform. Even though I will not cover the details of any specific platform, a simple online search can tell you countless things you need to know. You could even directly look at the platform you are interested in and visit the Q&A portion which has many questions from individuals like you.

The first thing to note is that how you choose to represent yourself online is how the public will perceive you. If anything, authenticity is a must for showing yourself online. Many users will set a persona or user representing them online. If you want to market yourself or your business, your posts should represent you.

If you have a skill set in a field, tell people about it. Posting images of your work and adding captions will inform the audience of everything they need to know about you, as first impressions make long-lasting impacts. This is especially true online, as more often than not people will judge individuals based on what they immediately see. Many won’t look deeper into their skills and work outside social media unless they are more interested.

Social media’s easy-to-access abilities and fast-paced environment have decreased patience and attention span, so writing essays will not work. Social media is all about visuals and being easy on the eyes, so it is all about finding that balance between giving information and not overwhelming the viewer.

Now, I will use an example including some ideas to remember. Let’s say you want to discuss your new pet grooming company. Your unique proposition is that not only do you groom their pets to make them look beautiful, but you teach them how to maintain their pet to reduce the need to visit frequently. Although this idea may seem like it reduces consumer frequency, this extra concept of educating pet owners is considered a benefit your company has.

In this case for social media, there is a lot you need to cover for your company. As mentioned, you do not want too much information in a single post, where you can split it among multiple. Your first post could discuss the existence of your company and ask if individuals are interested in making their pets look happy and healthy.

Almost every social media platform consists of an image or video and a caption. Users can interact directly with your posts through liking, commenting, and sharing which increases engagement and awareness.

With this in mind, having an image or video that correlates with what you want to offer immediately draws eyes compared to words on a page.

Videos typically range from a few seconds to a minute or two, meaning they also should be relatively short. This is a friendly reminder that the public attention span has dropped significantly, so keeping it short and sweet is ideal.

Back to the pet grooming company, posting an image of your logo for the company may seem practical, but that can instead be set as your profile picture. Your objective as a company is to catch people’s attention while advertising your opportunities.

A first post with a cute dog in your salon and a logo somewhere in the image will attract attention. Seeing a smiling adorable dog on anyone’s feed would stop them from scrolling to wonder why the dog is so happy.

Now you have the viewer's attention with your image and are informing them with any possible notes stated in the image. The caption is where the eyes pan to next, with the individual curious about what the post is about. Long paragraphs with clumped-up words or jargon that individuals may not be familiar with will make them immediately scroll.

Attention span is easily redirected on social media, so making things quick and easy to read is required. Using specific vocabulary that will stand out like “pet grooming” at the start of the caption injects the concept into the reader immediately. Other marketing keywords that may create interest include “discount”, “new”, “sale”, and “free”.

These will immediately catch the eye of people interested in getting more for their money. Companies may not always want to drop sales or decrease prices. However, it is important to find keywords associated with public interest and what you are offering.

Each social media platform has a search feature, where people putting keywords like “pet groomer” will make the account appear. Another aspect many platforms have are hashtags, or “#”. They are one or multiple words following a pound sign.

Hashtags also act as keywords while being smaller hyperlinks to any post using them. However, their convenience and power vary by platform. For example, the new pet grooming store would use hashtags like #petgroomer or #petstyle.

Overall, the digital world may seem intimidating due to its vast size and variety, which is where social media steps in. Being a straightforward tactic for marketing yourself online, using these platforms is essential for marketing yourself or your company.

Once you understand the platforms, finding that balance of content will help you gain the traction of consumers you want. Even though this is currently the fastest way to grow your business, it will still take time. Starting with a personal blog and having your website helps get started, but social media is a good way to help get reach.

I am still in the process of self-discovery and marketing myself, so I am still learning. We are in this together, and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out. I am happy to help you at a personal level, coming from someone in the same shoes as you!