[🐝U] Stop Social Media Time Traps

toss out trends
&
focus on fundamentals … that actually work

I once wasted 11 months chasing trends for a client.
here’s what I learned…

A client isn’t “always right”

Trends are fads
& fads fade
FAST

That’s a mantra that applies to pretty much anything in business, especially social media platforms.

Remember Skype was “the future of calls”?
or when Periscope was going to change having to go anywhere “in-person”?

It’s never about the platform
It’s always about the people
YOUR people

Where they hang out
& how you can actually show up for them

The hangout spot you can get to

“I need to be on all the social media platforms to attract the most people”

Sound familiar?

You say it
Your clients say it

It’s classic FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
We all get it.

If you’re scared to pick “just 1” platform because you don’t want to miss out, I get it
That same fear kept me stuck in ‘scatter mode’ way too long.

trying to be everything to everyone … everywhere I could find them

But here’s the truth…

Being “everywhere” means you’re nowhere.

There are over 100 social media platforms.
& 24 hours in 1 day

Do the math!

It’s impossible to be “everywhere”
It IS possible to burn out before building anything

Let’s agree on that
pick 1 - just 1 - spot & own it

& no … there’s no 1 unicorn platform where “everyone” is

“everyone” is not on Tik Tok
I’m not.

LinkedIn has the “professional” label
Facebook has the “friends” vibe.

But guess what …
“professionals” are people
& “friends” buy things too!

😉

Think of it this way … platforms are like hangouts.
Show up enough & you become a regular
That’s when people start noticing you.

I learned this firsthand in Syndey during the 2000 Olympics…

I was there for work & wanted to see as much as I could
So I picked a different route to the office (& back) every day

Until I found a new Starbucks
My route still shifted but it always included that Starbucks

I’d walk over on the way to the office
& again during lunch

My weird order earned me a nickname with the staff

I became their “Norm on Cheers!”
& they’d start my drink when they saw me walking up

The lesson in my quirky caffeine addiction?
→ Pick 1 hangout
→ Show up consistently
→ Become a regular
→ Then (& only then) add another spot

Dan Kennedy’s Marketing Triangle sums it up perfectly:
→ the right market (your ideal client)
→ the right media (where they’re hanging out)
→ the right message (best benefits for them)

If you miss a piece, it’s going to faceplant.

& posting more often makes the road rash worse!

Remember: 3 #s, 2 mistakes, 1 shift, 0 B.S.

Just ‘cause you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD

Some social media apps (& schedulers) make it easy to dump content everywhere.

Sounds great.
It’s easier & faster
But “easy” isn’t the same as “effective”

Can you post your Instagram content onto Facebook & X?
Sure

Should you automatically post it “as is” on other platforms just because you can?
Most definitely NOT

Why?

If you can tell, so can your audience

If you’re not on Facebook to post (or at least make it look like it was meant for Facebook) why would anyone engage with it?

You’re not showing up
Don’t complain when your audience doesn’t either.

If you’re posting by proxy, your audience smells the copy/paste/publish a mile away

& those posts need to be valuable, not more clutter

It’s not an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

Stop piling plates sky high with full of junk that gives you indigestion
Serve something people want to savor

Create content that helps (use Bob Bly’s Pencil Exercise to narrow that down)
Put it where your audience will see it
Then you can monetize it

Everything you do should add value
& adding value shouldn’t always be a learning (or pitching) experience.

share a photo of some antics (or memes) every now & then

I get that women are known to go to the bathroom together.
But this outhouse?
That’s next-level commitment!
Or someone took the stereotype a little too literally!

& that’s exactly what happens when we take “best practices” at face value.

We stop thinking critically
& follow trends instead of fundamentals

Just like this outhouse…
It’s gonna get awkward pretty darn fast!

Disclaimer:
This newsletter includes some ads & affiliate links
So when you click them, there’s a chance to make a buck , maybe 2
& that helps to offset some of the costs
& it all should apply to your audience
(I read through every word of every ad. I subscribe to every newsletter mentioned)

But that’s not the point of writing these (or digging up these photos)

Think about all the ways this photo can tie into taking things too literally … or misunderstanding why stereotypes come about

You don’t want to become one of those annoying recipe website where it’s 99% ads & pop-ups just to get to the ingredients & cooking instructions waaayyy at the bottom.

always give value first
& the platform you put it on (at least to start) is where your audience mostly is
(that’s not always where you’re most comfortable)

When your offer fits, they’ll care
(Your feedback & my answering what you’re asking has put this newsletter into the Top 30% open rate within BeeHiiv & the Top 10% with click-thru)

That doesn’t happen spewing smelly 💩 like explosive diarrhea.
Nobody’s sticking around for that.

Sample before you spend

Think Costco samples.
You want the free taste test before buying

Have you noticed some have trouble staying stocked with samples
while others practically have to shove those little paper bowls in your face?

Use social media to test what your audience wants

If your post doesn’t resonate with your audience organically,
throwing money won’t help it

But when your posts do spark some attention & get engagement…
that’s when you douse it with gasoline (aka ad spend)

Pro Tip: smaller platforms seem to be more expensive to advertise on & because they have smaller MAU (Monthly Active Users) … that CAN mean better targeting to more relevant people

Think Quality Over Quantity

Invite them to Dinner

Social media is where you meet people.

At some point, you want more than a random quick chat in a coffee shop

You want a way to stay in touch
Maybe even meet them for lunch
or invite them to dinner.

That’s where email & newsletters come in

That was a lot.
I know.

So let’s break it down into smaller bite-sized bits you can digest.

TL;DR?

❌ DON’T chase trends → fads fade fast
✅ DO focus on fundamentals → people, not platforms
📍 Pick 1 hangout → show up, become a regular, then add another
🚫 Stop posting by proxy → easy ≠ effective
🍽️ Serve value, not junk → it’s not an all-you-can-eat buffet
🧪 Test like Costco samples → see what hits before you spend
📩 Don’t just hang out → invite them to dinner (get their email)

… & now I’m hungry!

Make it an acid-reflux-free week!
EG

PS:

→ Learn the fundamentals of copywriting with The AWAI Method.
→ Put together strategies for an amazing Offer & lots of Leads using Alex Hormozi’s training … yes, in that order … offers before leads.

PPS:
Every email is based on what you ask for … the more something’s asked for, the faster it finds its way to the top of the “to-write-about” pile
📣 Tell me what you want to read about … here