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I was eight years old when we got a remote-control color television. We were the first family in the St. Charles Hills neighborhood (that we knew of, at least) that had one. All of the kids on the street crowded into our living room and my father handed me “the clicker” (as we affectionately called it from that day forward). It had six buttons: On / Off, Volume Up / Volume Down, Channel Up / Channel Down. I clicked the TV on and the kids all ran home to tell their parents. (And yes – I felt cool as shit!)
Guess what happened? About a week later, it seemed like half of those families had a clicker. FOMO has always been alive and well….but how necessary is it and is it harmful? (And if you think I’m making any of this up – I absolutely loved that Average Joe Finance shared an article about how much debt Americans are racking up due to digital FOMO. Yeesh!)
The Fear of Missing Out in Social Media.
If there is ANYTHING I encounter daily, it’s FOMO and social media . It usually comes in the flavor of questions like, “I see a lot of financial planners doing a podcast now. Should I?” or “This one firm has a very active Instagram account. Should I be doing that, too?” This is hardcore FOMO and it just needs to STOP. (Don't believe me? Check out Gary Vaynerchuk's Agent 2021 Conference where he reminds you to stop going wide - and start going deep.)
I am NOT telling you to stop using Social Media.
Please hear me loud and clear. I’m NOT telling you to stop using social media (but a nice try in getting out of it…). Instead, I'm telling you to stop worrying about what your competitors are doing. Just do what works for you and your clients. Period. That’s it. (Again - go back and watch Gary Vaynerchuk's Agent 2021 Conference video. )
Related: How Did We Become Comfortably Numb to Building Relationships Online?
Is it really that simple?
Yeah – it is. If your clients are on Facebook – be there. If your clients aren’t on Pinterest – scrap it. If your clients are on LinkedIn – definitely be there. If you hate how Snapchat works – stop using it. It’s this easy.
And then….do what you do well. If you like posting about restaurants you visit in the local community, use that as content. It’s appropriate because it makes you real. If you drive your Harley through beautiful roads in Maine, share those pictures. If your family is super involved in volunteering, share stories and opportunities for others to join you.
Whatever you DO....just STOP worrying about your competitors. You aren’t them. As the saying goes – Not your circus; not your monkey.
Be a Person of Action: If you are doing social media activities you HATE, just stop. You’ll always suck at them if you keep at it. What I ask that you do concentrate on is really examine your heart because that’s why people do business with you ultimately. If you are involved with your local veterans – share stories about them. If you volunteer at the animal shelter – share stories about that work. If you enjoy craft beers – share reviews of what you like and don’t. Whatever you do – stop worrying about what others are doing. They aren’t you and you aren’t them.