How to Provide Real Value on Social Media

Hi-de ho, everybody. I’m so glad you’ve joined me today, I’m your host, Wanda Thibodeaux, and this is Faithful on the Clock, the podcast where every ounce of energy goes to getting your faith and work aligned. We’re dedicating this episode to providing value on social media. What does value even mean for professionals and businesses, and how is the way we provide value shifting as different technology platforms tweak all their algorithms? I’m fired up, so here we go.

All right, listeners. We’re all using social media, right? We’ve got professional profiles, company pages, you know the drill. But what’s the number one rule about posting? You got it. You have to provide value. Value, value, value.

Now, in the past, providing value meant that you shared information that was helpful and relevant to people in your industry, that they could use to get to their goals. And that kind of sharing, you know, the platforms, they allowed people to network and provide direct sources.

But fundamentally, social media companies are like any other business in that they want to make money. And what’s happening is, a lot of these platforms, they figured out really fast that, if you let people use links in posts, then users end up going off the site to view those outside sources. And they don’t like that, because the more time you’re on their site, then the more they can market to you and try to get you to see the value in what they are offering. So now, the algorithms reward you more for things like time spent on the post. Well, how do you get longer view times? You can either have really awesome visuals or images and put the urls in there, or you can do long form posts that maybe mention sources but don’t link out to them.

But what I found really interesting is that all of this has made people write these long-form posts that, you know, to be quite honest, they don’t really say much. There’s an article I’ll put in the show notes, but it describes this as being it’s own style or genre that’s designed specifically to attract attention. You’re gonna see some kind of inspirational message, really short paragraphs, some kind of anecdote or observation, you know, some kind of promise related to sharing the post, that kind of stuff. And this style, the author referred to it as broetry. But all it does is take up space. It doesn’t really communicate anything with a significant meaning or that people will, you know, integrate into their everyday lives.

So if you are trying to provide value, you have to find this balance between still providing some easy links for people and bowing to what the algorithm likes. You have to be careful you don’t lapse into this broetry where all you’re doing is kind of just seeing how many words you can throw out. The good news here is that, as people get used to these longer posts, it creates this awesome opportunity for you to put up some content that really reveals who you are. You kind of get to establish yourself as your own expert and go into more depth about what you believe and are experiencing. And there’s a lot of transparency and authenticity in that, and people, they’re really pushing for that openness with the professionals and brands they interact with.

So, you know, I could give you a bunch of best practices on this. I could remind you, you know, if you share a story, it’s gotta be relatable. I could tell you, make sure you’re still solving a problem for people. But to me what really makes something stand out on social media, the kind of posts you see where there are just a ton of comments or likes or whatever, the one thread that I think they all have is that the speaker or writer, they’re not just saying, hey, here’s something I went through, I’m ahead of you somehow, and now I’m going to teach you. It’s not about selling anything. You know, they don’t even expect anything back. It’s just about leveling with people in a way that challenges them to think and act and do differently. About seeing people as equals and getting across this impression that they’re worthy enough to have that time with you. And it has value specifically because it’s…it’s wholesome. It appeals not so much to logistical need, but to emotional need, and it’s powerful enough because of that to inspire change.

Now, there are a couple of verses I want to share with you that relate to this. The first is Ephesians 6:14, which says, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.” And I pull this verse out because on social media, you will see everything under the sun. And I don’t want you to get discouraged by that. You know, it takes time for people to adjust and think differently. So think about this as a slow burn and just stay the course. Don’t try to pander to the trends or what’s going viral. Just make your message consistent and testify based on the core beliefs you or your brand center around. That’s what’s going to make you trustworthy to people and get them coming back and following you.

And then secondly, 2 Chronicles 9:20 talks about King Solomon’s riches and how everything was made of gold because in his time, people didn’t see silver as being very valuable. And today, you know, maybe silver isn’t the most precious thing ever, it’s somewhere around $22 an ounce or something like that, but we’re certainly not just gonna treat it like dirt, OK? And the application here is, opinions can change. Views, people can learn to see differently. So even if you don’t get the initial traction you want, you know, someday people might look back and realize that, oh, my gosh, you were totally right. So that’s why again, it’s a slow burn. You have to look at this as a legacy you’re leaving and trust in the value truth has no matter what your follower count is. And the more you post, the more you engage with other people and work on your visibility, the more the barriers are gonna start coming down and the more people are gonna start paying attention.

And then lastly, to kind of tie the first two things together, 2 Timothy 2:13-15 says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” And all this means is, any worker, you know, they probably tell you this, especially if you go out in uniform, you represent your boss, you represent your company right? At the end of the day, you want the boss to tell you that you did a good job. You learn the rules, you learn the policies, all the protocols, so that you don’t get into trouble by doing the things that the boss wouldn’t like. And so when you want to post something on social media, you need to remember right out of the gate who you work for. God’s the boss. And because the potential reach of your audience is so huge on social media, it’s all the more important that you put in the effort to know what His policies and protocols are so that when He finally calls you in, He’s got no reason to gripe at you for the way you behaved or what you said. You want to discern properly, and you want everything you post to convey the confidence and conviction that comes with faith and integrity.

So when you think about value, don’t mistake being rewarded with views and likes because of the algorithm with having actual substance. Really ask yourself, is this post something I’m gonna regret or be embarrassed about later? Does it really represent who I am? And more importantly, does it represent God and His reality?” And just think about, you know, how true is what you’re saying going to be 5, 10, even 100 years down the road. Because as far as I’m concerned, again, with legacy, if it’s not evergreen, if it’s not something that can last, well, then, don’t even bother. What’s the point?

So let’s just close it all out with a prayer.

Lord, social media has become one of the main ways people connect. But it can be so confusing about what’s valuable that we can start to question whether we have value at all. So Lord, please just safeguard us against that confusion. Reassure us that our message matters, and help us craft it in a way that always represents you well for the long-haul. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

We’re gonna call it a wrap here, I guess. Before I turn you all loose, though, heads up for next week, the topic is going to be bouncing back from setbacks. What do you do when life throws a curveball at your career or company? How do you get back up and get back in the game? And if you haven’t done it yet, I encourage you to head over to the show website, that’s faithfulontheclock.captivate.fm, and go ahead and subscribe to the show so I can make sure you don’t miss episodes. You can sign up for our email list while you’re there, too, so I can send you updates or other show goodies. Thank you so much for listening, I appreciate it so, so much. Until next time, be blessed.