#FtheHUSTLE ~ 061 – This Didn’t Surprise Me

This is the first time I’ve started a newsletter and scrapped the original draft (I’m sure I’ll use it later).

I scrapped it after sending out an email on Tuesday of this week asking you if you were still using Facebook.

Let me just say… WOW!

First, thank you to all who responded (and if you haven’t responded yet, I’m still curious and would love to hear from you. You can read that email here).

I’m working on a more in-depth blog post that I’ll send with next week’s newsletter, but of all the responses I received, the majority of people said NO!

I asked everyone if I could share their comments in a post, all replied yes… I loved what Mike Oliver said, “It’s like we’re all trying to quit smoking or something!” 😂Here are the general points (you’ll be able to read the individual replies in the post):

• Waste of time
• No one sees my posts / zero engagement
• Too much negativity
• Don’t want to support Zuckerberg anymore
• Tired of the creators being “the product”
• Pay to play only, and ad costs keep increasing with little results

​What I’m seeing is that most people who still have business pages (I do), basically just push content there (might be why reach is down, but the “pushing content” is more a result than the original cause of inactivity).

Like anything else in life, when you put a concentrated effort into something you’ll get better results, but I’m not so sure that applies to Facebook anymore.

One friend has a very active FB group and gets about 25 quality leads a week from the group.

I’ve asked him how much time he spends in the group and he said it varies (and is hard to quantify, which I get).

I think the most important question to ask yourself in terms of social media efforts and results is “do you enjoy it?”I’m having a lot more fun engaging on Twitter and creating new relationships. The deeper I’ve gotten into writing communities (specifically for writing online), the more opportunities appear.

So again, where I’m putting the effort in is where I’m getting the results.

What I love most about all of this is that we’ll continue seeing new platforms and places to connect with people.I don’t mean the shiny object or early adopter rush that happens (Clubhouse who?)…There’s always a danger as these platforms grow that algorithms change, reach drops, etc.

This is why your loyalty needs to be to YOU.NOT the platform.

Medium was smart and allows you to publish “duplicate content” without it hurting your search results, but as they’ve grown they’ve had their own issues with reach, etc.

The only way to know if publishing the same thing in multiple places is going to hurt you is to test it.

At the end of the day, choose the platforms and places that don’t suck the life out of you or make you feel like you’re compromising your integrity or self-worth.

A Little Brainpower 🧠

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A little transparency goes a long way in building a business where people trust you. Vanessa Lau has built a multi-million dollar business in a relatively short period of time. It was refreshing to read her post about NOT hitting her goals in 2021. Read “2021 Reflection and Recap: The Year I Didn’t Hit My Goals” here.​

Related: A Look Back on 2021 and Plans for 2022 (FtheHUSTLE with Kim Doyal podcast)

Sometimes I create content simply because I’m inspired to (i.e., not everything has SEO value or a strategy). But ultimately, the goal is always to grow my list and create new relationships. August Birch does a great job of this. Read “The Right Content for Creators Who Want More Subscribers” here.

​Related: Email Marketing: It’s Never too Late to Start FTH: 080

Tool Time  🛠

The New Year has certainly made a splash with new tools!

• Social blog: How is this different than your own blog? Besides the obvious, I’ll let you know after I’ve completed the Ship30for30 writing challenge. But in the meantime, check out Typeshare.co here (and you can read my first few ‘Atomic Essays’ here.)
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• Twitter links: Not all links are created equally… well, or display equally. Convert ugly twitter links into something more attractive with Relink.page.​
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• Calendar: Jodi shared this in her latest Fresh Squeezed newsletter and I just might switch from TidyCal. A free FOREVER online scheduling tool. Get Zcal here.​
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• Notes: I’ve gotten much more into using my iPad & Apple Pencil for notes and doodles. I’m downloading this to test it out, use Clover for free here.

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Haha… touche’! 🤣

I’ve had a dear friend here for the last week and she heads home tomorrow.

Then I have about 5 days until I pick my Dad and some close family friends who will be here for a visit for another week.

It’s been a bit of a juggling act with socializing and trying to work, but I’m suffering through it (much #sarcasm). I’m focusing on being present and enjoying each moment they’re here.

Which is how I hope you’re starting the New Year.

Focusing on being present and enjoying each moment.

My friend Jason Resnick shared a tweet that really resonated with me: “You don’t have to accomplish all your 2022 goals the first week”…So even though this is the second week of 2022, be easy about it and enjoy the journey!

Have a fabulous day,

Kim