The XGen VP’s Journey to The Top of Social Media (And More to Come)
Social media has experienced a tremendous amount of growth in just the last few years. What once began as a kind of interesting technology that allowed friends to keep in touch with one another has led to a marketing revolution. Today, brands spend millions of dollars on social media marketing and are constantly evaluating what works and what does not work. It has become all about "engagement," and if your brand is not able to succeed at engaging your target audience, you quickly run the risk of falling behind the competition.
It's a continually evolving world; and social media is one that I have become well acquainted with, but one that has not been without a long journey in discovering what social media is all about.
My Background
I am an XGen who recognized the clear need to jump on-board with social media early on. With that said, like many XGens, I thought it was about finding the best strategy to get as many likes or followers by employing a variety of different services and finding a "workaround." On the surface, it certainly seems like an effective solution. After all, the more likes or followers you have on social media, the more exposure you should receive, right?
The problem is that I came into social media with a somewhat "old school" attitude regarding what my needs were and what I could get from social media. You see, I really didn't want to engage with others on social media. Instead, I was looking for someone to do it for me and then just show me the results.
In the process of taking this approach, I was able to find every excuse in the book, including just being too busy to get around to social media engagement. Does that sound vaguely familiar?
Not Seeing the Big Picture in Social Media
What I realize now is that, in reality, I was afraid to engage. Like many XGens, I found the convenient excuse of being too busy and feeling above this level to avoid exposing myself. I didn't want the world to find out that I might not be capable of being perfect. I didn't want to run the risk of being vulnerable. Now, I realize how silly this was.
To be certain, my journey in social media has been one of courage that required me to slowly step outside of my comfort zone. In that process, however, I have discovered a wonderful world of selflessness. By being willing to share more about myself, I have also been able to discover more about myself while contributing to the improvement of others.
I realize now that maybe YGens are actually doing precisely what XGens never had the courage to do. First, they are genuinely sharing knowledge without any ulterior selfish motive. Secondly, they are honestly revealing their aspirations to the world while working together to improve the group. At the same time, they understand the individual result is achieved much faster.
Generations prior to YGen frequently touted that "knowledge is power." It must be pointed out, however, that they assumed it meant the individual with the most knowledge had the power. YGens also recognize the power of knowledge yet realize the power of sharing knowledge is able to move the world and individuals to much greater places.
