It’s no secret that people want everything around them to be perfect. When you own a business that is especially true. Everything you put out in the world is a reflection of you after all. While you always want to put your best foot forward, striving for perfection in every post can often set you back far more than you realize. It’s time to change your mindset, and you’ll see your stress drop and your social media grow!
Why “Perfection” Is The Wrong Word
There is an adage that states “perfection is the enemy of good,” and that is something everyone working with social media needs to keep in mind. Any creator will tell you how impossible “perfect” really is. No artist feels their work is perfect. No writer reads through a manuscript and thinks it’s flawless. The same is true of your social media posts. How many times have you looked back and cringed at a post, and thought of a dozen ways you could have improved it?
Social media moves fast, especially on a platform like Twitter where your posts have around 5 minutes of shelf life before it’s pushed down the timeline. If you spend more than 5 minutes on that post, you’re already at a massive deficit. If you are getting bogged down in the minutia of a post, you’re giving up time that you could be using for something else. Make sure you are keeping track of how much time each post is taking you, and how much time you are spending on each platform to get a better approximation of the value you’re getting out of your work.
What To Look For
Each component of your posts requires attention, but it’s important to list the priorities before you start to pick apart your work. Top of the list should be your spelling and grammar. No matter how gorgeous your graphic or compelling your copy, a blunder like “its/it’s” or “there/their” can become the narrative for your post. It only takes one person to point it out, and your post becomes ineffectual.
The same rule goes for your images. Any text needs to be grammatically correct, and images should be free from anything that could be construed as offensive. You also need to test, and retest, your links. It is far too common to come across ads with broken links. Broken links don’t just affect your conversions, but the overall look of your company. It only takes one bad experience to keep a potential customer away for good.
What To Let Go
Other than your grammar and links, RELAX!
We’ve seen clients spend more than an hour trying to get that “perfect” font, or spend hours in a color wheel looking for the exact color shade they think will make the image “perfect.” Those are hours wasted. Imagine how much work out could fit in with an extra hour or two a week! Delays will also prevent you from striking while the iron is hot. Even if you get things looking “perfect,” your audience may not see it that way. You know the vision you have in your head, but your audience does not. They are looking at it fresh, and you need to remember that. If you find yourself too deep in the weeds, bring in a fresh set of eyes to give you an honest take on your work. Chances are, you’ll find out people love your work, even if you don’t.
Remember, with the speed that social media moves at, making sure you capitalize on popular social media memes and breaking current events is far more important than making something “perfect.”
