12 things I learned about social media through launching a creative brand in 2021 (2021 annual social media review)

My name is Zachary Delano Middleton, a Young Adult Fiction Author (Running After Delano) and this year (January 2021) I started a creative brand called Grace to Cultivate LLC. (Check out the link for more details. — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSJ9ZWZi3Ho&t=8s )

I am writing this blog for three reasons. I want the reader to learn from my mistakes / experiences, I want to benchmark our progress as a company and as a form of marketing / ambassadorship for this brand.

As a brand we are on six social media sites and I have a personal twitter account. (@zachdmiddleton which at times I promote the brand) During this blog post I will focus on…

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Pinterest
• Youtube

Our first social media post started on June 19th, 2021 and these are our numbers.

My goal with tracking our numbers is not a means for personal or brand aggrandizement. Rather, I think of social media primarily as an inexpensive dynamic newsletter for current and future business relationships. As a self published author. I have found it to be one of the most efficient and effective ways to connect with my readership.

The twelve things that I have learned so far have been…

1. Solidify your message, idea, product or service first before posting.

• Social media can be overwhelming. You can post so much content in an effort to create value for your target audience you can forget your intended goal. Before you begin, spend time offline solidifying your message, brand and goals. Consider writing a business or idea plan and or a mission statement. (ex. We are a brand that uses story to help people work smarter and not just harder.) Use that statement or brand identity to serve as a litmus test for all of your posts and content.

2. Social Media and Social Responsibility

• I believe that social media content creators are leaders. In general, we know if or when we are telling the truth. We know the pain points of our core audience. We have the ability to research the harmful practices associated with social media. My challenge to all content creators is to try to create content that will enrich the lives of our followers / subscribers and not intentionally destroy them for the sake of our own personal gain.

3. Posting on Social Media is not the main ingredient for a brand….but its really good sauce.

• Posting on social media does not replace the substance of what you are communicating or selling. While it helps with brand awareness, marketing and sales. For men and woman like myself with limited budgets it doesn’t take the place of sales and relationship building. I still have to write valuable content, identify a target audience, make phone calls, shake hands, set up meetings and execute the operations of the business. Social media simply initiates and sustains conversations in a non intrusive yet substantive way. I would encourage the next generation of creatives to primarily work on the main ingredient of your content, product or service.

4. After you solidify your message, never stop learning each social media website / platform’s algorithm. Don’t change your message, adjust the content to fit the medium.

• Each social media platform has its own learning hub. The reason these hubs can be trusted is because when you, the user wins, they win as a company. More engagement means more people connected to their platform. Don’t adjust your message but write your social media schedule in a way that impacts their platforms. (Ex. This blog your are currently reading will be a Linkedin Article, a Youtube long form video, an instagram carousel or Reel (or both) and a Tik Tok in person explanation with dynamic visuals. Same content, different medium.)
• Here are a few helpful “creator” sites — Youtube — “Youtube Creators” — https://www.youtube.com/c/youtubecreators / Facebook “Facebook Creators or Meta for Creators — https://www.facebook.com/creators / Tik Tok — “Tiktok Creators” — https://www.tiktok.com/@tiktokcreators? Each social media site has some version of this on app learning.

5. Consider creative ways to add value to your target audience.

• Check out this Instagram carousel link for a full interaction with this concept. (link — https://www.instagram.com/p/CWor5J2LY6w/?utm_medium=copy_link) Social media is a tool that allows a creative to add value to your targeted audience. The way that I seek to add value on my vlog is through a vodcast called “The Imagine Exposure Vodcast” My target audience are the parents and educators of young adults. I write about my Christian faith, my culture as a minority African American and helping students connect the dots to vocation. One of the best ways that I can create value is to use my network of professionals to cultivate a vodcast that will help students reverse engineer their goals. Through having conversations with skilled crafts people it gives my target audience exposure into their future vocations. (link — https://www.pinterest.com/gracetocultivate/the-cultivate-countdown/ )

6. The Canva App/Website was my most valuable player (MVP).

• One of the coolest apps / websites for creatives online is called Canva. (https://www.canva.com/ ) The best way to explain Canva is to imagine if the user-friendly nature of Microsoft Office met the technical precision of Adobe Photoshop. It’s the way that I as a digital creator make the majority of the memes and digital content associated with this brand. Canva has a template for most social media websites and its very easy to use. The basic site is free. I pay a minimal cost for the Pro version because there are no limits to the amount of content a user can create. I would highly recommend this resource.

7. Tik Tok was the most effective social media platform for this brand in 2021.

• Tiktok is effective because a user can simply post a video with a mini description and the site / algorithm does the work. Part of the reason it is so effective is because it’s a newer platform. It started only five years ago but it has already replaced Youtube in terms of the amount of time users spend watching videos. (according to CNN https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/07/entertainment/tiktok-youtube/index.html ) Its worth you time to post content on TikTok.

8. Pinterest is a very underrated social media site for publishers and creatives. I would highly recommend it.

• Pinterest is great because it is a meme “trailer” for written content, products and services.
• I cast vision for Pinterest by describing it as a modern day East Bay Catalog. I have found that Pinterest users are more prone to window shop than become “followers.” I would highly encourage a content creator to change their profile from personal to business (free) and check out the metrics associated with the potential customers and stakeholders that interact with the pins. (Ex. Our Pinterest Account — https://www.pinterest.com/gracetocultivate/_created/
• This video by Evergreen Authors “How to Use Pinterest to Promote your Book” is very helpful — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhNwUwihINs

9. My most financially impactful social media moment in 2021 was using social media to launch a Kickstarter.

• This year, Grace to Cultivate LLC. was able to raise over $3,000 primarily through social media engagement. This video describes the process. (https://www.tiktok.com/@gracetocultivate/video/7013839895730883846?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1) Social media is a very efficient way to communicate about a fundraiser. I would highly encourage creatives to use this tool when seeking to raise startup capital.

10. The LinkedIn Group has grown primarily through invitations

• At the beginning of each month, Linkedin gives the group’s creator 100 invitations.The person starting the group can invite their friend network to the LinkedIn Group. Just remember to people each time the platform gives you new invitation request.
• Honestly, I don’t yet see a lot of engagement.(ex. Likes, shares and or comments) However I have been told (and the metrics indicate) that people are watching the video and cheking out the memes. Hopefully as our brand grows more people will be willing to interact and share content.

11. The type of YouTube thumbnail matters for start-up creators.

• I can show you better than I can tell you. Which thumbnail would you chose? (below)

With so much content on YouTube you are competing for clicks. Canva has a feature that allows you to make a thumbnail more engaging than others. Today, after changing the thumbnail less than 24 hours ago, the “What is Grace to Cultivate LLC.” (the second visual) gained 11 views simply through using a Canva Thumbnail. Compare that to the six months it took to get the first 168 views with the first thumbnail.

12. Have a purpose to your social media posting that’s bigger than likes and impressions.

• Last but not least, have a purpose bigger than likes and attention. It will help to sustain you through the crushing blow of both success and failure that can come from popularity or rejection. Our brand focus to help students “work smarter and not just harder” is a victory for me if we only have one connection. I believe its a worthwhile undertaking and a worthy cause.

About the Author-

Zach Middleton (Check me out at @zachdmiddleton on Twitter and or check out my previous work through my Linktree — https://linktr.ee/Gracetocultivate )