In order to advance in their careers and establish authority, many marketers, techies, writers, and designers have carved out spaces and built followings across social media platforms by sharing valuable information. On their pages, they share new ideas, trends, innovative approaches, and their own industry experience.
Of course, not everyone is worth following, but by following the right people, you can engage in conversations, join communities, build relationships, and catch the eye of potential clients.
The simple act of clicking the 'follow' button has resulted in many creatives sharing stories of the collaboration and job opportunities they have been privileged to get, just because of the pages that made up their 'following list'. You also can share your wins in the near future, if you follow the social media pages outlined in this article.
Networks to build on social media as a creative
All creatives:
Ali Abdaal (Twitter)
Techies, writers, and designers can relate to one major struggle: actually getting productive and increasing work output.
The nature of creative work often allows for more flexibility and freedom, which can be both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is it gives room to explore different ideas, experiment with various approaches, and deviate from rigid structures.
But without the predictability that rigid structures provide, you can get stuck on a creative block and work can go undone.
In those moments of stepping back from work to take breaks and scroll through social media, a productivity hack from Ali Abdaal's Twitter page can get you back on track.
Ali Abdaal, a non-practicing doctor, shares the evidence-based principles and tools that he and millions of others have used to enhance their productivity within the same 24 hours we all have per day.
Toyin Omotosho (Twitter)
Do you ever have conversations with other professionals in your creative endeavor and find yourself feeling blown away by the figures that they pull in per month? You probably wonder how someone in the same line of work earns so much.
Your income as a creative boils down to how well you can market your skill and negotiate with clients/employers.
Toyin Omotosho regularly shares self-marketing or promoting information that anyone, especially creatives, can use to get paid their worth.
For writers:
Kuba|Content consultant (Twitter)
Technology has made the world increasingly fast-paced. The complexity of SEO is in a constant state of flux. With several companies all targeting an audience, it can get tough getting noticed online through Google searches. Kuba regularly dishes out tips on SEO, content systems, and the ways you can really connect to an audience through content.
For techies:
Tech cabal (Twitter)
Technology makes the world go round and it makes it go round fast. The tech industry is known for its fast pace of innovation and constant evolution. Keeping up with the latest advancements and trends can be challenging. As a tech bro or sis, it's too easy to be left behind.
The way forward is to continuously update your industry knowledge. Tech Cabal uses its Twitter page to keep techies informed about recent advances and trends in the industry. You can use this information to carve and maintain a space in this highly competitive industry.
For Social Media Managers:
The Social Media Haven (Instagram)
A significant amount of social media managers can relate to the challenge of generating engaging and relevant content consistently.
There's an additional challenge. Social apps are in a constant state of evolution. Regular updates are made to algorithms to increase end-user experience. Despite this being a good thing, social media managers are thrown into the unknown and are left to figure things out.
The social media haven shares infographics and videos that social media managers can implement to help their clients stay relevant.
By regularly consuming and implementing the content on the page, you can stay updated on changes that can impact organic reach and engagement, adjust strategies accordingly and stay ahead of the game.
Conclusion
Although social media has given you the leverage to connect with like-minded individuals and attain relevance, be mindful of the potential downsides.
It's too easy for impostor syndrome, distraction, and comparison fatigue to set in. Approach social media usage with intention and focus on the positive aspects. Let it be the tool of success it was intended to be.