I spent a full year trying to play the algorithm game on social media. I published with total consistency every week on the same four days. I varied my content. I engaged with others. None of it resulted in one single conversation about my services. But I still had a very successful year. Why? Well, it wasn’t because of social media. So this year, I’m saying f*#k the algorithms. I’m sticking with relationships.
Reflections
When I looked back over 2021 to evaluate and reflect on the year, I noticed something interesting. Every single client fell into one category. They all came to work with me based on a relationship.
Nearly all my clients in 2021 decided to work with me based on meeting me or participating in a workshop with me. The remaining few were referrals from other clients. In all cases, the corporate clients engaged me for multiple contracts. The more work I did with their organizations, the more work they wanted me to do.
Bottom line?
If you’ve read anything I’ve written in the past year, you know I’m not into self-promotion. I’m sure that’s to my own detriment. But since I’m doing pretty well without it, I’m not too worried about that.
What I’ve learned from this reflection is this. Business is built and maintained and grown from relationships. So, f*#k the algorithms. I’m going to worry less about making sure I post ‘something’ on a regular schedule. I’ll worry more about making sure what I post delivers value. And I’ll keep returning to the basics of nurturing relationships, one at a time.
