Social Media is Rented Ground: Navigating Change and Building Momentum for 2025
You're listening to the Katie Lance podcast. If you're an entrepreneur, social media geek, real estate pro, a mom, or maybe all of the above and ready to level up your social media game, You're in the right
Speaker 2:place. Hey friends. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Katie Lance. I'm happy to have you here.
Speaker 2:It is the end of January and I am recording this in, chilly but sunny California. The day that I'm recording this, I am packing to go to Inman Connect, New York, ICNY. It is going to be probably freezing there and this California girl is about to bundle up. So by the time you are listening to this, I am probably going to already be in New York. So, send me your warm vibes as I am there.
Speaker 2:You know, this is my like 15th or 16th year attending and or speaking at InMed. And I'm so excited. It's one of my favorite times to see and connect with colleagues and friends. It's just, just an amazing time. And I always say the more you learn, the more you earn.
Speaker 2:So it it'll be it'll be super fun. Plus, I love New York City. We're gonna see a show. It's gonna be it's gonna be all good. So, anyways, let's dig into the podcast.
Speaker 2:You know, the theme of this podcast is all about navigating change. It's all about the fact that social media is rented ground. We have a lot to talk about as always. So as I think about this episode and we are putting up January, I wanted to have a conversation about, just kind of talk a little bit about some of the things that I've talked about already on social and email marketing, but like, there's so much that we put out that I have a feeling that you may have missed some of it. So I want to kind of recap some of the high points of some of the things that we've been seeing and talking about.
Speaker 2:And then talk a little bit about change, give you some ideas, some tips and strategies. And, you know, January is always a season of change and it's, I think the perfect time to set the tone for the year ahead. So today I'm going to dig into some thoughts on navigating change. I want to focus a little bit on what matters most. We're going to talk about building a business and life we love.
Speaker 2:Plus I'm going to give you the scoop on what's coming up in February, including our highly anticipated Instagram masterclass on February 24th, which you guys, there's so much happening with Instagram. If you know, you know, so, all right, let's dive in. So I want to first start with the idea that social media is rented ground. And if you know, you know, if you've been following me on social media, I say this all the time, but it's so important. And it's such an important concept, especially given recent events like the TikTok ban that was reversed within 12 to 14 hours of it going dark.
Speaker 2:And, you know, it was a really stark reminder of how quickly things can change in the world of social media. There's also so much conversation right now going on with privacy and data and meta and all the different social media platforms. And look, I love social media. I I've been in the business of social media for more than 12 years. And, but I also think it's so crucial for all of us to think critically about the platforms we're using and how we're building our businesses.
Speaker 2:As I always say, I don't think you have to be everywhere, but here's the thing. When we rely solely on social media, we are building our business on someone else's land. And so it is so important to, first of all, diversify your content. Do not just be on TikTok or Facebook or Instagram or wherever, like diversify your content. However, it's also important to focus on what you own, your email list, your website, your core content.
Speaker 2:And this is one of the reasons why we are focusing on doing things like working on our website, building out our content here on our podcast, diversifying content, being even more strategic with our our email marketing. These are the things that you control and the stability is so important regardless of what happens with algorithms or platforms. And this all ties directly into some of the topics that I've been discussing a ton this month, like organizing your content calendar for 2025. When you have a plan and system for your content, you are not at the mercy of social media trends. You are in control of your message and your schedule.
Speaker 2:And getting a plan in place again, if you know, you know, it's so important and it's especially important for those times where you don't feel like getting on camera and you don't feel like, you know, posting, like having some content in the can, doing things like time blocking, scheduling, being sure you show up and engage and interact, but also put out helpful content. It's just so, so important. I've also talked a lot about this month, the power of pillar content for your marketing plan. So pillar content is this foundational piece that you can repurpose across multiple platforms. One of the things I talked about in our planning masterclass, I also talked about it at our last mastermind, was this idea of creating themes each month for your content.
Speaker 2:And we've done this for years. A lot of you reach out after our last podcast and were like, I love that idea. So theming out your content for each month and then looking at that theme and going, okay, if that's the theme, what content is going to come from this? Is it YouTube content, reels, podcast content, blog content, email content? Right?
Speaker 2:And pillar content is a foundational piece that you can then repurpose over multiple platforms. So whether it is a blog post, a video, a podcast, it's about creating something that really works for you long term. This also helps you get off the content hamster wheel and focus on quality over quantity. Another key topic of course is setting your business goals for 2025. I talked a lot about this in the last podcast.
Speaker 2:I will link to it in the show notes below. And it's not just about dreaming big, which I'm all for that. Friday, I'm all about dreaming big, big dreams. One of the things I shared is I'm going into my 50th year. My 50th birthday will be later this year.
Speaker 2:So we were all about not just dreaming big dreams, but like creating actionable steps to get there. Right? Like if you have certain things you want to accomplish, what is it going to take for you to get there? What do you want to achieve this year? And what are some small consistent actions that you can take each week to move closer to those goals?
Speaker 2:Now, I know some of you are in real estate. And so for my real estate friends, one of the things I talked about this month was ex was we explored a lot about top social media strategies specifically for Realtors. Again, I'll link to that in the show notes below if you, if you missed that. But the thing is, especially if you're in real estate, but this applies to any of you. If any of you are using social media for business, maybe you're an entrepreneur, small business owner, online marketer, whatever.
Speaker 2:Social media, as we know, it's a powerful tool, but only if used strategically. Especially right now in 2025, you guys, it is all about not just putting out content for the sake of content. It's about building relationships. It's about taking time, being a noticer, connecting, leaving meaningful comments, spending time in the DMs, doing things like using audio messages, videos. That one to one is so important.
Speaker 2:Showing up consistently, not just posting and running and providing real value to your audience. In fact, we just had a awesome Zoom reunion. I did a Zoom reunion with our masterminders. You guys know we do our big mastermind once a year, every year. And we did a little reunion today with that.
Speaker 2:Our masterminders they're a small group, 15 to 20 people max. So on our reunion call today, it was so fun. We all chatted about, like, what we're working on, what is going right, what what do we need help with? And one of our masterminders said, you know, Katie, I've really noticed you're changing up your content, your your video content. And so we talked a little bit about that and I said, you know, you're absolutely right.
Speaker 2:I really am leaning into, like, done is better than perfect. You know, we don't have to just sit at our desk and be in the same place all the time to record content. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't just have to be when you're having a good hair day. Right?
Speaker 2:Like these moments of opportunity when you're out and about, you're in the car and you're parked and you've got an extra 5 minutes, you're taking a walk with your dog. You're, you know, you're making a cup of coffee. I think we are at a point right now where just creating some content that's a little bit more real, a little bit more relatable as if you're just talking to somebody, right, is so powerful. And I think the other thing that's important to think about, especially as we think about content, is that one of the ways to stand out is to share not just more facts, not just more tips, but like, how do you really feel about something? Right?
Speaker 2:Like I was just talking to, somebody about this recently. I said, you know, if you were I was on a podcast recently, and I I said, you know, if if your mom was putting her house on the market, what would you say to her? How would you say it? And that that personal, like, just leaning into, like, really sharing how you would feel about something, like, you're letting your personality shine through. I think the people who can do that the best are going to get the best results in 2025.
Speaker 2:So that happens with practice. That hap that happens with, like, doing a ton of content, getting yourself on camera more and more. It happens with showing up more in your stories, showing up more in reels, and creating a large volume of work. And also just like documenting and and and and looking at your life as content, again, sort of getting over the the, you know, done is better than perfect type thing. Now the other thing that I shared this month is, we talked a little bit about the fact that your biggest masterpiece could be right around the corner.
Speaker 2:Right around the corner, you guys. And so often I see folks who are like, oh, I haven't done anything, so I'm not going to do anything, or I'm going to wait, or I got to wait till this is right, or that is right, or like, gosh, I've been doing all this content, but I don't know if it doesn't turn around in the next week or 2, I'm going to pull out. Like you got to keep on keeping on. A lot of what we're talking about, this takes time. It takes effort, right?
Speaker 2:YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, like it just takes time. It's a lot of like 2 more followers, 5 more followers, 10 more views, 20 more views. Like these big numbers that you see from big creators, it doesn't happen to most people. So your biggest masterpiece could be right around the corner. It's all about staying hopeful, looking at the bigger picture.
Speaker 2:Right? Even when the day to day household feels overwhelming. And sometimes the best things come when you least expect them. Sometimes the content that you're like, Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm posting this. Sometimes that is the one that takes off.
Speaker 2:Sometimes we just don't know. So a lot of what I'm talking about today is all about change, right? Navigating change has been a reoccurring theme this month for me. Oh, really over the last few months, we've had a lot of changes, personally and professionally. We've seen a lot of changes in the world.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of stuff that's going on. And the reality is that, especially in the world of social media, social media always changes. The only constant is change. I mean, I'm inundated recently with all the updates of, you know, Instagram updates and, and just every it just can feel like a lot. So this is what I want to say about that.
Speaker 2:Platforms come and go, algorithms shift, trends will change, but when you focus on what you own, your content, your ability to show up, connect with people in the comments, your ability to, you know, schedule content when you when you need to schedule, your ability to stay adaptable, your ability to build your email list, build assets you own. You can navigate these changes with confidence. I think it's also important though to, to remember that it can't be all things to all people, right? It's so easy to fall in the trap of trying to do everything and be everywhere, but narrow your focus, lean into what makes you unique. That is really where the magic happens.
Speaker 2:And, you know, we talked a lot about this in our planning masterclass. We had an amazing turnout for our planning masterclass earlier this month. Thanks to everyone who attended and made it such a success. If you missed it, don't worry. There's so much coming your way.
Speaker 2:And if you're part of our academy family and you missed it, you can log into your dashboard and watch it. It's a 90 minute masterclass. There was like a 20 page PDF workbook that went with it. If you're not part of the academy, you can always join it at any time. You can go to katylance.com/ academy.
Speaker 2:I'll drop the link below so you can check that out. And then you get access to all of our master classes that we do throughout the year and our training and all of our, all of our resources. If you love a live class though, because I know there's some of you who love to watch stuff on demand, right? You're like, you know, you're a Netflix girlie, right, or guy, and you, you know, you you like binge watching content. Awesome.
Speaker 2:But I also know there's a lot of you that love a live show, right, or a live class. So our next live masterclass is our Instagram masterclass on February 24th. This is completely reengineered from the one we did last year. It's gonna be packed with actual tips to really help you take your Instagram strategy to the next level. So if you haven't signed up yet, I'll put some information below.
Speaker 2:Get signed up, save your spot. You can also message me on Instagram and we'll get you on the list for that. We're also getting ready to announce our dates for our next mastermind. If you want to be part of that intimate group of go getters who are ready to take their business to the next level, make sure to get on that wait list also. And again, I'll drop that link below.
Speaker 2:A few closing thoughts. Okay. As we move into February, I want to just encourage you to think about your goals and your priorities. What is one thing that you can do today to focus on, to create momentum in your business or your life? Remember, you don't have to do it all.
Speaker 2:Just take the right step. Thank you so much for being a part of this community. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you. If you have found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend, leave us a 5 star review. And as always, if you have questions or topics that you'd like me to cover, send me a message on Instagram.
Speaker 2:I'm at Katie Lance or email me. You can reach me directly, KatieKatylance dot com. Here is to a fantastic start to 2025. We'll see you next time. Bye for now.
Speaker 1:Thanks so much for listening to today's show. If you want more, head over to katylance.com and check out the GetSocialSmart Academy, guaranteed to get you social smart. Also sign up for a free email newsletter packed full of great content. Until next time, get Social Smart.