Okay I'm in my 50's and I've managed to link my Facebook and Instagram together so whatever I post on Instagram is shared to my Facebook. I felt quite proud of that achievement. Recently though I've realised that my 'following' has stalled and I feel like it's just not doing anything for me. So I made a conscious decision to tackle reels.
Here's an example of one of my reels
Now I don't know about you, but some things seem to come to me intuitively and some things just leave me feeling like I'm banging my head on a wall. I kept watching Youtube videos telling me simple tips to make reels, or how to use reel templates and then I'd try and execute the steps and end up wanting to throw my phone across the room.
So, just as I do with my art, when I hit a brick wall, I take a step sideways. That's exactly what I did. Hello Tiktok. Okay it's not exactly my demographic, I know but somehow I find the editing in Tiktok so much easier to navigate than in Instagram reels. So that's where I started. I did open a Tiktok account some time ago, I'd gained a whopping 6 followers (move over Kim Kardashian!) In the last week I've grown my following to 79. Okay it's not record breaking I know but I'm at the beginning of finding my style and learning what content works. It's a younger audience for sure and I'm not too worried about it. I think for me that's always the way I go. Try not to worry too much and try and keep it genuinely me.
Here's an example of one of my Tiktoks
Having managed to navigate around the Tiktok video editing, I've now had another look at Instagram reels and finally it's sinking in. To be fair there is an obvious uptick in the number of followers I have too. I mean what I do is niche so the numbers are still low. I'd rather see an organic build though than buying followers I just don't see the point in that.
An interesting aside to all this is that my daughter, currently working grain harvest in Australia, is helping to work out how to use Tiktok over whatsapp. Honestly it's been really great getting her help and having an excuse to just chat each day.
So if you use social media please go ahead and follow me on Instagram, Tiktok or Facebook. I'll see you there.