Social media can be an effective and fun source of information if it's used with integrity, intention and empathy. At W&O we have a social media philosophy rooted in integrity and backed by the values we hold for marketing in general. To give you an idea and a little context for the rest of this post, here are a few guiding principles on our social media philosophy:

1. We will never buy engagement. In an environment where people can actually buy likes and engagement, we will respectfully pass on such tactics because we're not in this for a popularity contest. We're in it to help the right people; the ones who need what we're offering and choose to participate in what we have to say.

2. We will post our own content intentionally, authentically and empathetically. We will not buy pre-packaged content in name of efficiency, increase our reach or use our head-space for other things.

3. We will always show up online as an act of service and generosity rather than as a sales person asking for a sale.

This is how we do business. This is how we show up for the people who want to hear what we have to say. We don't want to preach to the masses or serve the general population. Our message and services are for a select few, and it's those people whom we'd like to engage with so long as they find value in what we're putting out into the world.

If our message improves their life then we've done our job well.

The content that Willow & Oak puts out into the world is not for everyone, it's not meant for everyone. We show up online to educate, empower, and inspire a certain few. We aim to teach people how to be a better business owner (educate), to have tactics, methods, and tools to do so (empower), and remind people that the world needs what they have to offer (inspire) . If you like what we do and it adds value to your life in some way, then follow along and stay tuned! We'll gladly serve more inspirational, educational and empowering content because it's one way we make the world a better place. Our content must pass this litmus test, and Seth Godin puts it so well in his book "This Is Marketing":

"It has to resonate with the listener, to tell them something they've been waiting to hear, something they're open to believing. It has to invite them on a journey where a change might happen. And then, if you've opened all those doors, it has to solve the problem, to deliver on the promise."

Take Away: If you struggle with putting out consistent, well-thought out content, whether on your blog, your social media channels, on Pinterest, etc., and most business owners do, then get yourself a pen and ask yourself the following: who are you trying to serve, why are you doing it in the first place, how can you positively change their life in some way, and what do you want to teach people. If you answer those questions thoughtfully, you will come up with a months worth of intentional and authentic content. If you cannot answer those questions, you need to spend some time thinking more about your product or service and less time about social media and content creation.

If you found this useful, and if this resonated with you, please consider sending this to someone who may need help with their content creation or brand identity. Content rooted in empathy and integrity is always the best way and it's a great reminder to quit overthinking and just share the things that you know to the people who need and want to hear it.