I’ve Been Doing It Wrong

Back in late 2010, I decided I’d dip my little pinky toe into social media. I’d been reading about Twitter and blogging for about two years at that point and our clients were starting to ask questions. I wanted to be able to answer any questions regarding social media with experience rather than conjecture, so I jumped in. I started with a Twitter account called Clayad and a blog called Ladybug Notes.

From the start, I was clear in my head that I was doing all of this for our company – Clayman Advertising, but my actions got ahead of my head. I didn’t come to Twitter with a clear follow strategy, for example. I participated in chats that were great and I met a lot of people – many of them other marketers. My blog posts have ranged from politics to marketing to personal and everything in between.

And I’ll admit, I fell into the social media trap. The sparkle of being on lists caught me pretty early on, for example. As my number of Twitter followers climbed past 100, then further, I started to think, “Hmm, well this is kind of unexpected and nice.” I started to do things that were much more about building me up versus learning on behalf of our clients or building our own company up. It’s an easy mistake to make, I think. It’s also, I hope, somewhat easy to remedy.

This is not to say I have any regrets. Had I not done things the way I did, I’d be short many great friends I have met over the last few years – and I intend to cling to you like jelly clings to peanut butter. But my social media presence must shift away from me and back to where it should have been all along.

To that end, I’m going to be putting this blog on hiatus for now. I don’t intend on destroying it, even if I don’t write here for a year. I have put too much work into this baby to just delete it! And I may come back from time to time. But for now, it doesn’t fit with what I need to do and where I need to spend my time.

If you are interested in keeping in touch, I’ll be writing at our agency blog – here – three times a week. I’ll be writing three times a month for Razoo about social good. I’ll be writing once a month over at Carol Roth’s blog. I’m also going to be trying to beef up my Linkedin presence here and of course you can find me on Twitter here. We also have an agency Facebook page where we can chat about various and sundry things – you can find that here.

If you’re not interested in following me to any of those places, then I wish you well. I’m sure we’ll meet again. For all of its appearances, the world, offline and online, is actually quite small.

Thanks for stopping by – I’ll see ya on the flip side.

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterkaminski/5122382/ via Creative Commons

57 comments

  3. I will miss your insightful questions and thoughts, but I know you have to do what’s right for you and for your business. I look forward to continuing to know you better on Twitter! Best to you.

  4. I have totally loved your personal ponderings. I feel like I have just found them and … poof…. now they will be gone (or on hiatus). But, I totally respect the decision to be where you need to be. I have been told I need to get on Google+, Pinterest, start YouTubing, etc., and with two kids, a teaching post that I must return to soon, and the fact that I actually do love F2F communication, I’m just not going there. I have the SM that I can handle. So, I’m going to enjoy learning from you in these other areas and cherish our connection on FB and Twitter. Oh, and I’ll hope we can meet F2F someday, too. Hmm, we could have a phone chat or Skype? Ellen

    1.  @chattyprof Totally up to speaking with you with like … voices! That would be awesome 🙂 
       
      It does get to be a lot, and then you start shuffling things like mad, and then you say, “Oh wait…maybe I don’t have to do ALL of this right now.” That’s pretty much what my thought process was, and here we are! 

  5. If you love something, set it free.I’m not sure at all if that works for your situation. But I think it’s a cool statement. I wouldn’t say “good luck” or “see you soon.” You’re still around, just wearing different hats. We need to do that sometimes.Good luck! See you soon! Wait….:) 

  7. As much as you write and like to write, you can certainly maintain this quaint little place even if you adjust your schedule.
     
    I too could write for my agency’s blog, or not……….since it’s all about me, why would I want to do something like that? Sheeesh…….
     
    Good luck on your journey. 

    1.  @bdorman264 I could…it just doesn’t seem like the right thing to do just now. Other fish to fry, other cats to eat, other puppies to pet. I’m in demand, you know? 🙂

  9. Wow Margie I thought you were doing this for you and not your business. Of course, if that’s where your energy needs to be focused more power to you but I’m just curious as to what prompted the sudden change. I for sure know there is no way i could write every day like you do here but what if you paired it down to once a week, every other week, or once a month? Life can’t be all about business, can it? 

    1.  @Fierce_living This blog is for me (and hopefully you and other folks who visit regularly). It may seem like a sudden change but I’ve actually been thinking about this for awhile, weighing the odds and ends. When you find yourself trying to cram too much into a day, you can either keep on doing that or you can look at everything you’re cramming and say, “Hmm, I don’t NEED to do that.” I love writing here but it is a lot of time, and it’s time I just don’t have anymore. Other things have arisen, and they are more closely tied to my career. I will still be around for fun and what-not – it’s not like I’m locking myself up in a room – but I need to reduce my load, and little margieclayman.com was a prime candidate 🙂

  10. I understand the feeling. I feel kind of schizo between my personal blog & business. But I didn’t start off as a business writer so I always feel conflicted on how to spend my time. I had to get firm on what I do each for and if I wanted to really do two blogs. Now I have a routine and a set of goals I am working towards. I don’t feel as lost. Plus, I don’t think I could give up something I put so much brand equity into. 
     
    I honor your decision and will make sure to connect in other places. You are one of my favorite online writers and a good online friend. I hope we can meet in real life some day. 

    1.  @susansilver Aw, thanks Susan! I’d love to meet you in person 🙂
       
      I think if I wasn’t also writing for two other sites I would be more able to hold this one down, but my content for Razoo and our agency blog is much less off-the-cuff – it requires research and more time, honestly, than I usually spend on my posts here, where I just kind of say what’s on my mind. It’s like the straw that broke the camel’s back – after that much writing and thinking, my brain just gets frazzled. And you know me – I need no help frazzling! 🙂

  12. By the way – is there any way that you could be credited with your posts on the Clayman site?  I think that would be a way for people to get their compensatory Margie fix.

    1.  @leaderswest Well, we don’t really want to assign names – it’s an agency blog, not my blog. We’ve gotta keep you guessing as to who wrote what 🙂 

  13. Meh.  So you are not quitting as a writer just focusing on the family business’ blog.  The content their is pretty epic just like your personal stuff.  I’ll follow the writer…not the URL.  Rock on Margie. 

      1.  @margieclayman BTW – swap the personal feed for the business feed on our Triberr tribe.  That way Clayman’s killer marketing content will be shared by all.  The branding and marketing posts on Clayman is just fantastic stuff.  Let me know if you need help updating it.  🙂

  15. Wow Margie, I must admit, I’m a bit surprised, as you seem like the type that is simply wired to write and express…like the words are just always waiting to be written.
     
    But wherever you are, know that you’ve touched many folks and I’m sure this will only continue in whatever realm you find yourself.
     
    Keep smiling,
     
    Marcus

    1.  @Marcus_Sheridan Thanks Marcus! 
       
      Yeah, I always have something going on in my head – I’m sure it will find an escape valve somewhere. The thing with this blog is that it’s not just the writing – as you are, I’m a stickler for answering comments, conversing with folks on Twitter or wherever else it might be shared – it just keeps adding up at a time when I don’t have a nice big hole for it. I’d rather go on hiatus than change the way I do things, ya know?

  16. I’m sorry to hear this, Margie, but I know you’ll continue to produce great content at the agency blog. I wholeheartedly agree with @TheJackB  on this – you weren’t doing it wrong, you were figuring out what was right by exploring. 
     
     

    1.  @jasonkonopinski  @TheJackB Yeah, I think in this case experimentation was a good thing. I now have an idea about how long it takes to build up a blog, how long it takes and what it takes to build steady readers. it is sort of fun to be starting the journey over again with a different sort of blog. Tain’t a bad thing 🙂

  17. Hey, this is really too bad, as I only recently discovered your stuff and humorous style, which I find refreshing in the evergreen landscape of bland blogs. Perhaps the title of this last post also threw me off: I don’t think you’ve been doing it all wrong. I think it’s merely called evolution, where we change, learn and need to adapt along the way. Kudos to you for tackling this head first, and moving on. Will make sure to keep contact via other social platforms and blogs.
    Cheers and all the best,
    Frederic

    1.  @gonzogonzo Well thanks for that, Frederic. I appreciate that and hey, I’ll take it not being a mistake, for sure! I look forward to getting to know you better! 

  18. Margie, I am a fan of your blog, but I completely understand the mentality here. There are some social media “experts” I know of who I see participate in at least 3 Twitter chats a day, always seem to be at the parties & events, and you have to wonder if they actually do any work for their clients. I’ll miss your posts here, but I’ll follow you on your company blog. Best of luck in the transition!

    1.  @AdamBritten Yeah, that’s the thing – my actual job is taking up more time, which is a GREAT thing. The agency blog is just sort of an extension of that. As I wrote a few months ago, I imagine quite a few people are going to be facing decisions like this in the coming months. As times get busier, how will social media fit in? In my case, I have no choice but to take smaller bites. 

  20. Margie,
     
    Everyone is going to miss you here, but it sounds as though you have some exciting blog gigs including your own agency.  Don’t stay too far away on Twitter either.  Missing you already!
     
    Love,
    Cheryl
     @ckburgess 

    1.  @ckburgess Thanks Cheryl. I have been away from here for *almost* a week and I have to say that while I miss writing here, it has taken a huge load off, and just in the nick of time. So far, nostalgia but no regrets 🙂 

  21. Hardly doing it wrong. You are just “doing extensive research in order to best fulfill client requests while simultaneously bringing joy, friendship, and good to those who you associate yourself with.”
     
    You’re almost kinda like Santa or something! (I’m jealous… *wink*)
     
    Do what you do. We will see ya around. 🙂

  22. For a time, I was doing a lot of horse trade shows for a product we were launching.. way before social media killed off the trade show industry. There was a circuit of folks that sort of “banded” together just like a lot of the social media “experts” have done (that is not a new phenomenon.. surprised? 🙂 )  Anyway, it was really easy to get drawn into their circle and socialize during the show, then going out to drink afterwards, etc. forgetting we were there to sell a crap load of product to clueless show-goers. At about my third show, I figured out that there were two types in this group; those who never forgot why they were there and sold like mad and those who thought the job was staffing the booth and socializing with the other vendors. I suspect the second crowd eventually became many of the social media gurus we know today.. I wanted (needed) to be part of the first group.
     
    That is cynical, but the lesson has never been forgotten. Those who are most successful are able to easily socialize with their peer group while never forgetting why they are there, That being said, what I think you did well during this time was to build a strong platform. There are a ton of marketers who are good at their craft but don’t have a platform. Tons of writers, too. You now have both; a platform AND a body of work.
     
    Enjoy the time away, but don’t be too far away. Platform and purpose are intertwined.

    1.  @dogwalkblog I’m seeing that more and more. I think people who are just doing the socializing are going to find themselves without a floor under their feet in the not too distant future, and they’re going to be very confused about that. I hate to see it happen, but unfortunately, folks can be stubborn and will cling to things even as everything is getting flooded over. I’m a bit less patient 🙂 

  24. If we never did things “wrong”, we would never learn anything…
     
    I don’t think that you’ve been doing things wrong, anyway, Margie.  Experimentation is a key part of our lives, and has to be done to get better at what we do.  So long as you’ve maintained respectfulness, humility etc (you have), then it’s not “wrong”.

  25. Margie, I totally understand the need to shift things and focus in your professional profile more than your personal presence. It’s a constant struggle for me as well. I feel fortunate to know that while you might not be here, many of us will be connected with you in many other platforms. I love your insight, your wisdom, your sensible and always awesome judgement!  — Happy to see on the flip side! 

  28. Margie– Sorry to see you stop giving your perspective here. But I totally get being spread too thin. Looking forward to seeing you elsewhere. Happy marketing, Heidi Cohen

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