Why I came off Facebook

I’ve had a few people remark that they find it odd that someone promoting ‘social media training‘ should come off of Facebook. I’d like to clarify why it was the right decision for me.

In the training I say to people “If you only have X amount of time each day then it is better to produce great content on one or two social media channels, than sub-par, mediocre content on lots of social media channels.

The content I post to social media has changed substantially over the last few months. I used to sit at my computer all day so I would post about topics I found while I was online.

Now though, I love photography, I like being outdoors but photography is a very new thing for me, I only started it last September.  I used to post news and gossip articles from the digital world, but I now enjoy posting my photos and using them to promote Torbay.

I started posting on my Instagram account and I very quickly started growing a following. Here is the thing though… the interactions on Instagram were and are, much more than all my other social media channels combined. By ‘much more’ I’m talking about a 90% increase in engagement. I had found the perfect outlet for my new hobby, which in turn, creates awareness of myself and my freelance web design work.

I post the photos on my Twitter  account as well, but engagement on Twitter has always been very low.

I do also have a flickr account but I use this channel just for my best photos, the ones I’d print and stick on my wall. I don’t post on here often but when I do take a photo that I really love, I back it up on here. Again, I’ve had thousands of views on here and the engagement can be fantastic.

Having your page being found on Facebook is becoming increasingly more difficult. I had one page with several hundred followers but on the whole, it was a struggle and a chore with no real reward, compared to the work and brand awareness I’m getting elsewhere.

My personal Facebook account was filled with drama and I wanted out of that, so I took the plunge and deactivated my account.

I now have more time because I’m not checking Facebook during the day. I have vastly more engagement because I’ve switched to the right channels for me.

I am maximising my time, producing what people are saying is great content, on my two main social media channels, rather than wasting my time on others.

I stand by maximising your time and using only the channels that work for you.

Simon Day

If you have a wedding, portrait, event or festival coming up please contact me. Likewise for portraits. Check out my social media channels: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter