The 80/20 Rule that I have been Ignoring

The last couple of months, I’ve been hosting webinars on Zoom to talk about social media and how other small businesses can strategically use it as an inexpensive and successful marketing tool. I’ve known the 80/20 rule for social for a long time, and I encourage my clients to use it too: 80% of your posts should be personal. 20% should promote your business.

Talk more about yourself than your business. That’s what people connect to, and don’t I know it. I’ve (not so) jokingly said that Max is my best marketing asset. And he is. I get more engagement on the posts that include him versus posts that promote said webinars. But I’ve completely leaned in to only promoting my business in the last few months. Why?

Well, for starters. Nothing is really happening personally because in case you missed it - nothing is really happening for any of us. I’m working from home at my kitchen table. My hair is a lot more grey than usual. On the rare occasions I put on makeup, I’m having to relearn how to apply it. I’m really tired of Zoom meetings, but it’s the only way I ever “see” people. (Except when I creepily watch my neighbors walk down the sidewalk in front of my condo… Where are they going? What’s going on out there?)

Do people want to hear/see personal during this time? Yes.

As much as I have been promoting my webinars, I am going to try to be more personal. We’re all having the same and yet different struggles right now. We’re at home with too many people or not enough. We desperately need hair cuts and manicures. We simultaneously miss our “normal” work environments and at the same time, don’t. The 80/20 rule is true no matter what. And I would argue in times of crisis, the 80/20 rule is even more important. If anything needs to remain consistent, it should be our connection to others. That is the one thing we can control in an uncontrollable environment.

So I’m going to work on posting more of the 80 than the 20 even if my hair is wildly unkempt and I’m wearing the same leggings for the last 2 days. I know the world will be kind. It’s not just me. We’re all in this, together.