I don’t do perfect. In fact, I am happily imperfect.
I frequently forget to engage my ‘is this appropriate?’ filter before opening my mouth. I’ve given up on ever being the ‘perfect’ weight for my height according to people in the know, but I am striving for a weight that suits me. My exercise regime consists of a galumphing canter on the treadmill in my bedroom and chasing my pooch as she disappears over the horizon after a cat.
To be honest, there is nothing ‘perfect’ about my life at all, but it’s just right for me.
And just right – in my eyes – is far better than perfect.
Just right means that:
- it’s a good fit
- it feels right
- it suits me now but that doesn’t mean forever
The same applies to my social media posts. They’re not perfect, but they are just right to express who I am and how I can help my customers.
Here’s why I don’t do perfect social media posts:
Perfect is an end point
To me, perfect suggests a finished product, a final destination, or the very last trimming on a fabulous dress. How wonderful and altogether over.
To me, perfect means that there is nothing else to add or improve. The process is done and dusted. There is nothing extra to learn and no further progress to be made. Thank you and good night.
Where’s the fun in that? Perfect is a cul-de-sac and, however lovely that cul-de-sac may be, it doesn’t allow, or require, you to go any further.
Perfect is relative
Who gets to decide what a perfect social media post is?
Perfect for one business isn’t the same as perfect for another. Imagine you have two bakeries.
One is a high street facing bakery with an interest in wholesome, healthy eating. They’ve invested in developing vegan and free-from gluten products, and regularly post information on how to lead a healthier lifestyle.
The second is a home-based business that sells elegantly-decorated wedding cakes. Their posts are all about sophistication, wedding trends, and shots of their beautiful cakes at their customers’ weddings.
Each bakery is selling a different story to a different customer-base. What is perfect for one would probably be completely inappropriate for the other.
Your social media posts should always suit your brand.
Perfect isn’t relatable
Superman is probably my least favourite superhero. Why? Because he’s too darn perfect. What with the rippling muscles, piercing (quite literally) blue eyes, and quest for justice and fairness above all else, he’s far too lofty and polished to be an example that anyone can match.
However, show me someone that tried, failed, admitted that they had failed, and tried to do better, and I’ll be applauding with the best of them.
Human beings like heroes, but they don’t want to feel that their heroes are so vastly better than them that they’re another species altogether. People follow people they feel a connection with, which nicely leads onto my next point…
Perfect leads to comparison-itis
We all compare ourselves to others at some point. I can remember sitting on my couch not long after my eldest was born, crying over a cup of tea that my post-baby weight wasn’t shifting as quickly as it had for some skinny, Hollywood actress who was flaunting her size 0 achievement on TV. Silly, I know, but her new mum grass looked so much greener than mine.
Social media is one of the worst arenas for battling comparison-itis because much of what you’ll see there are highlights and achievements. You end up comparing the entire reality of your life to the best bits of celebrities and online influencers.
I’ll say this again: Perfect for one business isn’t the same as perfect for another.
Perfect can stop you in your tracks
This is the worst aspect of ‘perfect’, the fear and indecision it can breed in us. You worry that people will laugh at your posts (and not for the right reason), you’ll ruin your reputation, you’ll scare customers away, or your posts just won’t be good enough.
You worry so much that you end up not posting anything at all.
Here’s the thing. Until you post something, you have no idea what will happen. It might be nothing at all – literally, no response or traffic to your website or extra sales – or you may receive a ton of positive comments. You can’t measure or assess zero social media posts.
So swallow the fear and post something. Something relatable, something that sounds like you, and something that is just right.
