Podcast: Julie Vlahon on Social Media with Soul
There are voices telling us that our online presence will make or break our success as creatives, and as writers specifically. And yet there are other voices telling us to be wary of the influence of social media on our lives and work. “Take breaks,” “create for yourself”—and also, “build a platform,” “know your audience.” So many of us are smack in the middle of this tension and we asked Julie to join us because we need someone to set a vision for what it looks like to navigate this online space with authenticity and integrity. We want to dig into the heart of it all, and learn how to engage with grace and create a real connection with others.
In this episode, Coffee+Crumbs’ social media manager Julie Vlahon, shares how to engage on social media with the soul in mind. She brings warmth and balance to this topic as she shares what she views as the greatest gifts and biggest drawbacks to social media. Sonya and Adrienne both left this episode with a renewed desire to connect authentically with others online, and a reminder to steward the spaces we enter well.
Julie Vlahon has been married to her husband, Scott, for 11 years and they have two children, 7-year-old Siena and 5-year-old Jordan. Her family lives in Roseville, California. She began her communications career as a TV news reporter and anchor. Julie then made a shift to public relations and communications for various businesses and non-profits. Julie has worked in social media marketing and advertising professionally for a decade and started her own social media management and consulting business six years ago. She is also the host and senior producer of Making A Mother, a new narrative podcast from Coffee + Crumbs set to release later this year.
Connect with Julie // IG: @julievlahon // Email: julievconsulting@gmail.com
Resources we shared:
In Episode #32 and Episode #33, Sonya and Abbigail discussed the Why and the How of Social Media.
Julie offers one-on-one social media consulting! Interested? Email her at julievconsulting@gmail.com
Some Practical Takeaways from Julie
Managing Social Media Input
Give yourself time limits for usage.
Stop your scroll if you begin to feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or negative.
Curate your feed. Don’t follow an account that doesn’t fill you up. Choose people that inspire you! If you see ads that pop up that you don’t want to see, tap the three dots in the top right corner and click “Hide Ad.”
Engaging Wholeheartedly with Social Media
Bring your authentic self to the platform. Do what you love, if that’s live videos, photographs, etc, lean into it.
Show a behind the scenes in your stories or carousel post to complement a finished product you are sharing. People are interested in the process.
Make a list of 4-5 main themes that you want to share on Social Media, like: writer, hiker, mother, creative date ideas. Then, cycle through those themes when you post. Share what you’re learning and what’s inspiring you, then you won’t get bored!
Creative Challenge
Curate Your Feed: If you use social media, make a list of 5-7 accounts that edify and inspire you. Tag a friend who might enjoy them, and ask them to do the same.
Comparison Trap: Finding yourself a little green at the gills while you scroll? In the C+C Podcast Episode on Motherhood + Comparison, Ashlee suggested posting an encouraging comment to celebrate moments of success and joy in other women’s lives instead of allowing those images to plant a seed of jealousy or doubt in our hearts. Pretty soon, this will bring a whole new energy to how you view your feed.
Throwing Glitter: Ashlee regularly reminds us that there is room at the table for everyone! In her monthly newsletter, she encouraged us with the following words:
“Every single day, we get to choose how we support those around us. We get to choose how we react to other people’s work, and how we celebrate other people’s dreams. We get to choose whether we build one another up or break each other down. We get to choose whether we root for or against our fellow moms, artists, neighbors, friends.”
She challenges us to try to “like” and comment too much on other people’s work. After all, you never know when your words will be just the encouragement someone needs!
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