Well Vero seems to have created a great buzz. In just a matter of days social media platforms are awash with what's this Vero?. And new users are quickly flocking to it. The terms anti Facebook, anti Instagram, free and of course curiosity are seeing Linkedin – the professional networking platform and Twitter ablaze with what's Vero and join me and tweeters sharing their early frustrations that Vero has spent more time down than up.

I've already seen many, from groups closer to home, join up and I kind of think why? From looking at your other social platforms these need to be honed before heading out for yet another platform. Let's face it the hype of it all will do wonders for Vero. As it has done with so many others before it. I remember when Instagram was released in 2010, there wasn't a great deal of buzz, it was a slow burn and then purchased by Facebook in 2012 and now 2018 we see users becoming disgruntled in the same way as we all have with the myriad of changes with Facebook.

These social media platforms know how to work their user bases, know how to disgruntle us and yet we find it difficult to let go as we are still using them.

Instagram is losing the love and hey presto a new young vibrant, free [for a short period of time] app comes along – wolf whistling from the web wings enticing fans afar to get involved.

From a small business perspective do you really have that much time on your hands? As someone who looks after accounts for other people, it's constantly at the back of my mind, on my paper to do list, my digital to do list to keep my own platforms active, and I don't have an IG account or a Youtube channel. If we were to tally up the hours a week/month spent working these platforms – preparing pics, uploading, responding, getting het up when the numbers/likes don't start ramping up, does it equate to time well spent, revenue? ALL social media activity is a slow burn, it takes time, effort, energy to produce results. And for the many, I bet if those hours on all platforms were totted up that time could be better spent doing something else? Could an hour or so be dedicated to keeping the clients you have got and nurturing those to be your influencers? Stopping chasing the next best thing and keep an eye on the time you are using on your current platforms. Best to work one or two and work them well. Rather than hedge all your time and lack of spend on social media, small business owners need to adapt and take a holistic approach to building a business, growing a business and keeping customers. You have a business to run, bills to pay, mouths to feed.

I love social media as much as the next person and am all for new, shiny, exciting developments, but hold the horses. Apply some restraint. But you have to thank social media for sharing and promoting the hype of a new platform, the virality of Vero will no doubt circumnavigate the social media ether for a while yet.

I am sure in time the dust will settle. The app will either iron out its issues and be the next big thing. As with shiny new developments it's sink or success. When it becomes too successful, it gets snapped up, and on this occasion, I think Facebook will be the crocodile on the sideline ready to snap!

Before you follow the herd onto the Vero trail do your research. How is your business going to benefit with yet another platform? Are your customers going to be there? What platforms am I using at the moment that I could be better at? Is the total sum of my social media time yielding results?  Be a smart small business owner and think and operate with sense and logic. 

Some useful reading links:

https://mashable.com/2018/02/26/what-is-vero-app/#sRtRlOaDBqO9

https://wersm.com/vero-hardly-the-instagram-killer-its-been-made-out-to-be/

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/vero-down-not-working-offline-sign-up-what-is-it-explained-instagram-facebook-alternatives-a8227481.html?utm_content=buffer65361&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Keeping it socially simple
Micala 

They say being self employed is not for the faint hearted, for many of us here in France there is no choice but to be self employed. Our journeys are similar as we start up, with excitement and gung ho despite the necessary evil that is French bureaucracy. After a couple of years we get used to it. We accept the yearly changes and we adapt. There may come a point in your established business when the spark goes for some reason.

Whether it's an accumulation of doing everything yourself and ending up feeling overwhelmed, through to boredom and procrastination. The repetition of it all may have sucked the joy out of being self employed. These feelings are normal. The self employed journey is not without its hiccups, particularly when you are wearing many hats: marketing your business, earning your income and dealing with customers and paperwork.

Being self employed means wearing many hats, but you are not required to work at it 5 or 6 days a week, as something will definitely give. Some business owners are spending a lot of their day working alone with little or no interaction with others.

Sometimes you just know that the spark has gone. Acknowledge it and deal with it before it becomes a bigger problem, you have a right to balance the business books with activities that restore your mental and emotional well being in business.

What can you do to get the love back in your business?

• Talking to other business owners often helps. Once you know you are not alone in this, you can then discover how they dealt with it. Is it time to find a business coach or mentor? What does your business need right now? An external set of eyes may see something that you simply cannot.
• Talking to your partner/spouse might help. Can they take on some of the activities? Do you need to look at the work/life balance? Is work seeing more of you than your family?
• Can you outsource some activities? Can you change your routine? Can you do things differently? Just because you have always done something a certain way, it may not always be the right or smartest way.
• Is it time to step away for a short break? Do those batteries need recharging? Do you need to have some fun?
• What are you proud of? The daily grind can at times be seen as too monotonous that you only see the negatives. What are the great and good things that you have done? How has it helped your customers, your family?
• The relationship with your business deserves love care and attention so that these attributes can be reflected back to your customers and those who are part of your self employed journey.

Who likes not his business, his business likes not him – William Hazlitt

keeping it socially savvy
Micala