Would you say you’re more a Kim Kardashian, or a Taylor Swift?

You might be wondering what on earth these two women have to do with you. The answer is very little – unless you use social media, in which case the answer is a whole lot.

Why?

Basically, because Kim K “gets” social media and Taylor doesn’t. Shocking, I know, considering Taylor is 26 – an age that many would believe means she should have her finger right on the button of the latest in social media trends.

If you’ve been living under a rock (or if you just don’t care), Kim Kardashian recently released a video recording of a phone call between her husband, Kanye West, and Taylor Swift on Snapchat. In this phone call, West asks Swift for her approval regarding a line he wants to rap about her. It’s a pretty derogatory line that I won’t repeat here, but the recording appears to show Swift giving her blessing – a stark contrast to what she’s been saying publicly about it.

Regardless of what you think about the situation itself, there are some important social media lessons to consider here and you need to decide if you’d rather be a Kim Kardashian or a Taylor Swift when it comes to managing and maintaining your killer social media presence.

Lesson 1: How to Grow a Following on a New Platform

Kim Kardashian has the kind of social media following that most of us can never even aspire to, nor should we want to. She literally has millions. The size of her following automatically means she has more reach than us regular folks, so launching an account on a new platform isn’t as hard for her as it is for the rest of us – but she does still have to work for it, and she’s savvy enough about social media to know it.

When you’re launching on a new platform – whether it’s your first, second, or fifth – it’s important to have a strategy or a plan for how you’re going to do it. In this case, Kim is trying to grow her following on Snapchat and did so by teasing that something juicy was happening over there by way of a tweet.

The lesson here? That in order to convince a follower on one platform to jump over and follow you on another, you must provide them something of value. Something that they can’t get from you anywhere else.

This is largely because when a user is comfortable on a certain platform, they are very hesitant to leave. Before launching on a new platform, you need to be very, very sure that if your target audience isn’t there already, they’ll at least be willing enough to leave something they’re comfortable with and try something new.

Lesson 2: The Importance of Exclusive Content

As I mentioned in Lesson 1, in order to grow a following on more than one platform, you need to give your followers a great reason to keep up with you in several places. The way you do that is by continuing to offer really great value on every platform but publishing exclusive content to each.

Here’s what Kim uses each of her platforms for, in her own words:

• Instagram: “my expression and what I love to show the world”
• Snapchat: “my silly sarcastic alter ego”
• Twitter: “where I can freely talk and have conversations with anyone and everyone! I feel such a connection on Twitter”

Personally, I find her one-dimensional and don’t really see much difference across her platforms, but the true lesson here is that she has defined what type of content she releases on each specific platform. Is that something you’ve ever done for you and your business?

Lesson 3: Stay Up-to-Date on Social Media Trends

Trends on social media tend to evolve quickly. What worked yesterday may not work today. But if you’re going to establish yourself on social media, you need to accept that this is simply the way it is and adapt accordingly.

In response to this video being released by Kim on Snapchat, Taylor tapped out a statement on her phone, took a screenshot of it, and then posted it with the caption “That moment when Kanye West secretly records your phone call, then Kim posts it on the Internet.”

To quote my childhood friend Serena, “What I really don’t understand is how it’s 2016 and people still release screenshot statements like this with the trash can icon and everything.”

The lesson here is you risk embarrassment and your awesome message being missed because it’s clear you don’t understand how to use the medium on which you’re publishing your content. I would hate for that to happen to you!

Lesson 4: Don’t Publish Content Across Multiple Platforms at The Same Time

This lesson pretty much speaks for itself.

To expand on Lesson 2, yes you want to have exclusive content on each platform, but it doesn’t need to be 100% exclusive. There are certain types of content you’ll probably want to publish across several platforms, such as posts that promote a blog.

That being said, don’t post the exact same piece of content, word for word, at exactly the same time on all the platforms you’re on. For one thing, it will really annoy the people who do follow you on more than one platform. For another, it will also demonstrate that you don’t really understand how to use social media properly.

I understand why Taylor would do it in this case – she needed to do damage control, and it’s the easiest way to get your message out as quickly and as to many people as possible. Trouble is, Taylor does this all. the. time. A quick scan of her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts will show you what I mean.

So, I ask you again – are you a Kim Kardashian, social media savvy with a defined content plan, or a Taylor Swift, out of touch with how to use social media effectively?

I hate to admit this, but personally… I’d rather be Kim.