How Social Media Can Help People Make Good Personal Finance Decisions
Long before Facebook became a place where we yell at each other about the political story du jour, it was a magical place where all kinds of stuff was posted and people were happy. As the American political climate became more and more divisive, and the Facebook user group became more representative of the adult American population, it evolved into more of a sounding board for political vitriol, at least on most of our profiles that is.
However, you’re not interesting in arguing about Trump; you’re interested in money: the way we use it, the way it creates culture, and the way it plays into the global economic situation, of which each of us is a tiny little part. If you’re interested in making Facebook more about the financial conversation you enjoy, and making this social media platform more inclusive and civil in the process, here are three ways to do just that.
Start by sharing educational information. In the day of hyperbolic headlines and partisan memery, calm and informative material can be a welcome relief. Most people have one or more problems with money, including people you care about and love. If you want a better day for yourself and the people you like most, at least as far as money goes, it’s time to start posting information that will benefit people on your timeline, not just entertain them briefly. If you’re not given to the writing of financial diatribes, rely on the work of top financial blogs’ authors. These people put in simple language helpful tools that can turn financial lives around. Because people tend to absorb the opinions and information that fills their Facebook feeds, add stuff that’s helpful and it could make a difference for some.
Another great way to use social media as a platform for financial self-improvement is to start a conversation with people who are interested in what you have to say. This can be done in a number of ways. If you are a known entity who writes on the subject of personal finance, you have a natural platform on which to build helpful conversations for an interested public. If you’re starting from scratch, post about successes and failures of your own, or good experiences in a Betterment review about the service you’ve been using. Try to keep things light, relevant to the cultural moment, and interesting. If you do this well, you’ll have no end of conversations to guide and take part in.
Another posting idea is the wisdom you’ve learned over the years, put into easily understandable tips and steps. Do you know a great way to cut down on debt and start saving? Have you found awesome methods of making a second income or side hustle? Have you figured out how to improve your credit enough to get a great interest rate on your new home purchase? Maybe you want to post about your mistakes, those little disasters that have taught you more than any finance school ever could. Just be honest and try to talk about what people need to know in the briefest, most interesting way possible. These little bites of knowledge could help many people in your social network, and remind you of the best way to live your financial life in the process.
There are tons of ways to use social media to help people you care about make better financial decisions and to remind yourself of what it takes to build a secure financial future. Take the time to do this and you’ll learn a lot, you’ll give practical help to those you love, and you’ll make Facebook a better place in the process.
We hope you enjoyed the above post in cooperation with Socialnomics!
