We all use social media slightly differently, and every audience is different, but with 15% – 20% of the British population being neurodiverse, it’s important to keep social media accessible. I’ve had a chat with Julie Williams, aka the Cooking Counsellor, to get her thoughts on the matter.
“If it’s more than 3 steps, I’ve lost interest, it’s gone. I suppose that it can come across as not interested but it’s really not that, it’s just that it’s hard to access.” -Julie
Keeping neurodiverse people engaged in your content
“Get straight to the point. Ask a question. Something that engages with the audience straight away by asking them a question that will make me stop and it will make me look and go ooh actually yeah that’s good. Be specific. If I can support you, I’d love to, but I need you to tell me exactly what you need from me. But authenticity I think is the biggest one, you can tell when somebody is coming across as false.” – Julie
Before tapping that “post” button, check your post. How quickly would a reader know if it’s worth reading? How quickly would they know it’s talking to them? And remember to check your call to action! How easy is it for the reader to support your post? What would you expect someone to comment?
Different platforms get used differently
“I have specific social media for specific things. So on Facebook, my personal page is about me. I did try and mix them up at one point, but it didn’t work for my brain. Neurotypical people seem to be able to go between all the platforms in a more fluent way. I love TikTok because it gives me an instant fix, straight away something I’m interested in and can follow, and I feel like I’m in charge of it. I know I’m not because the algorithms do all of that stuff but I feel more in control of it” – Julie
Your content will perform differently across the platforms because your audience is there for different reasons. I post the same content on LinkedIn and Facebook but at different times of the day. My content gets seen on LinkedIn at 10 or 11 am – when my target audience is grabbing that extra cup of coffee. My content gets seen on Facebook at 2.55 pm – when my target audience is waiting for their kids to get out of school. Try different things, try different times, and potentially, try different platforms.
Patience and understanding is key
“I was at an event yesterday, I had to be people-facing at that event and it was for five hours and I came home, shut the bedroom door and I just locked myself away. And I’m actually brain-dead today, so it takes that long to get over. So social media is another thing that can invade your space in a way.” – Julie
I love this reminder that it can take a while after an event to be ready to show up on social media again. If you’re running an event and want people to talk about it on social media, be patient and understanding about it. One thing I love is when I go to big networking events and there’s a “post on social time”. It gets everyone talking about your content and it ticks it off everyone’s to-do list.
This is true for any kind of shoutout, not just events. If you’re waiting for reviews, make sure your audience knows that there isn’t an expiration date. They haven’t waited too long to get back to you and you’d still love to hear from them.
My Featured Guest
Julie is a neurodiversity consultant, trainer and counsellor. She supports neurospicy individuals to thrive socially, emotionally and professionally. She also offers training to ensure you have the knowledge, awareness and skills to support your clients, children or friends who are neurodiverse.
To find out more about Julie, check out her website here!
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Tesni xx
