I recently volunteered to help out an organization I work with from time to time with their Social Media initiatives. When I logged in for the first time, their Twitter account had three followers - one of them was me. After a day, that had increased ten-fold - still small potatoes in the numbers game, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. And more importantly, we had a lead for a headliner guest, a sponsor and a few great panelists. In one day.
As the follower gauge crept slowly up, I was thinking about how easy it is to create a truly *amazing* network on Twitter. And I thought I'd write it up and share it with you today.
1) Start by Following Someone/Something You Know
I've mentioned this before. A new classroom or new job doesn't seem as scary when you know someone there before you start. It gives you a person to sanity check with, a guide and a mentor.
Talk to the people you know who are on Twitter. Learn from them, emulate them. Use them as references for behaviors, acronyms, abbreviations and actions.
Read what they say and notice how they say it. Take note of their balance between work and life, personal and professional.
Use all of this as a guideline for your own interactions. When you get a little freaked out, shoot a Tweet over to that colleague or friend and just have a nice irrelevant chat. It's great for the soul and you'll be blown away by how many people follow you once you relax and just have a conversation.
2) Follow The People The People You Follow Follow
You follow people you respect, information sources you trust, peers and colleagues and people against whom you benchmark your business. Take a look at who these people follow. Who do they get their news from? Who do they consider valuable members of their network? You don't have to follow all - or any - of these people, but the people you follow are a great resource to find more people to follow.
3) Don't Follow Everyone Just Because They Use A Keyword Or Phrase
There's nothing stranger than noticing you've got a dozen new followers and they all seem to have the word "soap" in their names. Suddenly, you realize that you mentioned the lovely new soap you bought last weekend. These people have created a search for a single keyword and automatically follow anyone who mentions that word. It seems like a good idea, but you already *bought* soap. You don't need or want more.
Having a keyword search set up is a great idea. It might net you a few new folks to talk with, a conversation about your business to track, some new contacts - but it's not a catchall basin. Pick and choose your connections so that there's some meaning in it for both you and the person you're following.
4) Follow People You Want in Your Stream
Everyone you follow will pop up on your home page. This and your own posts are your "Twitter stream." It could seem like a great idea to follow your cousin, because she knows a lot about Twitter, but when she starts late-night or drunk Tweeting, is that what you want showing up in your *public* stream?
Follow people who provide your stream with the level of quality and professionalism you want your business to express to the world at large.
5) Talk to People!
It may seem weird at first, just jumping in and asking a question, or introducing yourself to someone online without context, but, really, it's okay. That's normal on Twitter, where the conversations are public, so anyone can join in.
There's even specialized chats that use hashtags so you can follow the conversation with a simple search. Feel free to join in on a chat and learn what people have to say about topics of interest to you. Chats are another great way to find new people to follow.
These are all pretty basic things, but if you keep them in your mind as you get to know Twitter, you'll be well on your way to building an Amazing Network!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Create an Exceptional Social Media Reputation in 3 Easy Steps (And Ruin it in 1)
Social Media is Mainstream. Moms and Dads follow their kids on Facebook. Businesses communicate with customers on Twitter, customers check in on Foursquare to get discounts, people use LinkedIn to look for jobs. There's no need for explanations any more so your friends or peers "get" Social Media.
So, what's left to be said? Well...a lot , really.
I still see businesses using Social Media without paying attention to the positive AND negative effects of their use. It's not just about being professional (although that goes a long, long way to establishing a good reputation.) It's about building something based on high standards and polished execution.
Here are 3 Easy Steps to Building an Exceptional Social Media Reputation
Speed
People want what they want, when they want it, how they want it. They don't want to be shuffled around from site to site. They want a response on whatever system they are on. That means that it's up to you to keep your eyes on any mention of your company - wherever it's being mentioned. Have a PR person? Make sure they are on top of all the major networks, related forums and blogs, not just the ones your company is on.
Being right there to respond to people will provide you and your business with a strong base on which to build your reputation.
Accuracy
I cannot begin to tell you how many companies respond to a Twitter post about bad service with "DM me with details and we'll do our best to help."
Read that line carefully - it proclaims "customer service failure" from beginning to end.
People very, very rarely post out of context. Anywhere. Humans are weird that way - we like people to know what we're talking about. So, if your Twitter search pops up a "crappy service from XYZ co," you can probably bet that there's more to it than just that single post. Do yourself a favor - read the the last few posts - track the conversation back to the very beginning and gather as much information as you can *before* you respond
"DM me with details" has very little value to a customer. In contrast, "I see you're having trouble with delivery. Can you DM me or can I call you about resolving it?" has very high value to a frustrated consumer and will gain you a reputation for exceptional customer service. Face it - of these two, which one would you prefer to get as a response?
Honesty
I just read yet another article about yet another company offering a promotion and then coming up with a bunch of hidden small print designed to make sure they weren't actually going to have to honor the promotion. Seriously, who thinks that's a good idea? In this day and age of instant communications, where one click of the button can reach tens of thousands of people, it behooves you to be what you say you are, give what you say you'll give and do what you say you'll do. Strive for clarity, honesty and transparency as a way to forge a strong reputation.
Bonus - 1 Easy Step to Ruin Your Reputation
You can spend years building a flawless reputation for outstanding customer service, excellent value and stellar quality. And it only takes one really bad experience to ruin it. What's the one thing that can ruin you?
Forget to Listen
Whether the customer is right is never the issue. Who is wrong is never the issue.
The issue is, the customer feels that s/he has been served poorly. Why that is, is a matter for internal reflection - it is not the customer's place to have to investigate or be investigated.
There are many components of Social Media - the first and foremost is not to communicate out, but to take in. Do your best to connect to the customer - listen to them. Show that you understand and are engaged with their problem. And above all, let them know that your priority is to resolve the matter in a way that satisfies them.
Your reputation is a precarious thing. Remember to listen to your customer, respond to them quickly, be as informed as you can be and honor your promises and you'll have a Social Media reputation that can withstand any storm.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
10 Questions to Determine If You're Using Social Media "Right"
The words "Social Media" have become as common as "cell phone" or "online marketing." And, like so much else related to digital forms of communication, there's a tremendous amount of snake oil being sold as panaceas for your ailing business.
Here's a simple checklist to determine if your business is getting the maximum benefit from your social media use.
***
1-4 "Yes" answers
Your use of Social Media is not Optimal
Social Media requires good interaction to be successful. You may have profiles or pages on all the hottest networks, but you're not curating them. The more you interact, the more authentic you seem. The more authentic you are, the more people will want to interact!
Take a few moments and prioritize your Social Media presence. Focus on one or two places where you can realistically spend time with your customers and cultivate relationships with them. In 6 months, retake this test and see how far you've come!
5-7 "Yes" answers
Your Use of Social Media is Good
You've got the basics down and you're putting your best foot forward most of the time. You're busy, so sometimes maybe you miss something, but you're doing your best.
Take a long look at a few of the spaces that aren't really getting much return. Maybe it's time to let go of an old profile or network. One of your spaces might just be full of unmoderated spam and it's time to trim it. Don't just get rid of the old, though- your mailing list may still be the best conversation in town. Just be ready to let go of something that's not working and focus on what is.
8-10 "Yes" answers
Congratulations, you are doing Social Media "Right"!
You understand that responding quickly and politely to issues means there's no time for those unresolved issues to fester into resentment. You understand that being where your audience is means you can convert them to becoming your market. And you understand that talking with people is more than just talking about yourself.
Don't get cocky, though - there's always room for improvement. Take that excellent Social Media Strategy and turn it into something exciting for you and your followers!
Use these ten questions as a quick health check of your Social Media presence on any platform - you can even ask your followers to take the test for you and see if you and they have the same feelings about your Social Media use.
Here's a simple checklist to determine if your business is getting the maximum benefit from your social media use.
***
1-4 "Yes" answers
Your use of Social Media is not Optimal
Social Media requires good interaction to be successful. You may have profiles or pages on all the hottest networks, but you're not curating them. The more you interact, the more authentic you seem. The more authentic you are, the more people will want to interact!
Take a few moments and prioritize your Social Media presence. Focus on one or two places where you can realistically spend time with your customers and cultivate relationships with them. In 6 months, retake this test and see how far you've come!
5-7 "Yes" answers
Your Use of Social Media is Good
You've got the basics down and you're putting your best foot forward most of the time. You're busy, so sometimes maybe you miss something, but you're doing your best.
Take a long look at a few of the spaces that aren't really getting much return. Maybe it's time to let go of an old profile or network. One of your spaces might just be full of unmoderated spam and it's time to trim it. Don't just get rid of the old, though- your mailing list may still be the best conversation in town. Just be ready to let go of something that's not working and focus on what is.
8-10 "Yes" answers
Congratulations, you are doing Social Media "Right"!
You understand that responding quickly and politely to issues means there's no time for those unresolved issues to fester into resentment. You understand that being where your audience is means you can convert them to becoming your market. And you understand that talking with people is more than just talking about yourself.
Don't get cocky, though - there's always room for improvement. Take that excellent Social Media Strategy and turn it into something exciting for you and your followers!
Use these ten questions as a quick health check of your Social Media presence on any platform - you can even ask your followers to take the test for you and see if you and they have the same feelings about your Social Media use.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Three Rules of Blog Commenting for Fun and Profit
Any discussion of community and network building will inevitably touch upon commenting on other people's blogs as a great way to both promote yourself and expand your own sphere of influence. Here's three simple rules of Comment Etiquette that will set you on the right path.
Give to Get
The very best way to gain respect, increase your network and make friends is to share information. You have knowledge about your field and there are people who need and want it. Make yourself as available as you can to them. Offer advice when it's asked for, sympathy where it's needed and generally be an open book that people can turn to when they need a prompt.
Use your knowledge to set people on the right path and offer up lessons gained from your experience to provide others with a mentor or peer they can turn to when the chips are down.
Don't Sell - Talk
Writing a compelling comment takes humility. When you comment on someone else's blog, make sure the focus is on their content and what you can add to it. You have a unique perspective, unique experiences, but that person's blog is not about you. Don't take the opportunity to shift the focus onto yourself. It feels forced...and a little selfish. This is their blog - help them out. Add something to the conversation; present a new option. Don't derail the conversation in this space by pointing to another one somewhere else, unless it's really relevant to the topic at hand. And don't take that moment to pitch your exciting new product. It's not going to be as welcome as you might expect.
Avoid Zingers
There's an expectation in some spaces on the Internet that conversations have "winners" and "losers." For a lot of good (and bad) reasons that I won't be going into here, conversations on the Internet are often seen as battles that have to be won. And many people believe that the sure way to "win" a conversation is to kill it.
In reality, comments are only worth as much as they further a conversation. Your zinger may give you the feeling of a "win," but really, you've lost - not only is the conversation dead for everyone, you'll get a reputation as a troll.
Before you comment, ask yourself - is this comment going to contribute to the conversation? Will it prolong it? Am I opening doors or shutting them? Of course, we all have a moment or two when we're not in the most tolerant mood, but the more often you take a moment, breathe, and set down a comment that keeps the conversation going, the more you'll get a reputation as someone worth listening to.
As a colleague says, "First Thought Wrong," by which she means that it's important to take a moment - make sure you breathe - and consider what is about to come out of your mouth.
Use the same consideration on other people's blogs as you'd like on your own - share information, keep the conversation going. Then your comments will be seen as a valuable addition and you as a valuable resource.
Give to Get
The very best way to gain respect, increase your network and make friends is to share information. You have knowledge about your field and there are people who need and want it. Make yourself as available as you can to them. Offer advice when it's asked for, sympathy where it's needed and generally be an open book that people can turn to when they need a prompt.
Use your knowledge to set people on the right path and offer up lessons gained from your experience to provide others with a mentor or peer they can turn to when the chips are down.
Don't Sell - Talk
Writing a compelling comment takes humility. When you comment on someone else's blog, make sure the focus is on their content and what you can add to it. You have a unique perspective, unique experiences, but that person's blog is not about you. Don't take the opportunity to shift the focus onto yourself. It feels forced...and a little selfish. This is their blog - help them out. Add something to the conversation; present a new option. Don't derail the conversation in this space by pointing to another one somewhere else, unless it's really relevant to the topic at hand. And don't take that moment to pitch your exciting new product. It's not going to be as welcome as you might expect.
Avoid Zingers
There's an expectation in some spaces on the Internet that conversations have "winners" and "losers." For a lot of good (and bad) reasons that I won't be going into here, conversations on the Internet are often seen as battles that have to be won. And many people believe that the sure way to "win" a conversation is to kill it.
In reality, comments are only worth as much as they further a conversation. Your zinger may give you the feeling of a "win," but really, you've lost - not only is the conversation dead for everyone, you'll get a reputation as a troll.
Before you comment, ask yourself - is this comment going to contribute to the conversation? Will it prolong it? Am I opening doors or shutting them? Of course, we all have a moment or two when we're not in the most tolerant mood, but the more often you take a moment, breathe, and set down a comment that keeps the conversation going, the more you'll get a reputation as someone worth listening to.
As a colleague says, "First Thought Wrong," by which she means that it's important to take a moment - make sure you breathe - and consider what is about to come out of your mouth.
Use the same consideration on other people's blogs as you'd like on your own - share information, keep the conversation going. Then your comments will be seen as a valuable addition and you as a valuable resource.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Don't Assume, Do Provide Context - Writing for Social Media
On SocialOptimized, I constantly exhort you to know your audience and know where they hang out online, to most effectively target them. However, Social Media is also a powerful tool to reach outside those pre-existing spaces and attract new interest.
Today we'll talk about expanding your audience through providing context.
The keystone of Social Media is relevance. Relevance is what drives you to share information with your network and your network to share information with their networks. To create relevance, you need to provide context. And, to provide context, there are a few assumptions you need to avoid.
Don't Assume It's About You
People follow/friend/fan/connect for a lot of reasons. The number one reason is that they think that by doing so, it will add to their lives in some meaningful way. They might expect you to provide information, entertainment, discounts, something. People look for a quid pro quo when they follow you.
As a business owner, don't get locked up int the idea that your followers want to know about you for your sake - what they want is to know about you for *their* sakes.
When you use Social Media, consider answering "what's in it for me?" before it's even asked.
Don't Assume Your Followers Are Fans
You have a fanpage for your business, or maybe you Tweet often. Or, perhaps you have a nice following of readers at your business blog. In any case, you know that people read you every day...or do you? Not everyone who follows you is going to check in with you every day. Your readers might be more casual than you think they are. There's a good chance that your followers don't read every post or tweet you make.
Don't Assume They Know What You Are Talking About
Your readers want to know what you are talking about, even if they come in in the middle of the conversation. Let them know that this is the middle of the conversation, when they do. It's easy enough to backtrack on most social networking systems - provide links, quotes, synopses, whatever it takes to keep people on top of what they need to know to be able to understand what you're saying.
***
Do Provide Context
Whether you have an article in a local paper, a blog post a Facebook status or a Twitter update, every word counts with your readers.
Let your followers know if this is a question, a chat, promotional, a link, food for thought. People have less time (and less inclination) than ever to think critically about everything. Let your readers know up front how much time and energy you are asking for. Are you writing about a provocative or thought-provoking topic - let them know! Are you waxing philosophical over something - or nothing? The more specific you are about what you expect from your readers, the better your response will be.
Do Make Your Point
See the above comment about time and inclination. Before you start writing - make sure you have a point. Whether it's a new product or service you want to mention, or a relevant event, it's important to let your followers know what it is that you are trying to say. It makes it easier for them to share the information - and easier for you to reach people who care about that topic.
Do Invite Feedback
It might seem obvious to you that you want to interact with people in your Social Network, but it's not always obvious to them. A status update is most often in the form of a declarative statement. Some people will not interpret that as a request for feedback or as a conversation starter. Provide a clue to your followers that they are welcome to comment, so they *know* their opinions and thoughts are encouraged. This will provide more impetus for sharing, when people know that the door is open for discussion.
***
Do Consider Sharing
Taking the time to craft your information so that it is understandable to people outside your field and repeatable across multiple platforms will increase your chances of attracting an audience outside your usual sphere.
Short, retweetable lead ins, strong quotes, good tag words. All of these will attract people who are interested in what you have to say, and encourage them to share that with others.
Don't Assume, Do Provide Context and you'll turn your Social Media into an effective tool to recruit a new audience.
Today we'll talk about expanding your audience through providing context.
The keystone of Social Media is relevance. Relevance is what drives you to share information with your network and your network to share information with their networks. To create relevance, you need to provide context. And, to provide context, there are a few assumptions you need to avoid.
Don't Assume It's About You
People follow/friend/fan/connect for a lot of reasons. The number one reason is that they think that by doing so, it will add to their lives in some meaningful way. They might expect you to provide information, entertainment, discounts, something. People look for a quid pro quo when they follow you.
As a business owner, don't get locked up int the idea that your followers want to know about you for your sake - what they want is to know about you for *their* sakes.
When you use Social Media, consider answering "what's in it for me?" before it's even asked.
Don't Assume Your Followers Are Fans
You have a fanpage for your business, or maybe you Tweet often. Or, perhaps you have a nice following of readers at your business blog. In any case, you know that people read you every day...or do you? Not everyone who follows you is going to check in with you every day. Your readers might be more casual than you think they are. There's a good chance that your followers don't read every post or tweet you make.
Don't Assume They Know What You Are Talking About
Your readers want to know what you are talking about, even if they come in in the middle of the conversation. Let them know that this is the middle of the conversation, when they do. It's easy enough to backtrack on most social networking systems - provide links, quotes, synopses, whatever it takes to keep people on top of what they need to know to be able to understand what you're saying.
***
Do Provide Context
Whether you have an article in a local paper, a blog post a Facebook status or a Twitter update, every word counts with your readers.
Let your followers know if this is a question, a chat, promotional, a link, food for thought. People have less time (and less inclination) than ever to think critically about everything. Let your readers know up front how much time and energy you are asking for. Are you writing about a provocative or thought-provoking topic - let them know! Are you waxing philosophical over something - or nothing? The more specific you are about what you expect from your readers, the better your response will be.
Do Make Your Point
See the above comment about time and inclination. Before you start writing - make sure you have a point. Whether it's a new product or service you want to mention, or a relevant event, it's important to let your followers know what it is that you are trying to say. It makes it easier for them to share the information - and easier for you to reach people who care about that topic.
Do Invite Feedback
It might seem obvious to you that you want to interact with people in your Social Network, but it's not always obvious to them. A status update is most often in the form of a declarative statement. Some people will not interpret that as a request for feedback or as a conversation starter. Provide a clue to your followers that they are welcome to comment, so they *know* their opinions and thoughts are encouraged. This will provide more impetus for sharing, when people know that the door is open for discussion.
***
Do Consider Sharing
Taking the time to craft your information so that it is understandable to people outside your field and repeatable across multiple platforms will increase your chances of attracting an audience outside your usual sphere.
Short, retweetable lead ins, strong quotes, good tag words. All of these will attract people who are interested in what you have to say, and encourage them to share that with others.
Don't Assume, Do Provide Context and you'll turn your Social Media into an effective tool to recruit a new audience.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Finding the Right Noise-to-Signal Ratio for Effective Business Social Media
So, you've joined a Social Network because you've read articles about how great it is for businesses. And you have a lot of questions. One of them is, "what the heck are all these people blathering about?"
Today we're going to discuss the concept of the Signal-to-Noise ratio.
Signal is the name online veterans give to meaningful, substantive and/or on-topic conversation.
Noise is everything else.
It seems totally obvious that the key to effective business use of Social Media is to only talk about relevant stuff, right? Not so.
Social Media is talking to people. People are basically herd creatures. We respond better to people with whom we feel some sort of commonality. Liking the same team (or even just the same sport) is a simple way to establish commonality. So is liking the same band, food, TV show, book, graduating from the same school, etc. Failing this, we seek out people with similar experiences or interests, similar issues or heck, someone who likes the rain as much as we do. Anything to establish a common value between us.
Imagine for a moment coming into the office one Monday and for some reason no one is saying, "Hello," or "How was your weekend?" All day it's just "Bob, how the report coming along?" and "Bob, meeting at 2!"
It would feel strange. At least a "Good morning" would seem sensible, right?
The same is true on Social Networks. Even on a business-related network, there's a certain amount of give and take one has to expect. Normal greeting patterns, chitchat about the weather and teams and other banal conversation is not only normal when people talk, it's bonding behavior. We ask about the vacation, chat about that local sports team, revel in the new technology with which we are connecting to the network. This "noise," brings people together.
The problem is, of course, when that "noise" creates as many 'them' as 'us.' Person A, B and C might love chatting about politics on their intranet's social network, but it might put off Person D. Person D might see the conversation as distracting noise, where A,B and C see it as signal and totally relevant to their functioning as a team.
(As an aside, when you're in a face-to-face meeting, check out the expressions of everyone while the "chit-chat" portion of the conversation is going on. You'll be able to see that every topic is going to create at least one outsider. The person who doesn't care about sports, the person without children, the person who doesn't celebrate that holiday. Good interpersonal Social Media means not letting that kind of thing go on to the point of exclusion.)
Truly effective use of Social Media has to balance signal and noise. Detractors tend to see the whole as noise. As a person recently told me, Social Networking exists because people like to share pointless information with the world. I replied that it's only pointless if you don't care about it. To someone who does, it's not pointless at all. Most people automatically categorize other people's signal as noise. :-)
To create signal, engage in a conversation.
It's a good bet that most of what you say randomly to the universe at large is noise. But when you talk with another person, any topic automatically gains relevance. The more inclusive the conversation, the more relevant. This is what "trending topics" are on any number of networks - topics being discussed by a lot of people at once.
To nurture signal, create a conversation
You have your opinion, and other people may or may not feel comfortable responding to it. It's a better idea to ask a question, or offer an option for response to encourage people to take up the mantle of the conversation. Step in from time to time to nurture the conversation and feed it; nudge it when it gets too off-topic. Take it for a walk when the conversation gets bogged down in a fruitless path of discussion.
To expand signal, reach outside the group
.
It might be as easy as linking to a related conversation somewhere else on the Internet, or retweeting something tangential that someone said. It might need more work, you reaching outside your network to bring in someone outside this particular conversation, but on point to the topic. Getting a fresh voice to join or a subject expert to weigh in can rejuvenate a failing signal.
Don't be afraid of noise
There's nothing wrong with starting your day asking Bob how his kids are, or saying you had a great time on vacation. Don't fear being a little "noise"y.
It's what makes us human and you never know, you might find a new person who has something in common with you.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
4 Quick Tips to Get the Most Out of Social Media
I'm a born button-clicker. Because of training, experience and nature, I jump on any old system and start pounding around until I find what I want. But even in the world of Social Media, not everyone is going to be comfortable with every system - and those of you who who run your own businesses barely have time to read the paper, much less develop a Social Media Strategy.
(For the purposes of this post, "follow" is the term I'm using, but it refers to "friend" "like" "connect" "follow" or any other term a particular network may use to indicate that you and another person are linked.)
Here are a few quick steps to get the most out of *any* Social Media platform:
1) Start by following someone you know.
At this point, it's rare to have no one you know who is on any kind of Social Media platform. You may have a sister on Facebook, a colleague on LinkedIn, a peer on Twitter, a mentor on Foursquare. Before you set yourself up on any network, contact that someone - let them know you'll be joining. This gives you a friend/follow/contact right away and a resource to ask questions of. Perhaps they might be glad to walk you through the system. (They might not - and not every active user is a good teacher!)
Knowing someone on the system you choose also means that you have a network built-in to the platform you've chosen. (See #3.)
2) Know why you are following them
Your friends are your peers, but your peers may not be your friends. You know that, of course. And every Social Media platform has a different focus. You may love your boss, go to picnics with him/her and the family - and be perfectly comfortable adding your boss to your friends on Facebook. On the other hand, you may prefer to keep a strictly professional relationship between the two of you.
By "know why you follow" a person or company, I mean that you need to be mindful not only of their communications to you, but also your communications in return. Are you transmitting the kind of image that you want those people to see? Are your posts confident, cheerful, depressed, determined? Every single post you make will contribute to a whole picture of what *you* are. Likewise, if you follow someone for industry news and all they do is talk about their pet, it may be time to cut the connection.
3) Follow their friends
This is not an absolute command, of course, but if you joined a network with a few contacts already in your pocket, one of the fastest ways to build your network with peers and friends is to look through their contacts.
If your sister's on Facebook and you're the last one in the family to join, chances are she's got all the family contacts. :-) The same is true for LinkedIn or Twitter - chances are your peers have already found each other and you can find them quickly by looking at what groups they've joined, what contacts they have, what lists they've built.
4) Learn the platform
It's a fact that, as an adult, you are expected to somehow be instantly competent at everything you do. As an expert, even more so. I was training someone this past week on a system I had *never* seen before - how does one even do that? Well, I was used to the kind of system type it was, I have experience in similar things, and I'm not afraid to click around until I find what I'm looking for. However, after a few minutes, I found something even better - a tutorial.
Almost every platform out there has "help" or a tutorial. But, because we're busy adults, we skip it, thinking we can figure it our on our own. Well...don't! Take five minutes and watch the tutorial, read the help. Scan the Frequently Asked Questions, you'll see what basics are covered right up front. Use the resources available to you, then ask your peer (remember - the first one you followed) for follow-up advice.
5) Only follow people/companies you want to engage with
One of the weirdest phenomenons in Social Media are the people with 10,000 friends, or who follow 25,000 people. How on earth can they manage amounts like this? There are ways - there have to be, don't there? We'll save that for another post. :-) When you're first joining, if you're not used to the ways on the online world, it seems like a lot of noise, compared to the amount of information you actually get.
To manage this "noise" (discussions of meals, rants about random unrelated things, comments that might seem inappropriate, weather, traffic, etc. Stuff that seems irrelevant, but is actually quite important in building lasting relationships....) start by only following people and companies you want to talk and listen to. That means, your close friends/peers you interact with or want to interact with regularly and companies or organizations you *actually* care about. Don't feel pressured to follow a group because the people you follow follow it. If you don't care, don't follow. You may love your local deli for it's coffee, but really don't want to know about the Thursday lunch specials it's running.
Start small - a few people you want to talk to regularly or semi-regularly. A company you frequently use and would like to know what the news or specials are. A news source you trust and like. When you get used to these, feel free to expand beyond them...at your pace, or not at all, if you're happy with the status quo.
There are no hard and fast rules to building or manging your network. Do what you want to do, the way you want to get the most out of your Social Media.
(For the purposes of this post, "follow" is the term I'm using, but it refers to "friend" "like" "connect" "follow" or any other term a particular network may use to indicate that you and another person are linked.)
Here are a few quick steps to get the most out of *any* Social Media platform:
1) Start by following someone you know.
At this point, it's rare to have no one you know who is on any kind of Social Media platform. You may have a sister on Facebook, a colleague on LinkedIn, a peer on Twitter, a mentor on Foursquare. Before you set yourself up on any network, contact that someone - let them know you'll be joining. This gives you a friend/follow/contact right away and a resource to ask questions of. Perhaps they might be glad to walk you through the system. (They might not - and not every active user is a good teacher!)
Knowing someone on the system you choose also means that you have a network built-in to the platform you've chosen. (See #3.)
2) Know why you are following them
Your friends are your peers, but your peers may not be your friends. You know that, of course. And every Social Media platform has a different focus. You may love your boss, go to picnics with him/her and the family - and be perfectly comfortable adding your boss to your friends on Facebook. On the other hand, you may prefer to keep a strictly professional relationship between the two of you.
By "know why you follow" a person or company, I mean that you need to be mindful not only of their communications to you, but also your communications in return. Are you transmitting the kind of image that you want those people to see? Are your posts confident, cheerful, depressed, determined? Every single post you make will contribute to a whole picture of what *you* are. Likewise, if you follow someone for industry news and all they do is talk about their pet, it may be time to cut the connection.
3) Follow their friends
This is not an absolute command, of course, but if you joined a network with a few contacts already in your pocket, one of the fastest ways to build your network with peers and friends is to look through their contacts.
If your sister's on Facebook and you're the last one in the family to join, chances are she's got all the family contacts. :-) The same is true for LinkedIn or Twitter - chances are your peers have already found each other and you can find them quickly by looking at what groups they've joined, what contacts they have, what lists they've built.
4) Learn the platform
It's a fact that, as an adult, you are expected to somehow be instantly competent at everything you do. As an expert, even more so. I was training someone this past week on a system I had *never* seen before - how does one even do that? Well, I was used to the kind of system type it was, I have experience in similar things, and I'm not afraid to click around until I find what I'm looking for. However, after a few minutes, I found something even better - a tutorial.
Almost every platform out there has "help" or a tutorial. But, because we're busy adults, we skip it, thinking we can figure it our on our own. Well...don't! Take five minutes and watch the tutorial, read the help. Scan the Frequently Asked Questions, you'll see what basics are covered right up front. Use the resources available to you, then ask your peer (remember - the first one you followed) for follow-up advice.
5) Only follow people/companies you want to engage with
One of the weirdest phenomenons in Social Media are the people with 10,000 friends, or who follow 25,000 people. How on earth can they manage amounts like this? There are ways - there have to be, don't there? We'll save that for another post. :-) When you're first joining, if you're not used to the ways on the online world, it seems like a lot of noise, compared to the amount of information you actually get.
To manage this "noise" (discussions of meals, rants about random unrelated things, comments that might seem inappropriate, weather, traffic, etc. Stuff that seems irrelevant, but is actually quite important in building lasting relationships....) start by only following people and companies you want to talk and listen to. That means, your close friends/peers you interact with or want to interact with regularly and companies or organizations you *actually* care about. Don't feel pressured to follow a group because the people you follow follow it. If you don't care, don't follow. You may love your local deli for it's coffee, but really don't want to know about the Thursday lunch specials it's running.
Start small - a few people you want to talk to regularly or semi-regularly. A company you frequently use and would like to know what the news or specials are. A news source you trust and like. When you get used to these, feel free to expand beyond them...at your pace, or not at all, if you're happy with the status quo.
There are no hard and fast rules to building or manging your network. Do what you want to do, the way you want to get the most out of your Social Media.
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