Social media is not about techniques. It’s not about “broadcasting.” It’s about helping people.
Get that in your head and the technical stuff gets easier.
Social media success isn’t about you, either. It’s about how you can help. Get that in your head, too, and life gets easier. It’s marketing with a human face and a personal touch. It’s marketing with the other person’s best interests at the forefront of your imagination.
Again, get that in your mind and life is better. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN are simply this: another place and another way to network. Nothing more, nothing less. Everyone makes the newbie mistake of trying to broadcast, trying to reach out and grab a wider audience. Join this, be that.
Yes, you should manage your reputation online. Yes you should be sure to complete your build out and have your radio station done. But, what do you want to be more: someone that’s entertaining and amusing…or someone that helps? Perosnal Branding’s limit is this: it makes things about you. About how awesome you are. The bigger question is this: how much do you help other people? How much do you give?
That’s the point of being on these tools. When you view things that way, when you want to figure out what people want and find a way to give them that, the pressure for figuring out TweetDeck, for figuring out LinkedIN dissipates. You realize that it’s a channel. When you’re nice, kind and good, the world aligns itself to help you out, and to make sure that you’re getting somewhere. Don’t be afraid to dive in: when people learn you’re here to help, to give and not just another taker, they’ll make life easier on you and they’ll make things happen for you.
EDIT: Running spell check helps when typing fast.
