See when you’re reading blogs that tell you about how you should be using social media? First thing you should do is think about whether they are really talking to you or not.
See, there are a lot of different uses for SM and they require fundamentally different approaches to the medium. They each have their own flavour, blended from vastly differing sets of ingredients.
Are you, for example, a well known brand?
If you are then you are duty bound to protect the reputation of that brand by communicating with your followers. You need to listen to what they are saying and act on what you hear. Tailor your content to be interesting and interactive. Don’t just feed it your offline stuff.
Maybe you’re a celebrity?
Ah. Now. That’s a bit different. Your social media content if you are a public figure is entirely based on your character. Maybe you are fiery and controversial. Maybe you’re all knowing and smug. Maybe you’re an expert at something.
If you’re a well known face then people are following YOU and simply want to hear what you think. Be honest with them and don’t try to water yourself down. If you do deign to actually speak to any of them, they will faint.
Or are you a social media beast?
There’s lots of them about. If your following has been grown by a series of purposeful iniatives. If your existence in people’s timelines is simply so they get to hear what you’ve got to say about types of differing social media user. Well then you’ve made a rod for your own back.
You have to keep dreaming up new ways to say the same thing. Y0u have to keep in with other experts in your field. And you have to keep reading and thinking so that you can filter the industry news through a knowledgeable lens.
You might be none of the above
I know it sounds crazy, but you might just be an ordinary person. Just someone with a Twitter account and a Facebook page. If that’s the case then don’t bother reading this. Don’t waste your time with blogs about how you should be using social media. Just go on posting your updates and chatting to your friends.
You may well find that your stream is the best of all.
Image credit: Piotr Bizior
Barry Dewar 