Your Social Media State of Being

We have been engaged in social media long enough to do some evaluation, right?  Are all the tweets, posts, fan pages, blogs and status updates worth our energy?  Millions of businesses and professional individuals have spent time and money on social media to build relationships and develop brands – is it paying off?  Certainly, there are people that are profiting from their efforts – are you one of them?  Are you meeting your expectations?  Do you have expectations?  It is time to pause for reflection.

If you hope to achieve some level of success in business through social media, then you should contemplate your Social Media State of Being.  Who are you?  Why are you here?  What do you value?  What is true connection?  OOohhhmmm.

To achieve a higher Social Media State of Being, consider these principles:

• Being generous. Successful companies are really good at giving products and services specifically designed to solve client’s problems or make their lives better.  Why should social media be any different?  What are you contributing?  Stop thinking of yourself and start thinking about what your online marketing efforts are doing to enhance the lives your audience.
• Being simple. You’ve seen this one:  “Scan the code, visit our website, like our page, invite a friend, share our post – and then you might win a free cup of tea.”  Don’t force your audience to have to think too much or do too much work to participate in your efforts.  Create a benefit and make it easy to attain.
• Being studious. We are so focused on what we put into social media, but how about what we get out of it?  What can we learn?  Data, loads of it.  Businesses can sort data to adjust their strategy or find opportunity in the market.  And for sales people, your calls don’t have to be cold.  You can gain tremendous knowledge about a company or an individual online before you make contact, and then have a warm conversation with someone you’ve never met.
• Being original. Branding is about differentiation, so how are you showing that you are unique?  If someone in your audience used one sentence to describe you, what would it be?  You have original thoughts – present them.  Focus not on what makes you good, but what makes you different.  You must contribute something different to get noticed.
• Being connected. You spend time trying to increase your “followers” and “friends,” but are you spending enough time truly connecting with people?  How many people “Like” your company page?  Okay, now how many of them have you contacted to ask them what they like, or to discuss how you can help them?  Going online is a great way to build a large network, going to the phone is a great way to make a genuine connection.
• Being productive. Generating “Likes” does not equate to generating revenue.  Have you set any goals related to your social media efforts?  Do those goals contain a revenue component?  Does your daily action directly affect those goals?  Are you tracking your progress?

If you are simply using social media as a way to stay in touch with friends and family, then it readily provides your desired benefit.  For professional use, social media is a fantastic opportunity to brand your culture, share your vision, connect with your audience, and build relationships.  You must approach your efforts with purposeful ideals, follow basic business principles, and focus on specific goals.  Find your center.

Namaste.