Image: Kris Olin, via Flickr, Creative Commons 2012\


When it comes to Social Media people always ask me; “How do you keep up with everything happening on-line?” “Sometimes it seems to be more trouble than it is worth.” “I don’t really find it to be all that much fun.”

My reply is always the same, “Maybe you’re not doing it right.”

So, this week I thought we’d take a look at a few things to make social media more fun and useful.

No Invitation Necessary.
Most people just “look” at their Twitter or Facebook feeds and don’t really do anything but push that little “like” or “thumbs up” button (this has to be the laziest response to the start of a conversation I have ever seen). Could you imagine being with friends at a party and someone tells a funny story or joke and all you can muster up is a tiny grunt! Well that is what pushing the “like” button on Facebook is akin to–nothing more than a simple grunt! They really should have called it the “shrug” button. It’s just like saying, “I’m really interested in what you just said but all I can muster up is one tiny ‘click’ to let you know I care.”

So, what do I recommend? Get involved! Drop a comment or reply down on that bad-boy; Say something interesting, add your reaction to the story, ask a question, just keep the conversation going!

Share-Share, that’s fair!
Since we were children we have been taught to share our toys, share our food, and share a smile. Well, the same applies to social media. Sharing things you find around the internet and in your social media feeds is good for a number of reasons.

Maybe your friends don’t see the same posts you do, maybe they do not follow the same people or celebrities that you do–that’s fine–now ‘you’ can be the one people turn to-to get their fix! Sharing great content is one way to get more followers or friends. Once they see that you’re a treasure trove of valuable information they’ll follow ‘you’ for more!

Have a business?
Start sharing recipes or interesting content that relates to your business or brand. Don’t just post offers and discounts to your followers all the time. Be a curator and creator of valuable content that will help, inform and excite your base. Your customers will begin to trust you as an authority in the field and will thank you for it by shopping and buying your goods and services.

Have you heard the News?
Are you a news junkie (like me) and find it hard to stop reading the headlines?

Whether its politics, celebrity gossip or human interest stories make sure you share, re-post, comment or add your personal thoughts to the topic. Your followers and ‘social media bystanders’ will see that you are knowledgeable about a certain trend and they’ll want to follow ‘you’ for your future views and commentary.

Here are some other quick-tips!

• Fill out your profile completely.
Let folks know who you are and where you’re from! Use the same profile photo across all platforms. Branding yourself or your business so it appears uniform across all channels is important.

• Know what to post, and where.
Different platforms cater to different age groups. Just like TV stations some are not for you-or your children-the same applies here.

• Stick to a schedule and remain consistent.
If you want to become part of a community visit the platform of your choice often (don’t disappear for long periods of time). Engage with your friends and followers-let them know that you are out there!

• Don’t get burned out.
Don’t feel you “have” to be on every platform. Find the ones that you like and stick with those. Don’t chase every-shiny-new-object (or social platform). Don’t be distracted and jump from profile to profile on-line, this can cause burnout and that’s no fun for anyone.