Five Social Media Cues From The Real World

It’s vital for you to be able to measure the results of your social media marketing and campaigns. While the need for numbers and metrics are vital, there are some practical, up-front strategies and philosophies you can take from social situations that will put you on the right track before you’ve even acted, let alone measured response in numbers. Don’t lose sight of the fact that social media is truly an extension of the real world in general.

5 Real World Social Situations To Advise Your Social Strategy

1) Greetings

When you first meet someone, you put your best foot forward. It’s the balance of being genuine and presenting the best “you” you can. You define yourself by how you present yourself. Your image on social media is the same. You need to remind yourself on a daily basis, “The elements that present my brand best to the public are…” Don’t get caught up in the drudgery of a maintenance-only attitude. Greet your followers as if it were the first time, every day. 

2) Face-to-face

Got writer’s block? Strategy block? Once again, it’s easy to get tied into a relationship with your computer screen or a strategy schematic. You have to meet people where they are! Create, write, strategize, but envision yourself in a face-to-face conversation with the follower. Social media brings you directly into your follower’s homes and lives. Accept the invitation, and make it personal!

3) Conversation

What is the best way to keep a conversation going and make someone else feel cared for in conversation? Ask them about themselves! People love the opportunity to talk about things they’re doing and what they’re passionate about. Make your social media channels a place of conversation, where your followers know that they are a part of it and can express themselves safely.

4) Humor

A great way to lose touch with someone in conversation is to go to0 deep, too heavy, too quickly in what you talk about. Again, it’s a balance. You don’t want to be shallow, but at the same time you don’t want to throw a wet blanket onto the discussion. Make sure to implement appropriate humorous posts or memes (not at the follower’s expense OR yours). You want to open doors of communication, and well-placed humor can often unlock them. 

5) Informative vs. Annoying 

In a face-to-face conversation, the best relationships begin when both parties feel equally informed and listened to. Some people are great at talking a lot, but no one likes someone that goes on and on, repeating the same information when the main point has already been communicated clearly. Be a wealth of information without cluttering the newsfeed. Lean toward shorter social media posts packed with shockingly-good, click-worthy information, and avoid the un-follower. 

You Were Made For This

The entire point of any education or career is to reach results, results that are inherently based on relationships. We are born with the a natural affinity and desire to connect with others, to share our passions, and to find like-minded communities that are open to discussion, that value us, and that provide us with something we want. Be that to your audience! If your social media content and strategy seems cluttered, step back and recognize that the technology we use for social media is merely an extension of our own abilities and skills at interpersonal communication.