I think at this point, there isn’t anyone left who would argue against the importance of social media. More and more brands, charities, celebrities, performing artists, small business owners and individuals are trying to harness the power of social media outlets and the sheer volume of choices and ideas can be really overwhelming.

This isn’t going to be a post about which outlets, third party tools, and so called rules I follow. There are plenty of articles about those issues; rather, it’s about your “voice”. I see so many tweets and updates that are poorly written, don’t give enough information, have glaring spelling and grammatical errors, or just contain a link, usually a shortened link so that I have no idea when it will take me and it makes me want to scream or at least, ignore the message. Dont get me wrong, we all make grammatical mistakes, or send something out without thinking it through, that’s understandable. No, what I’m talking about are the companies and individuals who are operating under the assumption that just because you post something, people are obligated to act on it. Let’s get something really clear, no one owes anyone anything when it comes to social media. And if you’re not offering clear, compelling information, even the people who like you will ultimately stop sharing your information or even acting on it.

Of course the easiest way to make sure that you sound professional and approachable is to hire semone to take care of this for you.  There are plenty of people who do this (and if that’s the route you’re taking, I hope you’ll allow me to give you a quote), but if you dont have the budget for that, or are just frankly more interested in doing it yourself, than please take the time to really think about what your saying and how you’re saying it.  I’m going to break this down into a couple of examples that tend to drive me a little batty (it’s not a far drive).  Here are a couple that currently make me twitch.

1. I just posted a picture (insert link)
   while the picture might be hysterical/gorgeous/amazing/interesting/whatever there’s no way I’m clicking that link. I’m just not curious enough nor do I have the time to click every link for a picture.  Say something compelling (there’s that word again) that will interest me enough to click the link. “Check out this shot I got of the first bluebird in my garden” – while not everyone will click through, people interested in photography, birding, or gardening are far more likely to click the link.  Try posting pictures that will interest your target demographic using this rule of thumb.  You might be surprised.
2. Check Out My Site! (insert link)
   While we all can appreciate how proud you are of your website, letting people know why they should check it out will go a lot farther.  What’s in it for them?  Talk about your product, or your great interview, what you and your site have to offer, how can it help/inform/entertain me?
3. All Self Promotion All the Time
   Some experts say 1 in 10 tweets or status updates should be self promoting, others 80/20%.  I don’t really go by a definitive number, and I do broadcast all my blog posts, but I share lots of other content as well.  Every morning, I look for other bloggers’ posts and tweets and if they’ve done or said something that I found interesting or helpful, I share it.  Not only do I like to do it, but it creates goodwill. I’m of the belief that there’s enough room for everyone to enjoy success but if you’re not quite comfortable with that, find someone who is in a similar, or complimentary category and start to share their stuff. As an added bonus, I’ve made some really good friends doing that.  I also share great photographs, articles, interesting entertainment news.  And I usually keep it pretty positive
4. Unless….. unless it’s about a cause that I care deeply about.  Human equality, reproductive rights, whole food choices – maybe the other people who care about the issues that you care about are a good place to start when finding your tribe/audience/demographic
5. No Public Fighting
   While there is nothing wrong with a good, healthy, exchange of opinion, and debates are definitely a catalyst for change;  No one wants to hear that you’re fighting with you BFF, your boyfriend has cheated on you again, or whatever other drama du jour is going on. Keep your personal drama, just that, personal. Unless you actually are in high school this really isn’t good for business.
6. Show Your Personality
   Even though I believe that the drama should be kept to a bare minimum, I also feel that the people I’m most likely to follow show their personality in their sharing style.  Personally I don’t mind a little salty language, hell, a lot of salty language, but be careful about knowing your demographic.  Inserting your voice, your interests, your hidden talents and hobbies make you more interesting – I also think this is a major reason that Pinterest has taken such a hold.

In the end, I think the most important thing is to think about what your stating.  Try to make it conversational.  If writing isn’t your strong point, see if you can find someone in your organization, or a friend who can help you with this.  I’m sure that you do something really well that you can use for bartering.  After all, if you had nothing to offer, you wouldn’t be promoting yourself, right?  There are a couple of people on the planet who seem to get away with that, but hopefully that trend is almost over.

Graphic Credit: Brian Solis

It is OK to use my photos or content provided a link back and proper crediting is given