Question: Do you need to pay to get your name out on social media?
My Answer: Getting your name out typically doesn’t happen overnight. I spent my first year on Twitter simply listening (hard to imagine), following conversations and figuring out how to be a good guest at the social media party. Fast forward 6 years and I’m listed as one of the most influential tech women on Twitter….
Your currency on social media is trust – which is the result of engagement, transparency and consistency. Plus a lot of patience and time. Become a keen observer of your networks – all of our networks behave and engage differently depending on the proximity of the relationship, the social media platform being used and the issues / content which is posted. For example, a business contact on Lindedin doesn’t necessarily care about what you had the great new diner for breakfast (thought, your followers on Twitter likely do).
I’m strongly of the view that you need to represent yourself on social media networking sites as they are all networking venues, just like a family reunion, press club or cocktail party. You can’t send someone else to a cocktail party on your behalf, and you shouldn’t try to do the equivalent on social media. Be someone others want to be around at an event or gathering of peers. Contribute to conversations started by others. Be the gracious host and team player – be welcoming and supportive. Most of all have patience as social media is simply the platform to facilitate conversations: remember, you’re speaking with real people behind those handles and profiles not at them.
Final note! There is one thing I pay for: a CloudPeeps peep. Yes, I’m an early investor in CloudPeeps but I’m also a paying customer. My peep assists me with my weekly newsletter plus brainstorming blogs, feedback on blogs and x-posting of my blogs on Linkedin, Medium and BlogHer. It is a collaborative process that improves my content (which ultimately improves my social media engagement and expands my profile online).
