Why We Shouldn't Tweet Sunsets: Using Social Media To Create Opportunity

My first memory of using a computer was in grade school. We used the arrow keys to move a green ‘turtle’ up and down and from side to side. The turtle looked less like a reptile and more like a space invader.

Then came instant messaging, with teenagers (and adults too) sitting up all night to chat.  It’s amazing to reflect on just how much the Internet has changed since in the past few years, where flat instant messaging systems paved the way for social media sites, revolutionizing the post and accept models into a 3D interactive experience, fully equipped with accountability and transparency.

There are obviously pros and cons to either model. When I was graduating college, all of my professors sent us off with dire warnings: Beware of what you post. Employers will look at your Facebook account. Much of the attitude towards social media became about fear and hiding content, and there are many instances where that is the best approach, but there are also many, many ways social media can help change your life.

First of all, my professors were right. Grammatical errors, negative posts about traffic or the jerk that cut you off at the drive through will not help you. TMI pictures and postings won’t help you either, but strategically planned posts that show you’re a thought leader, that you have interest in your field and can engage a community will only benefit you.

Part One: What To Post and Why

1. Think about your brand. Brand is a really fancy name for summarizing what you’re all about. I use the tagline “writer. teacher. creative thinker” because those are the three aspects of my personality that I most identify with. Together, they’ve become my brand. You represent your brand, and all content you post should relate back to the brand you’ve created. If you find that your brand and your content don’t match (i.e. you’ve branded yourself as an up and coming accountant but all your posts are about snowboarding), maybe you’ll want to rethink your brand and what you stand for.

2. Pick one brand and stick to it. If you really are an accountant into snowboarding, you can creatively combine those things into your brand. Or, you might want to start two separate sites, one for snowboarding and one for accounting. If you’re having trouble relating the two in a way that makes sense, split them. It’s better to have one solid thing to post about than two confusing, unrelated things unlikely to draw a core audience.

3. Employers want to see that you’re a thought leader, that you can post information relevant to your field/targeted interests and that other people can turn to you for valuable, credible information. Taking the time to create or curate valuable information is key. Luckily, sites like Feedly and Google Alerts can help manage much of the web combing that goes into finding great stuff.

4. No matter what you post, you are 100% accountable for anything posted under your name. There are always PR nightmare stories about celebrities who posted something thoughtless on the news. Learn from those and think before you post.

Part Two: Who and How to Follow

1. Following people similar to you can also help you find great information. Re-tweeting something they’ve posted, and sending a quick thank you for a great post is a good way to find information for your site and to network at the same time.

2. Follow people more advanced than you are in your field. The things they post can be of great value when it comes to learning more about your field or learning from their experience to shape your own.

3. Follow people within your field who have revolutionized it in some way. For example, I love following Indie Writers who have creatively publicized their books. It gives me ideas for how to market mine when the time comes (or how not to based on how their strategies worked) and it’s also really inspiring for me to see how people think outside the box.

4. Yes, you can follow friends too. Their networks are equally as valuable to you as your own.

Part Three: Using Social Media to Explore New Opportunities

Many companies have adapted social media sites to build transparency between clients and the organization. This is great if you’re exploring new opportunities. Twitter has a great list feature, where you can create private lists (make sure to mark your lists as private). You can make a list of potential employers and follow their tweets without the distraction of everyone else’s feed cutting in. This gives you real time insight into what’s new and hot with the company and can even help you connect with other organizations of interest. How? Once Twitter understands the type of organization you’re looking to follow, it’ll recommend others you may not have heard of.

Part Four: Social Etiquette: How to Post and Comment

OMG! THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!! EVERYBODY CHECK THIS OUT ASAP <143

No good. If spam sites have used the same language you’re thinking of to get attention, think of something else. Instead, asking a thought provoking question, making a connection between the theme of the article you’re posting and something locally relevant to your audience are much better approaches to getting your information read.

That being said, if you’re responding to someone else’s post, asking a question, making a connection, or referring a similar article the person might be interested in is a great way to start a conversation. Social media should always be used to start a conversation, not to shamelessly promote.

Think back to part three: If you approach a potential employer’s social site and do any of the above, you’ve already introduced yourself to the company in an informal way. This shows you’re interested and invested in the success of the company and a great way to get noticed.

Who Needs Social Media Sites?

At a social media conference recently, a woman stood up and declared that she would rather just watch the sunset instead of tweeting about it. A valid argument, but again, this goes back to the idea that what you put out there is what you’ll get back. Unless it relates back to your brand, it doesn’t really need to be tweeted. If you’re a professional looking to grow your opportunities, meet others in your field, and establish a name for yourself, social media is a necessity.

Sometimes I wish we could go back to the days of the green turtle, where mastering the computer was all about making a turtle creep up and down. The turtle may be more challenging to navigate in today’s social environment, but the potential for information sharing, networking, and finding opportunities are much greater for today’s modern turtle than they ever were before.