Top 10 social media tips to avoid being a hack

As the Fugees say, there are simply “too many MCs not enough mics”, especially in the social media sphere.  Self proclaimed social media experts and gurus are around every corner.

Everyone is spittin’, but not everyone is heard.  Why? Chances are, the silenced ones either need to step up their game or they’ve ticked off one too many people.

Social media is a broad term that has been criticized since its infancy because it’s often misunderstood. I blame that partially on hacks – those “gurus” that do more harm than good for their reputations.  Worse yet, they simultaneously drag down the businesses that they represent.

So allow me to clear my throat on why social media is an extremely useful resource if utilized properly.

First, watch this quick Global News segment where I touch on how social media is an essential tool to the hospitality industry. The Vancouver Police Department and the Pan Pacific Hotel also demonstrate social media’s diverse reach and benefits.

Whether it’s with Facebook, Twitter, blogging, Youtube, Foursquare (the list goes on), social media spreads information faster and to a wider audience than ever before. Leverage it to your benefit but avoid being a hack. Here are some pointers to ensure your social media usage doesn’t backfire on you:

1. Establish your personal brand- You are your best ambassador and nobody can communicate that as well as you. They don’t need to like you, they just have you know you and what you stand for.
   • Be genuine and comfortable in your skin and voice.
   • Find your niche and own your expertise. Do ample research and take your stance with confidence.
   • Don’t be annoying or it will tarnish your brand: don’t suck up, mass tweet, auto DM, or pick fights.
2. Grow up, this is not a popularity contest – Listen, your success is not determined by how many followers or “likes” you get. The quality of your followers is by far more important than the quantity.
   • Followers that are engaging, knowledgeable, and powerful are much more valuable than dormant, irrelevant followers.
   • Focus on establishing relationships with those that are passionate about your subject area and the numbers will take care of themselves.
3. Gain followers organically a.k.a. don’t cheat – Think you’re being stealth? We’re all watching and we DO notice. Just like in highschool, there are many ways to appear popular but at the end of the day, it can leave you feeling dirty and empty.
   • Following a crowd of people, then deleting them when they follow back is the social media equivalent to sleeping with the football team to gain popularity. Trust me: they won’t let you forget it.
   • Another way to gain followers is to bribe them, of course. Giveaways are a quick way to boost followers but use them with care. Be sure that the prize is relevant and valuable to your readers and keep the entry method simple. Again, without top-notch content and engaging your new followers, the greedy little fingers will simply “hide” or unfollow you after you’ve announced the winner. Aim to personally connect with each contest entry; after all, these are real people, not numbers.
4. Consistency over length – Like it or not, in our technological generation, we all have the attention span of bumble bees. Hook’em, deliver your point, and set them free to pollinate.
   • Keep your message concise and use as many keywords as possible. Consider how long someone can read your post on their tiny phone for during a bumpy bus ride. (Yes, this post is an exception.)
   • When tweeting, 100 characters is the new 140. Better yet, keep it under 90 to make room for RTs and comments. The more details you provide in your tweet, the less curious people will be, and the less inclined they are to click the link.
   • Schedule your tweets for crying out loud, with tools such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck. Swarming your follower’s feed with continuous tweets is not only irritating, but highly ineffective. Rather, spread them out throughout the day to hit different audiences and timezones.
   • When it comes to blogging, do as I say and not as I do. Try to post short and engaging posts consistently rather than long posts infrequently. This is an effective strategy to retain your readers’ attention.
5. Remember the social element of social media – The biggest mistake that businesses make is viewing social media as yet another channel to talk about themselves. Personally, if I reach out to someone 3 times and do not receive response, I promptly unfollow them. They are telling me that my opinion is not valuable. To avoid that:
   • Listen to your followers. Put your feelers out and take interest in what they’re talking about.  It’s also a good idea to tailor your content according to what receives the best response.
   • Value and address the public’s feedback. I warn skeptical businesses that people are talking about them regardless if they “believe in social media” or not. Social media provides the opportunity  to address positive and negative feedback promptly so we have more control over what’s being said.
   • Engage your audience. Talk to them rather than talk at them. Leave open ended questions, encourage comments, use #hashtags in Twitter so anyone can jump in the conversation, and periodically attend tweet-ups (as nerdy as they sound) to network in real life.
6. Increase accessibility and share-ability - Make it easy for your readers to contact you or to share your work with others. There are numerous toolbars and plugins to help you out and displaying the key, recognizable social media icons is a must. The fewer clicks required, the better.
   • Each social media platform requires special attention so I suggest avoiding using auto-feeds. For example, avoid feeding your Twitter feed directly to your Facebook page because it can come across as gibberish to the tweet-illiterate. Likewise, be aware of how your RSS feed looks when auto-fed to Facebook. It’s also annoying to see Facebook updates fed through to Twitter that are cut off midway.  In other words, don’t be lazy.
7. Spread the love – You’ll get nowhere on your own in this game. See others as your colleagues rather than your competition, support each others’ efforts, and build alliances with those that share your perspectives.
   • Support others’ events, enter their contests, comment on their work, share their work with your network etc.
   • Connect the dots. Facilitate networking by making introductions.  A good way is to recognize the experts in different areas and ask them for advice on behalf of others. People love being recognized as experts in their field.
8. Keep everyone guessing -  Always keep a few tricks up your sleeves and use them at opportune times. While it’s important to establish your voice, predictability will cause people to tune you out. Throw in a few curve balls and surprises periodically to shake them up and potentially capture a new audience.
9. Don’t panic – At the end of the day, there are more important things in life than social media. If you don’t “get it” or can’t perfect it, don’t sweat it. Like everything else, refining your social media voice takes time and practice. Experiment and test out what works for you.
   • Most importantly, don’t obsess over it or let it take over your life. If you find yourself constantly checking how many followers/ comments/ RTs you have, especially in the presence of company, you need to take a breather.
     If you’re experiencing withdrawal syndromes, I suggest taking a quick getaway with loved ones to somewhere without 3G or wifi. Your social life will thank you for it.
   • New to all this? Ask for help. I’m always here for you or can refer you to someone even better.
10. Friends don’t let friends tweet/ update/ blog drunk. Use social media responsibly.

I bet you have more pointers to share. Start the ball rolling by commenting below or hollering at me on Twitter or Facebook.

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