Friends and followers are always asking me how I find the time to be proficient on my personal social media channels.
There's not really a simple explanation other than I've been doing it a long time, I enjoy creating the content, and I've picked up a few techniques here and there to keep my audience engaged. A lot of it comes from personal experience, and techniques I've learned in my professional career as a Television Marketing executive have influenced my personal growth.
Also, I'm able to travel through time, when not using the services of my social media robot army.
Here are some helpful hints for bringing more quality activity to your personal life online...
ALWAYS FIND THE TIME
There are 24 hours to a day. That's 1,440 minutes. Or 86,400 seconds. Use a handful of those seconds toTweet. Use a minute or two to share a photo on Instagram. Pull aside an hour to Vlog or Blog. Rate something either Funny or Die. Keep track of movies you watch with quick reviews on Flixster. You can spend hours or you can spend seconds. Do at least something each day.
YEAH, BUT WHAT ABOUT?
FUN FACT: There's nobody else in the entire world like you. Your perspective is unique.
What's your take on something happening right now, or something that happened earlier today?
What do you want to get off your chest? Better yet, is there something trending on Facebook or Twitterthat you might be able to share with your audience in a unique way?
I just watched the trailer tonight for ANT-MAN, and in addition to posting my endorsement (like hundreds of other nerds), I shared in a short tweet my dream casting choice if I had directed the film.
ENGAGE AND BE ENGAGING
Always, and I mean always engage your audience native to the strengths of the particular outlet. Is the Vine you just posted really all that loop-worthy, or would the video be better as a one-time play on Instagram? Are you checking your Twitter notifications regularly and continuing conversations with your Tweeps? Did that blog post contain links to things your readers might want to learn more about? Are you explaining those random photos of your commute to work on Snapchat with some text or bad-ass scribbles?
DON'T OVER-THINK IT
Relax, it's just social media. You've probably said something you wish you hadn't at least five times today at the office. Online, you have the power to delete something after second-guessing its validity to exist.
Feel free to tweet something outrageous, post that photo you think could win a contest, share that article you just finished reading. Go with the flow. This is your personal brand from your head to the screen.
HAVE FUN
If it's a hassle, and/or you feel pressured to be a part of the social media zeitgeist, then it's probably not for you. And that's okay. Just because your friends are more jived about Google+, doesn't mean you can't love your Goodreads account. You certainly shouldn't feel pressured to keep up with each and every one of your accounts. Feel good about the key ones, check in every once and a while with the others.
