You know that guy. He’s the first one to show up at parties, drinks too much and leaves with a promise of a bigger, cooler party before the DJ even breaks a sweat. He usually winds up at home in bed by 11 p.m. — alone.
Don’t be this guy. Social medias are not for impatient people.
It takes time and commitment to gather a substantial collection of followers on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, years even. But all that energy is wasted without keeping in touch and giving those people reasons to continue hanging out.
The premise is simple: Use it or lose it.
Consistency With the Big Three Social Medias
Facebook: Sure, the look-what-I’m-eating-for-breakfast Facebook status update was fun for a while. But it’s no surprise people stopped paying attention when the updates disappeared from their feed. Your smiling mug and a comment regarding a bowl of cereal you had in July is not going to keep your friends interested in October. Success here is found in reliable consistency.
Docile Facebook profiles have proven to accomplish little, especially if you’re a business. And nobody wants to leave a half-ass impression with Facebook friends. After all, they became your friend for a reason. So give them something interesting to talk about every once in a while. You don’t have to be the life of the party every day, but starting a conversation, sharing a quick link or a simple hello can do wonders for your online social life — drawing interest to what you’re all about.
Linkedin: In the land of LinkedIn, a consistent presence is a little easier to maintain. However it is no less important to show up. Spending the time to entirely complete your profile is advantageous to staying involved. The professional atmosphere of LinkedIn eliminates much of the minute-to-minute social media noise people can sometimes find intimidating — if not annoying. However, to find the right connections here you have to, um, actually look.
There are tons of professional groups and community discussions tailored specifically to your interests. By showing your face, following a topic and maybe offering some insight, your professional Rolodex will grow. By leaving your LinkedIn profile half-filled out and dated, you risk leaving a similar impression of yourself with your professional community.
Twitter: Twitter, on the other hand, won’t hold your place in line to enter the party. It’s first-come-first-serve and if you’re not where it counts when it matters — someone else is going to be. The good news is there is a party every day, sometimes every minute of every day. The conversation never stops. So, if you don’t get involved in the conversations that matter to you — with the people on Twitter that matter to you — it’s a safe bet nobody here will talk about you. It’s amazing, though, what you can learn by listening … and e-listening.
All social medias will include an option setting allowing you to receive an e-mail every time there is mention of you online.
If giving all your social media party people the attention they deserve is stressing you, there’s a new kid in town looking for some chill-out time. Google+ has already sent out invitations to its shin dig — one where your Facebook friends, professional contacts and Twitterati can all get along in harmony.
Currently in its early stages, the search engine giant is looking to put you in control of your social media reality by merging current individual concepts into one place. Convenient? Heck yes. Will it be successful? We’ll see.
Social media, after all, is not for impatient people.
