How are you fairing on in LinkedIn?

To those of us working to break a niche in the world of digital communications – marketing, we should be curious. On my part, my curiosity has led me to severally observe how businesses doing so well on the social sphere go about it. To essentially find out what makes them tick.

I do not stop there, as should you. I delve further to observe those that are not doing so well, and find out why. Yet the two companies under observation could be in the same industry, netting same amounts in revenue, have almost equal numbers of employees, why the huge difference?

While on my fact-finding mission, I came across a blog post by Krista Neher, of kristaneher.com. Her post, quite informative, helped me reach a conclusion rather quickly.

In her post which she states bluntly: ‘…While I do not have all of the answers, one thing has become clear: Most businesses that do not get results from social media do not do it right.’ It then became clear, that those using social media, yet fail to get the desired results owe those bad results to themselves.

To continue she lists, some of the aspects that these businesses fail in and as a result fail their social media program. I will categorize them for simplification:

Content Strategy

• The content is not strategic
• They have no strategy                                            
• The content is not very interesting
• The posts are not structured well
• The audience is not clearly defined

 Copywriting

• The headlines are mediocre
• They do not post consistently

Incorporating talented graphic designers

• The posts do not have great visuals  

Krista's advise is to go all in when it comes to social media. I agree.

Many a times we have seen poor images used on corporate social media sites, unprofessional graphics, unattractive headlines and so on. Feel free to use the list to iron out areas of weakness as you revamp your social media program.

Post consistently. Use the best images in your image library (you should have one of these). Ask your colleagues to chime in on your headlines, if it works, keep it. If not, re-write it. Depending on the feedback, adjust accordingly.

Corporations cannot afford to stay on the sidelines anymore. The social media games are on. And whoever dances his feet off, will take home the pot of gold. Taking part is becoming a must-do. With that in mind, deploy your resources fully towards your social media program and watch as the magic happens.

I would like to hear from you on this. Leave a comment.

To read the original blog post, click here.

Five Things To Do, To Be On Top

Five Things to Boost Your Social Media Skills

Social media managers (communicators & marketers in general) need to sharpen their skills, now more than ever. As we continue to witness the immense growth of digital channels, it is incumbent that we continue to learn.

The question becomes, how do you stay up to date with changes happening this fast? How do you run with the giants and prevent a possible burnout, yet they keep changing and or adding features to the social sites, every single day?

It might seem daunting to stay on top of the game. Considering that social media is growing very fast, but we can do it.

All you need to do is, invest your time and a few shillings and you will be on your way to keeping your skills sharp. I read this piece of wisdom, somewhere and I am going to share it as I read it: ‘Make the time to invest in yourself.' Sometimes we are so caught up in doing our day to day jobs, that we forget the importance of learning new skills and practicing. Prioritize investing in yourself and your skills or you’ll quickly find that your skills are obsolete.’

To keep you on top of your game, here are five things you need to do:

1) Attend conferences/seminars

How many have you attended so far? Just the other day, an accountant friend of mine went to a seminar, on Corporate Tax, organized by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). In so doing, he shared with me, that he gathered valuable knowledge that he would not have, while at his desk.

This goes to show you, how important it is to refresh your knowledge. Conferences, and or seminars is where you will learn from experts and expand your knowledge repertoire. Conferences get you energized, allow you to network with other smart people and get the latest on industry trends, tools, strategies, and approaches.

2) Read a few books

Readers are leaders. I heard this way back, and I continue to hear it to date. In fact, among the 10 things that Warren Buffet does, before clocking out is he reads 500 pages every day. Moreover, this is a person the world, refers to as the Oracle of Omaha! Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and group are not far behind.

Reading a few good books about topics (social media) that you want to learn more about, will make you a leader in your field. Books tend to go into more depth than blog posts and are usually based on facts, data, and research vs. opinions. Brian Tracy says, if you read books on your field, it will take you 5 years to become a leader in your field.

3) Blog subscription

There are many blogs in the world, on any topic you think about. Choose a few blogs and subscribe to the RSS feed. Make it a priority to read a few blog posts or trade publications at least every other day. This will keep you up to date on new content and give you quick posts on new topics. Better yet, start your own blog. Share your work experiences.

4) Attend a training.

Formal training is great because it provides structure around learning something new. It is usually more comprehensive versus a conference or blog post, meaning that you will learn a topic from start to finish. Social Media Training is a great way to continue to advance your skills.

5) Follow great social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn)

It is a crime, if you do not have at least one social media account. If not at least three. With that in mind, where else can you connect and see what pioneers and or thought leaders in your field are doing than through their social media handles and or accounts? I get my best news from social media and enjoy seeing a mix of personal and professional content in my streams. Follow a few accounts to get breaking news and inspiration in your social media news feeds.

I am sure the list could be longer than this. Feel free to add your own to-do’s and share them with us. Until then, cheers to ever being on top of the game!

Would you like to connect with me on social media? Check out my accounts.

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