We have all been told to be ourselves, one time or another, in our lives. The power of your personality and the authenticity behind it will attract others to you. People like to hang around people they can relate to. It is the same when it comes to social media: be yourself.
Whether you are using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. to connect or for your business it is important that you maintain a consistent persona across all the platforms you are engaging in. That means being you in all those areas.
Will The Real You Stand Up?
In my work coaching different businesses and entrepreneurs it is still surprising to me how many of them do no understand what their persona is online. They want a business side, a personal side, and in some cases a “I should not have done that side.” Unfortunately that form of compartmentalization does not exist anymore. Especially now when you can tweet across multiple platforms, comment on someone’s status that can be seen on different sites, and post items that can go viral. Therefore there is only one you, as there is in real life, and you better know which “you” that should be presented online. Once you do be consistent in presenting that persona with whatever medium(s) you desire.
For The First Timers
If you have been considering jumping into the social media swimming pool, come on in, the water is perfect. You most likely feel like the entire lingo and talk about social media is confusing. You are right, if you are not participating, yet… think of it as going to the world’s largest networking convention. You are there with over 3 million people. There is going to be a lot that you do not understand. Don’t sweat it at all just be you.
Before you register for all those new accounts and start setting up your profiles, sit down and think about how you want your new connections to interact with you. If you are business then you need to answer the most important question: why should they care about what you offer?
Once you have an answer to that question and you know how you want your new friends/followers to interact with you, the next step is to build a plan that maximizes your return and minimizes the time wasting that can occur. The plan should be simple, sincere, and consistent with your persona.
For Those That Have Dabbled
Is This Your Social Media Persona?
So you jumped in the pool without taking swimming lessons. It might be the deep end or the shallow end; it does not matter as you feel like you are sinking. What to do? Well you can curl up in a ball and cry. (Not highly recommended but it can make you feel better.) You can hire someone to help sort out your accounts and do all the postings for you. (In that case your online persona becomes a muppet.) Or… stop.
Reevaluate why you are on social media in the first place. If you have accounts scattered across multiple platforms, assess which ones meet your goals – new clients, increased website traffic, or purchases – and which ones do not. Cut the losers and focus on the winners. With those winners follow the advice for the first timers and ask yourself some insightful and hard questions:
- Why should anyone listen to me?
- Why would anyone want to do business with me?
- What value do I bring?
- What do I want my audience to get from listening to me?
There are more, but those four are a good start. Once you have your answers simplify a plan and make it have a purpose that fits with your persona.
Speaking of Personas
I am going to give you a few examples of businesses and entrepreneurs that kick some serious social media with rocking knocking style. Each of them has a persona that speaks across the multiple platforms they use to reach their clients. What is awesome about these professionals is that they are themselves. Some I have met and some I have not. For the latter, I know that if I did meet them, they would be exactly as they are online. So here are some personas that you can look at for inspiration to come up with yours that reflects the real you:
Sassy Snarkiness. Erika Napoletano’s (aka Red Head Writing) has a persona that is strong straight forward no holds barred snarkiness. That is on her good days. If you read her blog, follow her on twitter (@RedHeadWriting), and are a fan of her Facebook page you will see her personality across all of those platforms. The sincerity with wit and telling it like it is, is her endearing trait. There is no topic that is out of bounds for this truth-sayer. Does it win friends? Sure does. Does it rub people the wrong way? You bet. Will you forget her? No way at all.
Sincerity. Shelly Kramer (@ShellyKramer), a Forbes Top 30 Powerful Woman In Social Media, has a sincerity that reaches out from the computer screen in every action she does online. She is the type of person that can hang out in the Executive Cafeteria and at the next moment be hanging out with a local business owner in a dive bar. No matter what it is that she is talking about, you just feel that she believes in what she is doing with a sincerity that makes you want to believe too. Anyone who has even begun to dabble in social media has read her writings and tweets. Shelly is quickly becoming a household name online. How is that for the power of personality?
Purpose. Steve Procaro (@OR_SalesCoach) is a sales coach for medical device manufacturers and individuals that want to be part of that market space. Everything that Steve does has a purpose. Whether it comes from his experience working in surgery rooms or being an excellent cook, it comes across in every action he has online and offline. He is the same way in real life. There is no doubt that if you have read his writings, watched his videos, and researched his business what purpose Steve has!
Sophistication. Amber Naslund (@ambercadabra) is a director for Radian6. Her blog, Altitude Branding, has the look and feel of sophistication. The sleek design and her unwillingness to have standards lowered – even when communicating in 140 characters or less – speaks volumes to her persona. No doubt that good manners, etiquette, and being on your “A” game are must when you are in her presence.
Join The Social Media Pool!
Four distinct personalities that you can find online and there are many more. Each of them knows what they want their readers, clients, and colleagues to get from each interaction they have in the social media realm. It is the same they expect in person as well.
So what is your persona going to be? If you’ve read this far it is what your Mother told you: be yourself!
What other personas do you know online?
About the author:
Erroin A. Martin is a Business Advocate with the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, a business coaching and consultancy provider for business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs. He has fifteen years experience working within the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, natural resources, medical devices, software, technology, business services, and agriculture industries in various levels of leadership across six continents. He has led diverse teams in sales, marketing, planning, and in the Army. He currently coaches business leaders and physicians in the tools needed to plan for their success. Learn more about the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC at www.vongehrconsulting.com or call +1 203 433 8079. You can follow him on Twitter at @Erroin
The Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, was founded by Erroin A. Martin to provide business coaching, business consulting, and other services to companies both large and small. The primary goal is to have his clients be passionate about their business and reach the unachievable.
