Ever been called out for not following your own advice? Ugh. It’s not fun. But, that is exactly what happened to me concerning social media.

My social media faux pas

I recently wrote an article on the importance of socializing with your social media following. And yet an observant friend pointed out “when I go to your Facebook page all I see is article after article. Where’s the fun stuff?”

Sigh, she was right. I’ve never been terribly active on Facebook, and my page and profile were both neglected and overly promotional (actually my page still is, but I’m working on that). Worse yet, my lame excuse for not interacting with my Facebook friends/fans was: “I’m just not interested in the conversation. Am I really supposed to comment on the antics of people’s offspring?”

Well, yeah. Why not?

My social media revival


So I immediately started looking for ways to be more sociable, not just Facebook, but LinkedIn and Twitter, too. I joined groups that aren’t specifically work related, I began commenting more, and I started sharing content that isn’t directly related to promoting my brand.

And you know what? People responded! (Shocker, I know.)

In just the first day of this experiment two leads contacted me after I’d commented on their Facebook updates. I’ve also seen an increase in re-tweets, clicks, and replies to my comments.

But that’s not all… I’ve garnered referrals, picked up at least one new client, and been invited to participate in an expert interview! All from a little more personal interaction with the folks I’m connected with.

So what did I learn?

  • The more I tweet the more followers I get. Those followers, in turn, are more likely to click on links if I include a personal comment like “Just found this great article about xyz, enjoy!”
  • When I comment on someone’s Facebook status they almost always comment back. This, along with Facebook’s live chat feature, helps me stay in touch with clients, prospects, and business partners.
  • Participating in group discussions on LinkedIn has allowed me to make some fantastic new connections. I’ll be sharing my #1 secret to better LinkedIn networking in a future blog post, so stay tuned.

Are your social media profiles devoid of personality? Do they languish for days or even weeks with no updates? Or maybe you’re investing enormous time capital into social media and seeing zero ROI. Let’s brainstorm some ideas to help you get the most from your social media marketing. Contact me today for a free, no obligation 30 minute Internet marketing consultation.