So You Want To Social Media. . .

And you dive in, and realize: BAM! Socia Media is a language…

SO what do you do? Well, every language has rules. They’re called grammar.

You start to create a file of rules and gauges for what means what in the digital media communication sphere…

…until you figure out that Social Media isn’t so much a complete language as a dialect or slang because actual languages don’t change every 5 seconds…

So you start hanging out, trying to be cool…

…until it hits you that trying to be cool is exactly what dates any slang the moment it’s spoken…

…and who really rules the slangugage sphere?

DUH. The people in the middle of it, the peeps who make the slang, and use the new coinage like it’s always been since the minute they blurted it.

So how will you speak Social Media?

You realize you have to know a little grammar.  But what you really have to do, is define the terms yourself: your voice is the next wave of this language.

Know it. Use it. Sound it strong.

So you start taking it serious SERIOUSLY…

…until you realize the only way to get out alive, and the only way to fit in a crazy tribe of slanguage-sphere social media, is actually to take it all lightly.

Take yourself lightly.

Have a sense of humor.

Rules? What rules?

Wait, then you realize …so you really want to social media. And the only way to do that? is to let go of the results, and dive in.

And how do you dive in to a new language?

DUH. Listen.

And talk.

And listen.

So you want to social media. Get on the tweet-time-vines-half-time-facebook-snapchat-climb-periscoping-dime.  Don’t try too hard. Enjoy.

5 Key Social Media Actions Vital to Engagement

Vital means living, and if you invest in social media as a freelancer, or as a specialist for a business or brand, you want your content and audience alive.

Here are 5 strategies to keep the social media conversation going.  Apply to any platform, from Twitter to Facebook.  But use them daily, and switch them up.

1)  Share Followers Quandaries

Don’t just share your ideas or solutions!  Share your followers’ questions and problems with your whole audience.  Involve the community.  People love helping — and sharing one person’s problem gives you both a huge pool of potential solutions to use yourself, and engages your audience.  This adds up to shares, traffic, and brand identification.

2) Post Inspirational Quotes

Pick something meaningful. Share. Social media currency is sharing.  But, as Claire Mitchell, founder of The Girls Mean Business, says,”… it helps people, because when you’re sitting there in your house running this business and trying to juggle it with kids or other jobs, it’s a really lonely place to be sometimes […] people feel as though they’re not alone.”

3) Ask Questions 

Whether it’s about your latest product, a relevant current affair, or your followers’ taste in music, ask questions. If you have a food-based business, ask for favorite event-day recipes. If you’re in the clothing business, ask about strategies followers’ have used to get a tailored-look without visiting a tailor — or flattering designs-for-all figures.

Ask questions. 

4) Run a Caption Contest

Humor + Engagement = Perfect way to get your page out there, shared, commented on!

5) Have a Blog

You need a landing page for deeper content.  Start a blog.  Refer all social media back to your website and blog when possible, and tap into relevant content using tools like Feedly.com.

Finally, care about your audience.  This is social media.  Anthropologists watching the behavior of users and communication styles say we relate to our social media groups like a tribe.  We’re not selling.  When you take on a social media state, you’re supporting.