In Part I, we got you all signed-up for the most popular and essential social networking sites. Basic.
For Part II, we’re going to take a deep breath and consider the 4 “T’s”.
Time
Talent
Tools
Truth
This step only requires thinking, maybe jotting down some ideas, and being honest about things.
TIME
Take a hard look at your day. How much time do you have to commit to this new behavior in your schedule? You’ve heard the stories about how FaceBook or Twitter turn normal people into Social Media addicts. Where does this fit into your list of priorities? How important is it to your VO business plan? How will you use it to market yourself? Literally decide how much you want to devote to this (at least for starters) and stick to it. No coming up short…and no going over.
TALENT
What are your strengths? Are you a good writer? Consider blogging. A brief writer? Twitter is your future. Do you follow-up on conversations well? FaceBook or Twitter. Are you more business and less talky? LinkedIn. Do you have the patience for setting up and recording videos? YouTube. Wanna show off just your voice? Plan podcasts that you post on FaceBook with SoundCloud. Make the best use of your personality. My blog reflects my jounalism background, and being consistently factual with the latest great stories I find that benefit my readers. If you’re naturally talented in conversation, you’ll make a great social networker. You have talents. Use them in the social network that best leverages them.
TOOLS
Get a smartphone. In my estimation, there is no future in social media without one. All metrics show humankind gravitating to this device for news, weather, chat, video, pictures, sharing, email, texting, social networking, and being seen…and you can make phone calls on it! Go figure! You’ve already have a computer…great! Do you have a laptop? A Netbook? An iPad or a similar tablet? This is much like a smartphone, only with a bigger screen. I’m not implying you should go out and buy more stuff you can’t afford, but seriously consider how you will stay on top of this new commitment…and if there’s a tool that will enable you…well….I’m just sayin’.
TRUTH
This is the biggie. I saved it for last. It had to be a “T” word to match my alliterative list, but honestly, what I was angling for, here was the word VALUES. What do you stand for? What internal motivation drives you? Do you have a motto? A standard? How do people refer to you? At the bottom of this think-tank is the word CHOICE. What choices are you making? Over time, these choices define you, and leave people with a mental picture of who you are.
When someone posts an insult about your favorite politician, what choice to you make in responding?
If a friend says their dog died, will you ooze sentimentality, or offer a link to the animal shelter?
Will you retweet a VO job opportunity, or choose to keep it to yourself?
Will your FaceBook entries enable others with the knowledge you share, or just provide inspiration?
On LinkedIn, when someone writes a recommendation for you, will you offer one of your own?
Do you fire off a quick thank you note to someone who did you a favor?
Make no mistake, your choices reveal your personality, and it won’t take long for the social media universe to mark you for your values.
Think about what kind of impression you want to make, then do that consistently.
I joke about my 3 taboo subjects on social media. I almost never get involved in discussions about Politics, Religion, or Mac v. PC. (well maybe that last one a little bit). A good exercise it to ask yourself what three or four words you want your social media personna to be.
In choosing my website SEO plan, I came up with GENUINE CREATIVE EXCELLENCE. Google those three words in that order, and you’ll get CourVO.com at the top of the search engine results. I try to live up to that motto. What’s yours?
CourVO
