Social Media Tips for Newbies (Yes, Virginia, They Still Exist!)
As a communications professional, every week I am faced with someone – a friend, prospect or the person next to me on the bus – who says something or asks a question about Social Media that begs the rhetorical… Why don’t they get it?!
Social Media is not that complicated – really. Sure it’s dynamic, different and constantly evolving, but a basic comprehension – how to use it for personal and business purposes, and WHY it’s important – should not be so difficult. If you or someone you know has ever said, “I don’t get the Twitter” or “What is the pound sign for?” or (my favorite ever) “Everyone can see my photos on Facebook?!” just send ‘em to this post. What follows are some helpful suggestions for accelerated Social Media proficiency:
- Social Media cannot be taught – it must be experienced. I can’t stress this enough – in order to “get” Social Media, you need to first be using it. Case in point: I recently attended a networking event on the topic of Social Media and stalked the presenter online first. Unfortunately, said presenter did not have an active Twitter feed (dormant over two years!), and it seemed to reflect in her very brief speech about the site. Before you conduct a massive Facebook contest for your company or LinkedIn Q&A for a client, start small with your own personal brand. If posting your own content is overwhelming at first, listen and observe – identify folks you admire in the social space and follow them. For Twitter, there are tons of great lists available of folks to follow, and I’m sure Facebook subscriber lists are not far behind. Here is a good starter list for Google+.
- Fake it ‘til you make it. Good advice for many new adventures in life, including Social Media! Pretend it won’t feel too new or difficult and get started. For example, I still don’t fully “get” Google+ and whether it will be an important marketing vehicle for my B2B clients, BUT I have a profile and I am observing others on it, reading up on it and getting smart.
- Relinquish control. When a friend first started tweeting last year, she said “I just don’t know what to say. I don’t want to sound stupid.” You have to take risks, trust the your own voice and unique perspective and let loose sometimes. Try not to overthink it, and the more you contribute to your social platforms, the more comfortable and routine it will become.
- Shun the “we used to do it this way” attitude. If I had a penny for every time a client said, “Well, we used to do it this way,” I’d – well, I’d be able to shop on Gilt Groupe sites more often. Social Media is not interested in the past; Social Media is about what’s next. Every platform out there is making changes to expand their reach and provide more value to consumers and businesses alike. LinkedIn has expanded its promotional features for business, Facebook is rolling out a whole new look & feel, and Twitter just got automatic sign-on on the iPhone! Lean forward and don’t look back (unless you’re reviewing past successes and lessons learned). Note: Your new outlook also applies to the “we tried that once but got burned” attitude.
- Don’t ask for help, ask for guidance. What I mean is, when it comes to honing your Social Media skills and really understanding how to best use social tools, it’s OK to ask for assistance, as long as you’re not asking others to do the work for you. What you need is a Social Media mentor or buddy that can be a support while you navigate the web. It might be as simple as identifying a colleague or friend that you believe “gets it” and asking them to be a resource when you have a question. This has worked particularly well in organizations that have instituted a Social Media Mentor program and matched social-savvy employees with senior staff to increase executive presence online.
- When all else fails, Google it! There are many Social Media resources (hint: this blog) that can help guide you in the right direction. However, it’s up to you to use these resources to inform your own actions online in order to understand them completely.
What do you think? Whether you agree or completely disagree with my points, or have additional suggestions for making Social Media stick for newbies, I’d like to hear from you so please pile on in the comments!
Guest post by SHIFTer Amanda Guisbond.
Posted on: October 14, 2011 at 10:27 am By Todd Defren
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Up until very recently, social media was a foreign concept to many businesses and public figures alike. We are in the era of social media, and indeed it has started a revolution. From Twitter, Facebook, to YouTube, small and large corporations can use these platforms to their advantage. Why do you think people are so afraid to get theie feet wet when it comes to social media?
This is a very interesting topic, especially as a member of the social media generation. Having spoken on this topic with PR practitioners of all ages, though, it is obvious that the impact of social media on the industry is certainly something that we cannot ignore. But it is also something that doesn’t have to run our lives and I liked the advice you gave to not stress out about it too much. I think all generations have embraced social media and I believe it can serve as a positive means to connect and communicate between PR practitioners of all ages and professional levels.
Dorothy Griffith
Writer/Editor, Platform Online Magazine
As someone fairly new to social media, this article was a helpful reminder of a few key facts. I now handle a large amount of social media in my job and have been forced to jump in and learn on my own. I have also recently started a Social Media class and can completely relate to the idea that social media needs to be experienced. I have learnt so much in the past few weeks becuase I have been forced to engage in it, no matter how insecure I feel about my message! While many may be reluctant to admit that social media is the wave of the future, getting your feet wet early can’t hurt!
This post would be beneficial to anyone diving into the social media world without prior experience. I particularly liked the section “Fake It ’til You Make It.” As a senior public relations student, I had to “fake it” at my first internship. I had never blogged before, but I had to learn quick. On my first day, I was informed that I was going to need to blog two posts per week to http://www.buzzbo.com/cle. I knew the foundations of a successful blog, like making the information relevant, updated and beneficial to your readers. I survived my first few posts and blogging ended up being my favorite part of the internship. What would you say are the most important aspects to consider when blogging?
Hi! I agree Socail media can be tricky.You have have vast knowledge of facebook and twitter to be succesful.You can create a very strong campaign within Facebook.
Setup a plan and stay on track.
Thanks Casey Mahoney Brad P
I really liked this article, as I’m fairly new to marketing via social media and could do with some more tips – the organisation I work for are great and write their own stuff on it, but it’s always good to get opinions from somewhere else. I agree that people shouldn’t ask for help, but ask for guidance – social media is something that takes practise and experience of getting the best results and so doing it yourself is definately the best tactic! Searching in Google is often what I end up doing – and people shouldn’t be ashamed of not knowing the answer sometimes – as they’re always out there and that’s what search engines are for.
Some people in the organisation I work for are big on Twitter and using this as a social media marketing strategy and they have written a couple of blog articles on social media tips, mainly Twitter, which may be helpful, they were for me! http://www.lucidica.com/blog/category/online-marketing/social-media/
I think this information is very true and useful. I was once one of the Twitter newbies who just didnt “get it.” I am a college student and had to create a Twitter account for class. I am now so thankful for my professor making me jump right in to it. After using it, I started to understand all the excellent opportunities it brings. I recently even wrote a research paper on the advantages of Twitter marketing strategies.
I think it is really important for companies to integrate social media strategies in to their future plans. The people who say they used to do something a certain way have obviously not jumped on the social media bandwagon yet, and they need to be taught all of the benefits.
I really like the points you made. I am a new twitter user, and before using it I didn’t really understand the point of it. Why would people want to read random ‘facebook statuses’? However, using the site and finding good people to follow, make the experience worth the effort. And your shun the ‘we used to do it this way’ attitude is so true and so helpful. If we keep doing everything the same way it has always been done, then there won’t be anything new.
My consistent problem with social media has been not to worry so much. I’ve used social media for personal use, but I am just starting to think about it from a business perspective. I’ve also had a similar struggle with finding the point of using Twitter. Your article has helped me take a step back, and analyze the way I utilize my social media outlets.
Cool article, I’ll definitely use it as a reference for some of my friends and family who are slightly less than social media savvy. It’ surprising how much we are asked these questions but anything on the internet is really a hands on lesson. You need to click around and find out what’s going on. When my dad first started using the internet (within the last 7 or 8 years, I’m not even kidding), he was so concerned with getting a virus and reading all the instructions thoroughly. Now he clicks around like a wiz, but he had to get comfortable with it on his own.
I think you make a very good point about just jumping in. I didn’t quite get the whole point of either Facebook or twitter when I first heard about them. It wasn’t until I started to use them that I realized what all the excitement was about both from a personal stand point and for businesses. At this point, I’m still only using social media for myself, but I’m taking classes on how to use it as a PR and/or marketing professional. Sometimes i feel that there’s just so much to learn and that I’ll never get it all down, but as I read you blog and others I see that the main point is just to keep at it and to keep practicing. Thanks for the encouragement!
“Shun the “we used to do it this way” attitude” is probably the most useful point on here, and key to businesses being able to adapt to the world of social media.
Thank you so much for this piece. I am somewhat a newbie to social media who is guilty to many of the fears you address (I don’t get Twitter, but really didn’t know where to start, I also don’t know what to say because I don’t want to sound stupid.) This helps me realize that I need to just jump in and see where it takes me as everyone has…we’ll see where it goes.
“Shun the “we used to do it this way” attitude.” That is great. I just left another blog comment for someone else too. People are changing as a whole and this is beyond just a trending phenomena. We are evolving as a society.
I really appreciated this post and actually forwarded it to my parents, not the most tech savvy of people. The other day, I was telling my father about my social media class. He stopped to ask me what social media was before I could even go on to explain what outlets are available. Sometimes I believe we get too caught up in what the newest and latest thing is and forget that not everyone is even on board yet. Thank you for this article. I am sure my parents will appreciate it.
I really just started using my Twitter account regularly! So I am one of those “newbies.” I think before when I was trying to use it, I was just trying to get into it like everyone else. But I agree with your first point! I knew how to work Twitter in particular but it wasn’t until I “experienced it” did it really click.
I’m glad you included asking for guidance, not help, and Googling it. I take part in several twitter chats for writers and social media marketers and every week I’ll see tweets from people asking how to do something. When I point them to a resource like yours or a video, I often get back a “I was hoping to avoid that” comment.
Maybe someday, we’ll be able to download instructions into our brains when we download an application, but until then, we each have to do the work of learning. And there’s no learning without effort.
I would agree with each point and I would add to the first one by “Just go out and do it!” Although this post doesn’t not directly apply to me but it is something that I will share amongst my peers and colleagues. Thanks again I look forward to future posts.
Your first bullet point requires clarification. Social media *can* be taught; that is, if you’re teaching someone WHAT a particular does. While the *what* can be taught, the *how* cannot.
See http://ariherzog.com/why-social-media-is-a-fad/ for background. Fads can be taught.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Ari! The point was a little short but what I mean is that in order to understand social media, you must be using it. You can’t expect to “know” how to implement a creative strategy on Facebook, for example, without being on it. Maybe to some extent, but not truly enough to get inside the heads of the people you’re trying to reach already on there. Do you agree? Thanks again!
Revisiting the basics every once-in-a-while is a really good thing. It’s easy to forget that while you might have been rolling along, others are just getting started. Especially in the B2B world, where legitimate social media “programs” (at least in my slice of things) are very early days. Still.
Like Bob Wiley says, “Baby steps.”
Thanks for the post.
Exactly! When you live & breathe social media for work or play, you sometimes forget others are still dipping their toes. And you make a key point about B2B, where the best case study examples of social media use are still relatively new. Thanks, Scott!