I love how people are complaining about the changing face of social media by pointing out that it seems no longer cool now that everyone and their Grandma is involved.   There is nothing new in that.  Social media has been evolving since it began and it will continue to evolve.  The biggest change will be that just as you get something really figured out… the cool kids will jump over to something else.  Nothing new in that… the cool kids have always been driving where the crowd follows.

What can you do?  First you can decide why you are using social media… that will determine what you should do.  Are you using it to connect with relatives?  sell something? get a job? become famous? learn? share?

social media mindsetA lot of my clients use social media to connect with people.  Sure, ultimately they would like to sell a product or service – but the connection is the key.

Here are 5 tips for staying productive in an ever-changing social media world:

  1. Don’t try to be everywhere – unless you are Justin Beiber (sp?) or Oprah there is really no need to be represented on every single site.  Stick to the ones that are easy and comfortable… preferably those are the ones where your friends hang out.
  2. Keep it real – that has been my signoff in podcasts and videos for over a decade for a reason.  It is so important that you are a real person and don’t just “play one on the internet.”  People see through falseness right away and you just end up looking bad.
  3. Learn how to use #hashtags – tossing them everywhere just makes you look lame. They are meant to highlight in important category or thought #not #highlight #everything #youcanthinkof.
  4. Quality not quantity – make sure you aren’t just filling people’s screens with garbage.  Sure, I post a lot of lame jokes but I do it because everyone loves a good groaner… and more importantly, I do (see #2)
  5. Leverage all that you do – what good is 1,000 facebook fans if you don’t accomplish your goals (unless that is your only goal.) That isn’t to say you should cross-post the same things on every site, but where it makes sense, be sure to share your gems with other crowds.

Be clear on what you want out of social media and then find the platforms that best fit that need.