Beyond The Profile Page — Managing Reputation And Brand Power Through Social Media
Social Media Is Real Life
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that social media strangers are still genuine people. We see a picture, a name, and an input of text or shared media. This comes hand in hand with the fact they’re possibly not seeing you as a real person either. Great leaders are good with people and successful salespeople are capable relationship builders. Marketing involves a lot of listening and feedback which makes social media the perfect forum for all of these qualities. Remember that the individuals that you connect with on social media are real people who can be consciously or subconsciously influenced by your input. Be responsible for the messages you put out, bearing in mind that if we do not focus on a message that appears, we still subconsciously notice it. When someone subconsciously receives messages because they are not focused on them, they are not aware of the influence and are less likely to form barriers to suggestion.
Recommended read: The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks: How Brands Create Authentic Engagement by Understanding What Motivates Us
Stress Makes Us Difficult
It’s vital to remain friendly and easy to talk to. Other people need to feel safe with us and our brand. As a figurehead for this, our ability to connect and inspire has to be sharp all the time. A lot of people can read what we say in public forums and this means every time we speak we are potentially supporting or diminishing our brand power. Leadership is about bringing people together and selling shared ideas, sales are integral to this as we are our concept or product. When we are stressed out we have less patience for people and we are less able to put in the work needed to do things properly. In order to benefit ourselves and our personal brand, we must be able to be polite and always put in the effort it takes to communicate properly.
Recommended read: HOW TO MANAGE AN IRATE CLIENT: A step-by-step guide to closing sales with an angry customer.
Always Looking Up
Leaders have a certain energy that inspires others to act and stick together. This comes from the combination of a positive attitude and healthy confidence. Leadership requires us to be positive toward others and the future as well as be open to challenges and tasks that ensure overall progress. When we’re happy, content, and relaxed, we are able to work with fewer mistakes and with less stress. Because stress makes leading and marketing difficult, we need to remain a positive influence on others so as to not increase stress on those around us. Try to not interact with obviously negative material, even if you feel compelled to. This can associate us with negativity for no good reason. In cases when we are called to respond, a caring altruistic attitude is often the best course.
Recommended read: Leading Beyond the Ego: How to Become a Transpersonal Leader
Comments Are Good
People are not money, they are potential friends and opportunities. In marketing, it can be easy to focus on the sale and when we’re starting out sales can be extremely important. If we treat people like this then they will probably not want to network with us. It is called social media for a reason, it’s social. We are there to build networks and make connections that span across all kinds of platforms. We need to be able to freely communicate and passively sell our brand through responsible social activity. Commenting and debating is a great way to get your name out there and if you can bring an intelligent discussion to the table then you can be certain people will notice. When comments are negative towards you, consider that you still have to remain in service. It can be easy to take things personally so always make space for grace.
Recommended read: Myths of Social Media: Dismiss the Misconceptions and Use Social Media Effectively in Business
