"The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users," by Guy Kawasaki, former chief innovation officer at Apple, and Peg Fitzpatrick in 2014, is a comprehensive guide for social media enthusiasts. This book offers over 100 tips to transform readers into adept social media experts.
Within its pages, the book provides a wealth of general recommendations and platform-specific advice covering a range of social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Linkedin, Pinterest, Slideshare, and YouTube. While this summary primarily focuses on general tips, it occasionally highlights specific insights tailored to individual platforms.
The book addresses various key topics, including optimizing profiles, crafting compelling content, effective link sharing, engaging with your audience, managing followers, promoting events, implementing discourse strategies, and enhancing existing social media efforts. Moreover, it delves into intricate details and offers numerous links to instructional resources, making it an indispensable read for seasoned social media users and those aspiring to elevate their social media prowess.
Profile
Creating a compelling profile isn't just advantageous; it's essential. Profiles serve as the initial basis for quick judgments and influence how social interactions unfold. Here are some recommendations:
Name: Opt for a straightforward and logical representation, ideally using your full first and last name.
Brevity: Craft profile content that can be absorbed in just 5 seconds.
Key Contents: Include a clear and well-lit avatar image (a close-up of your face works best), a noteworthy cover image, a concise summary of your educational and professional background, and relevant links. If it's a company profile, use the company logo as the avatar and consider adding a slogan.
Platform-Specific: Thoroughly complete all profile sections following the platform's guidelines. For those interested in learning more, offer comprehensive information. Adhere to the platform's recommendations when selecting the account type (personal, company, etc.).
Content
The primary challenge revolves around content – having enough of it and ensuring it's of the right kind. Content can be broadly categorized into two types:
Original Content: Content that individuals or companies create themselves.
Curation: Content curated by discovering valuable material from others, summarizing it, and sharing it.
In most instances, curated content tends to be more prevalent.
Recommendations:
Your content strategy should be grounded in strategic planning that considers your business model (how you'll generate profits), your target audience, and the type of content they find valuable. Utilize analytical tools to gain insights into your followers and their preferences.
Plan your future content, including scheduling automated posts. Always maintain a list of potential content ideas. Valuable content typically falls into one of these categories: a) informative, b) insightful analysis, c) helpful tips or guidance, and d) entertainment.
Diversify your content topics rather than overly narrowing your focus.
When creating videos, carefully plan the script and edit as needed.
Develop content that sets you apart from the crowd.
Keep your content concise.
Enhance accessibility and comprehension by using categories and descriptive captions.
Translating content from another language can be a valuable way to access quality material that isn't your own.
Incorporate attention-grabbing visuals such as graphics, infographics, and videos.
Before publication, thoroughly review and proofread your content.
Share content from people you follow.
Share content from reputable websites and pages. Leverage indices and expert communities to discover them. Sharing popular content can help you ride on its success.
Consider posting on holidays, weekends, and peak reading times when engagement is more likely.
Aim for 3-20 daily posts, provided they are high quality. Use scheduling tools to publish at optimal times. Remember that people often check posts between meetings, typically around the hour, so avoid posting irrelevant content.
Links
Always provide a link to the source you're drawing from. It's also a courteous practice to express gratitude and direct people to your sources of knowledge, which can contribute to increased traffic.
Include 2-3 hashtags in each post to categorize and connect related items.
Encourage cross-channel activity by fostering referrals from Twitter and other networks to one another and directing everyone to your blog and back. This not only enriches your content but also attracts more readers and followers.
When curating content, remember to curate your content as well. Consider using ShareSlide, an effective viral sharing tool that simplifies linking.
Ensure all possible share buttons, including pins, are installed on your channels to facilitate linking. Encourage people to link to your content, especially during events.
Collaborate on guest posts with others; this can generate valuable referrals.
Add your blog to platforms like Alltop and other indexes.
Create a newsletter to build an email list and direct subscribers to your web content.
Join blog networks where members quote and link to each other.
Enable users to log in using well-known networks such as Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter.
Utilize events as opportunities to meet your followers in person; this strengthens connections.
Responses
A preliminary note: Responding involves offering well-considered, intelligent, and occasionally humorous replies. However, it's also crucial to be prepared for potential negative responses. Handling reactions requires thought and patience, mainly when dealing with negative feedback.
Stay vigilant for information that warrants a response, whether on your channels or elsewhere online.
Sometimes, responding privately to the individual you wish to engage with is appropriate. Utilize the "@" symbol to direct your message (following the comment and specifying the recipient).
Asking a thoughtful question, such as, "What is the basis for your statements?" can be an excellent way to respond.
Remember that when making a public comment, it will be visible to your entire audience.
Without other evidence, assume that people have good intentions and did not intend harm. Maintain a positive attitude.
It's perfectly acceptable to agree to disagree.
Limit your responses to three rounds and recognize when to conclude the discussion.
If necessary, it's acceptable to request a block. You can also retract or even report content when warranted.
Followers
Everyone aspires to have more followers. How can you achieve this? Primarily by consistently producing high-quality content. Additionally, consider exploring new platforms as they offer opportunities to expand your following.
Here are some recommendations:
Avoid purchasing followers.
Refrain from pressuring individuals into following you; be mindful and considerate.
Lastly, acknowledge those who unfollow or disengage with your content.
Events
Events present excellent opportunities for generating social content, promoting your content, and advertising the events themselves. Here are some recommendations:
Instead of primarily promoting event highlights after its conclusion, focus on pre-event promotion.
Create a memorable and user-friendly hashtag for all event-related content before the conference.
Ensure that the hashtag is prominently featured in all promotional materials.
Appoint a dedicated individual responsible for live reporting on social networks during the conference.
Encourage attendees to actively participate by sharing their experiences and using the designated hashtag during lectures.
Set up a dedicated photography booth at the conference, ideally with a professional photographer, and share the photos on social networks.
If feasible, utilize live streaming to provide real-time event coverage during the lecture sessions.
Discourse
Engaging in natural conversation is crucial, but conducting a planned dialogue requires preparation. Here are some essential steps to consider:
Ensure that your speaking guests are well-prepared for the discussion.
Possess fast typing skills to keep up with the discussion.
Utilize a relevant hashtag to accompany the dialogue.
Execute proper preliminary advertising to generate anticipation.
Offer a summary of the discourse afterward.
It's also worth noting that establishing a knowledge community or sustaining regular dialogue may only prove challenging with a critical mass of participants to generate sufficient traffic.
Upgrade Existing
To enhance your online presence, consider these steps:
Create a meaningful URL (preferably using names, not numbers).
Invest in high-quality equipment for photography, microphones, lighting, and background screens; spare no expense.
Revamp your existing profiles.
Set up and acquire/install the necessary software.
Prepare e-learning materials and marketing tools to help people understand what's expected and facilitate easy implementation; guide users on how each upgrade works before promoting it widely.
Incorporate sharing and RSS tools into your pages.
Explore the option of boosting the reach of your posts through paid promotion.
Lastly, avoid excessive self-promotion online; refrain from labeling yourself as a "GURU" and limit self-compliments.
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