“Be” Social not just “Do” Social

Anyone who has access to the internet can easily create a social profile these days, but does everyone have the talent or skill to effectively hold a social presence for business, brands and corporations? Not exactly. The first step is the easiest part: taking the plunge and establishing a social presence in a community or the “do” part of social. The actual “being” social and having a continuing active presence within your community can sometimes be the most difficult.

“Being” social takes time, learning and practice. When you establish a presence on a network, you have the opportunity to be influential. In order to have an impact on the social community you’re participating in; it’s important to choose the right conversations to be a part of and then continue to be active with them both by listening and contributing to the discussions. As many conversations can be entertaining, most of them may come across as pointless babble to your organization. This will take time and research to understand matching up your goals with the right conversations to get the most out of being socially active.

An article from Social Media Today talks about the characteristics a social moderator should have when monitoring a social account and being socially active. Keep in mind that just because someone has a Facebook Page doesn’t mean they are ready to run one for your business. More importantly is the person’s ability to influence others online. Read the full article here.

When a moderator is being social and engaged in your social media accounts consistently, they have the ability to influence others without shouting through a megaphone to your audience. It’s vital to know who the social target audience is and what they care about in order to reach them. Besides engaging in the conversation, another way to contribute to the conversation is referencing other industry leaders or experts in the field. This shows you really care about your audience and want to share with them the best and most important information possible.

The first step is easy: to “do” social. Decide what social networks to be a part of based on set goals and objectives and set up a profile or account. The next step of “being” social takes ongoing effort. Before you take the social plunge, understand the needs of actually being social and make sure you have the resources, moderator experience and time to put into a network to make it successful and worthwhile.