Certain people in certain circles have given me more credit than I probably deserve as far as social media mastery goes. However, after doing this for a number of years, and amassing a relatively decent following on various social media sites, it may be true that I have a few pointers to help some people out. This won’t offer an instant, magical solution for gaining more followers on FaceBook or Tweeter or Instagram, but it offers some insight into what makes social media enjoyable for me, and how I inadvertently built a sizable group of online friends. Most of this is geared toward Twitter and Instagram; FaceBook has been boring me to tears lately.
One of the main things to remember is that your social media presence is only going to be as good as what you put into it. Many people get discouraged early on because they expect an immediate multitude of followers, and when nothing happens they feel isolated and uninspired. If you’re looking to be made happy or whole by social media, don’t even bother beginning. This is not the place for finding self-worth.
It is, however, a place to engage and interact, and those are the two most important things you can do on social media. The name says it all: social. This is not the time to be a wallflower. Follow people- those you admire, those who make you laugh, and all those whom you actually know. Retweet, share, and comment on those posts that you enjoy. Be somewhat selective, but be interested and engaged in everything when you’re online.
Be patient. Followers don’t follow overnight. Build a rapport with people you know. Reveal your obsessions and cull interaction from those who share the same interests and passions. Tweet to your idols – not incessantly, just when it’s important. Be genuine and authentic. You can’t send the same ‘personal’ tweet out to a hundred different people and expect it to mean something.
Be judicious and careful with hash-tagging. We live in a #HashtagWorld, filled with #HashtagHappy posts. The trick is to find a balance. (These can also act as talismans to ward off trolls. When my Twitter account was being deluged by racist and homophobic Trumpsters, I started using #ImpeachTrump and they largely went away. Russian bots seem to know that engaging with that hash-tag (or #TrumpRussia for example) is actually giving it more power by replying, and that will only make Voldemort Trump angry).
Use photos to your advantage. Get creative. Stand out. Re-think standard poses and angles and cropping options. Indulge in the occasional avant-garde foray. Use good lighting and don’t ever make a duck face. (Duck faces are for people who go on to abuse their Uber drivers with entitled cry-baby behavior, only to have it filmed and lose their jobs over it later.) Bonus points if you avoid posing in a mirror (that’s amateur hour). Exposing a selfie stick is also cheesy as Patti Labelle’s Over the Rainbow Mac-and-Cheese, and she uses a ton of Velveeta.
I’m not going to lie: shirtless and skin-heavy shots rack up the likes and follows because sex sells. That’s how some otherwise bland people (guilty) get a lot of followers (people are thirsty!) but there’s got to be something to keep them following you.
Post consistently. You need not be completely consistent in content, as a little variation keeps things interesting, but if you are serious about gaining followers and carving a presence online, you’ve got to be present. A few well-thought-out tweets or photos a day are ample. If you disappear for weeks at a time without explanation, people will leave. That’s the nature of the beast. The online world is more fickle than any other. An instant is a lifetime, and no one waits very long no matter how good your output might be. That said, the other extreme – too much posting – can be just as repellent. There are some who ascribe to the adage that one can never post too much. I disagree, at least if you want to build a quality social circle. A little bit of absence makes the heart grow fonder. There’s no sure-fire calculation on the balance – it’s whatever works best for you.
Proofread what you are posting. Twice. I can’t tell you the number of otherwise witty and wonderful posts I’ve not retweeted or shared due to a spelling or grammatical error. It takes all the power out of whatever the message might have been. Serious comments look stupid. Funny responses lose their humor. Touching words sound silly. All because you were to quick or lazy too sea that your posting had errors. See what I peen? The degradation of such things matters. Push against it and rise above. People will take you more seriously.
That said, don’t take any of this too seriously. Social media should be fun and enjoyable. This is not where you should get your hard news, even if it offers a platform for sharing such items. This is not where you should air personal and private family grievances. This is not where you should engage in couples counseling for the world to see. Don’t get me wrong, we will watch and you will get noticed, but we will also take screenshots and so will the person with whom you are arguing.
Finally, don’t forget that your real life exists off the phone and computer. A simple hug in person is worth more than a billion followers who ‘like’ something you posted. All the online love in the world cannot compare to the real thing, and once you realize that, you’ve already discovered the biggest secret to social media. Oh, and don’t forget to follow @alanilagan on Twitter and Instagram. It will be the best thing you ever did. (Did I mention to ignore all hype and hoopla by shameless bloggers?)
