Thanks to Guest Blogger Michelle Shaeffer.
Social media isn’t a mystery if you just remember the lessons your mother taught you.
1. Practice makes perfect so stick with it.
Remember when your mom wouldn’t let you quit piano, trumpet, watercolors, or soccer after your first two lessons? You’ll need that determination to stick with it and keep practicing to succeed with social media.
Don’t expect instant results. Anything new takes some time to master. Be ready to invest the time to learn the tools or develop the strategy you need to reach your goals.
2. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Bite your tongue! It’s so simple—and often so challenging—but always good advice. Resist the temptation to be negative or tear down others. Leave a positive impression instead. It’ll reflect well on you and your business.
And if your feistiness gets the best of you, just remember her related advice, “Get over there and apologize right now, young lady!”
3. Answer me when I ask you a question!
Want the fastest way to make friends and get noticed on social media?
Most people on social media busy themselves sharing about their own little world. If everyone else is talking, be the person who is listening.
Get out there with the intention of finding ways to be helpful and provide resources and answers for others.
4. As long as you’re under my roof, you’ll do as I say.
Closely related to the popular motherly warning, “I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it.” While your mother probably didn’t really mean it, the social networks do.
Play by the rules. Don’t try to bend them. You can lose your accounts on any of the social networking sites in the blink of an eye if you get caught violating the terms. So don’t risk it.
Remember that your connections on social media sites are only there as long as those websites stay online and your accounts stay active. Make it a goal to get your connections to follow you back to your website and connect with you by opting in to your list.
5. Don’t pick your nose in public. Or, do you really think you’re wearing THAT out of the house?
If you wouldn’t want it to show up as a quote attributed to you on a billboard your grandmother will drive by tomorrow, don’t say it today on social media. Keep in mind the impressions you’re making and be smart about what you share and how you share it.
And there you have it! Another time when Mom really was right and did teach you what you needed to know to succeed.
Have a social media lesson you learned from your mom? Please share it in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you.
Building your business online shouldn’t mean teetering on the edge of insanity. Michelle Shaeffer helps frazzled online business owners overcome technical problems by choosing the right solutions to create, leverage, and automate their websites, blogs and social media presence to get noticed, inspire fans, thrill clients, and serve their tribes. Launch yourself into 2012 with a blog that rocks. Or, click here to connect with Michelle and get free goodies.
Image Credit: monkey_business/StockFresh
