Social Media is your "Brand of You".
Think about the title above. Every word you type on a Facebook or Instagram post, every photo you put up, every action you take on social media is building your own brand. People judge you on what you say and what you post. This is true for the seasoned business owner and every teenager connected to “the socials” all day every day. Dating prospects use it to filter through potential matches. Even making an account private or not can be read into.
The only way you can avoid this kind of judgement is to simply opt out of social media entirely. Although, I must point out that even not being visible can be viewed as a negative.
For example, there’s a cleaning service that I’ve seen out and about in my neighborhood. It’s a van with three people who go from door to door. When I saw them for the first time and saw the name on their vehicle, I immediately looked up their name on Facebook.
To my surprise, I couldn’t find them anywhere. I immediately wondered what they were up to, and alarm bells went off. Because I can reasonably assumed that any legitimate business would have a social media presence, or at least a poorly designed web page. This outfit had neither.
Was it a fair judgement? That’s debatable, but the point is that the kind of presence you have on social media leaves an impression on people, good or bad. Even the lack of a presence will illicit an impression, often negative.
What NOT to do on social media
Social media is here to stay, and like it or not, it’s a part of our daily lives. Let’s accept that simple fact and focus on how to navigate it to put you in the best light possible.
Which is exactly what this post all about. The utmost care should be given to what you post and allow others to see. You are, after all, building a brand in a sense. What you post can come back to bite you in a bad way, for reasons including but not limited to, emotions running wild, and/or not respecting social media’s power by not giving its due utmost care.
It’s no place to vent about your relationship or work troubles, or frustrations. At best, you’ll annoy people. At worst, you could get fired, have your posts used against you in court, or things could come out in ways that could ruin your life. This extends to actions taken outside of social media site activity.
Everyone has a camera in their pockets. So, if anyone acts outside of socially acceptable guidelines, to put it mildly, nothing is stopping any witnesses from plastering your activity all over YouTube, or your local news station. We have more power than any other point in time to be social vigilantes. Respect the rules of the game or be prepared to get played.
What to do on social media instead
With all that being said, how can you play the game to thrive in our modern life? First, as previously mentioned, you practice utmost care in anything you post up, or who you allow to be “friends” with you. Second, post helpful advice and positive events in your life. I was involved in a couple of Facebook groups where I spent months giving advice to others and gathered quite a following from my advice. I developed a reputation for helping people reclaim their dignity and improve their lives. I made sure not to be too negative, but I didn’t sugarcoat anything. By doing this consistently, you can develop a reputation over time – Your “brand” if you will.
Lastly, I didn’t pay any attention to how many “likes” my material received, my only concern is the wellbeing of the people I was giving advice too. I made a conscious decision to ignore any kudos because I’m not posting what I post because of that. Sure, it feels nice to receive appreciation, but it wasn’t necessary for me. It just doesn’t matter to me how many “likes” I get. I encourage you to take that same attitude with your social media activity.
Over time, you will build your own positive brand through contribution, giving back to others, and respecting the rules of the social media game. Please, please respect the rules. Not doing so can have dire consequences.
I hope you found this simple guide useful and that it made you think about how to use social media in a responsible way. Feel free to leave any questions or comments you might have by leaving a comment below!