As a general lifestyle choice, I try to be as positive and opportunistic as possible, and so this week I decided to dive deeper into my social media networks and create an opportunity to engage. Remember, the power of social media is all about engagement and your ability to create unique relationships and connections. I believe that because of how dynamic a platform like Twitter is, the more you can stand out (in a positive way of course), the more you will be remembered (again, in a positive way!).
The Opportunity
So, last week I was tweeting back and forth with a well known social media presence in the area, Sean Charles (@SocialMediaSean). The conversation was basically small talk about weekend plans, I found out that Sean was going to be writing some new blog content…
At first glance, you may not see anything that stands out about this tweet, but there is in fact a great opportunity to engage, and stand out. Instead of simply acknowledging Sean’s tweet, I decided to see if there was an opportunity which would create further engagement…
Now, I know that Sean is well respected in the social media community, and I have read his blog before and know he has great content, so this is was a great opportunity for me to proactively show my interest and support for him and his brand. I also know that as a blogger it is always encouraging to know that people are interested and engaging with your content… What started as a typical “small-talk” twitter conversation would end up adding some real value and engagement for both of us!
A few days later Sean sent me his post (a great video post you can find here).
Again, I could have left the conversation here, but sought out opportunities to continue engaging and adding value to Sean’s post (which it deserved!)… It is important to note here that every step you take to continue to add value above and beyond the norm, will help you to continue to stand out and differentiate yourself, all it takes is time, energy, and genuine thought on your part.
After reading/watching Sean’s post I left a comment thanking him for the great content and then Retweeted his post as well!
This turned out to be a great way to learn something new (via Sean’s post) and turn a regular Twitter conversation into something more valuable on both ends!
There are no rules or standard operating procedures on Twitter, use this to your advantage and seek out opportunities to engage in ways that haven’t been done before. The worst thing that can happen is that you don’t get the engagement that you were hoping for, but on the other hand you might end up making a great new connection and learning something new along the way!
How do you Engage?
What are your engagement strategies? How do you earn credibility, trust, and value through seeking out opportunities via social media? I would love for you to share your thoughts and insights in the comment section.
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