Sometimes, Mother Doesn't Know Best

I’m sure when most millennial's entered middle school, perhaps sooner, they received their first cell phone. I remember parading my Nokia 5233 around school when I turned 11. Though some parents were lenient in deciding that their child could have social media, other parents, including my own, were very disapproving of social media. My mother would list all the risks and dangers of social media and because “mother knows best,” I took her word for it and tried to stay far away from social media. Ultimately, I could have social media when I turned 16 years old. By then I was so unbothered by not having social media that I never truly engaged with it.

This revelation came to me when my social media management Professor asked the class to create a social media audit that summarized our social media accounts. To my surprise I didn’t have much to summarize since my Instagram page is completely blank. In addition, I had to create a Twitter, LinkedIn, and website profile for the course. The only social media I frequently use would have to be snapchat. Admittedly, my snapchat stories tend to feature a string of curse words in reaction to someone or something that made me upset or annoyed. I am active on snapchat every day since friends typically snap me to build streaks or engage in group chats.

Upon participating in web searches, I found little to no information about myself, other than general information such as my address and phone number. I assumed that this privacy was appealing and something that many people strive to maintain. However, I was informed that having no applicable or recent social media activity can be a bad sign.

Slowly but surely, I’m learning that unlike the common perception, my mother didn’t know best. In fact, having little to no social media presence can have a negative impact on how employers perceive you. For instance, it is difficult for an employer to analyze your personality or professional skills when you have no social media presence. Uploading academic achievements, portfolios, internships, etc. can help employers gain a sense of where you are in your career and how you plan to grow within your desired field.

As soon as I created my LinkedIn and Twitter account, I was hit with a feeling of overwhelming anxiety and confusion. What should I post? How do you advertise yourself to get hundreds of followers? How often should I post? Many people share a similar phobia of social media, which ultimately can lead them to stray away from it as much as possible. However, we now live in a world where it is practically an inevitable part of expanding your personal franchise. Here are some tips I’ve learned to maintain a successful social media account.

One of the first steps in creating a successful social media page is to establish a plan. It’s imperative that you consider your target audiences age, gender, ethnicity, career path, interests, and even region. From this you can garner what types of posts your audience will appreciate. For example, millennial's tend to respond well to memes when tactfully and humorously done. Wendy’s is notorious for creating Tweets that involve humor and memes to attract millennial's to their page. As a result, they receive thousands of likes and retweets per post. They also update their page as often as possible when someone has a question, comment, or concern. These responses often go viral soon after.

The next step in creating a plan is to consider how often you want to post on your accounts. Though you don’t want to overwhelm followers with posts through out the day, you don’t want to abandon them for months without updates. This can lead to a dwindling following or lack of engagement in the next post you upload to your account.

It’s also a strategic idea to utilize hashtags so that you appear in general searches and as a result may receive new subscribers. The suggested number of hashtags per post, are 11. I’m sure you consider this to be a bit excessive, but ultimately your audience will more than likely find at least one of your hashtags relatable. However, be sure to research what the hashtag is affiliated with. You don’t want to make the mistake of attracting the wrong audience or leaving a negative impression on employers due to a misuse of the hashtag.

In addition, be sure to complete an audit on your social media pages. Although, social media can give employers insight into your personality, remember that you want to keep your profiles as polished and professional as possible. We all have a friend or two who loves to post pictures of them drinking a beer on the beach or explicit captions. Though this may appeal to friends, it almost always leaves a negative impression on employers.

Even if your content is not inappropriate, it is important to ask yourself if you can take any steps to better your online presence. Though this option is not free, you may want to consider attempting to change your domain name to include your legal name or nick name. Or update your profile photo to an updated head shot that can be used on all social media pages. You may be surprised how a selfie with great lighting and angles can trick someone into thinking it was professionally shot. By utilizing one head shot, this creates consistency when people search for you online. Of course, you’re more than welcome to upload other photos of yourself on your website or social media page in separate posts.

Another, important detail to consider is your end goal. Is your goal to attract a new audience? Expand your brand? Gain social media experience? Appear more professional? Or simply to edit your accounts as effectively as possible? While updating your social media profile, maintain a unique, yet simplistic style that will appeal to a vast amount of people while still looking professional. Considering things as minimal as font size, color schemes, photos, and videos can make a stark difference in your online presence. Look through old posts and consider how relevant they are to your life now. Though you may have loved your best friends sweet 16 party in 2014, ask yourself it that post enhances or reflects anything occurring in your life now.

So far, I am attempting to digest as much as I can on social media branding. My goal is to gain at least 75 new followers on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn by the end of April 2018. I plan to do so by sharing a link to blog posts on each post I make. I also plan to upload new achievements, portfolios, and professional endeavors. I want to reach out to other accounts that are like my own regarding education or the communications field.

I also hope to maintain a consistent posting schedule. Like many college students, it is easy to become engulfed with other responsibilities and ultimately abandon projects. Creating a social media plan, including an editorial calendar, which is a calendar that displays times, dates, and a headline of what you intend to post, should help me maintain my focus.

Though social media may seem intimidating, especially when you’re attempting to appease a various group of people, it’s far easier to dive into it when you have guidance. Hootsuite, fellow bloggers, fellow social media pages, social media specialists, and of course google are all great resources to improve your social media literacy and skills. Remember to stay authentic to yourself and don’t let your personality get bogged down by the restrictions you may discover. It’s also important to remain open to criticism because you want to appeal to your audience, not just yourself. Most importantly, remember that just because your mom told you social media is the devil itself, you can create a positive image for yourself.