One question I’m asked all the time is “how do you have so many followers” or “how can I build my fan base and have a lot of people to communicate with” and my absolute favorite: “what can I do to get results quickly?”
..Alright, admittedly that last question applies towards more than just social media. But hey, this is a blog, I get to speak my mind! To briefly go off on a tangent, one thing I want to share with all of you is my other passion: the gym. Interestingly, our society has seen a cultural shift over the past ten to fifteen years. The “nerdy” or “geeky” persona has turned into the societal norm, where people strive to become more intelligent and are lauded and respected for their accomplishments academically, whereas those who are dedicated to fitness have been cast out as “meat-heads” or “muscle-heads” or simply a lesser intelligent species…granted, shows like the Jersey Shore don’t help buck that trend, but I promise there are some of us who aren’t like that!
…Before I continue, DISCLAIMER TIME! Everything I have said, will say, or might say in the future is strictly MY OPINION and mine alone. It is not representative of Campus Enterprises, NC State University, or any other entity, and thus is OPINION. I never claim anything I say to be FACT (unless cited).
Now that we got that out of the way, I can continue! I vehemently believe that one can be dedicated to fitness and still be wildly successful academically and intellectually. Therefore, at this very moment, I am coining a new phrase to describe those who are all about fitness and academic success: fast-twitch. I subscribe to the fast-twitch mentality. I’m all about furthering myself academically, socially, and physically. Therefore, when you see me talking about the gym, keep in mind I’m equally passionate about NC State, marketing, and my Yankees! (Yes, I’m a Yankees fan! Born and raised in New York, what can ya do? ..Other than be jealous!)
Now, why did I just go off on what turned out to be a longer-than-expected tangent? To demonstrate one important characteristic: identity. Having an identity is the single most important thing in social media. It is the determinant of success, and it is how you will accrue a following. Believe it or not, regardless of your identity, there are people out there who are interested in what you have to say and will want to follow you, or subscribe, or like, etc. Why is Twitter so popular? Subscribing to various identities, and quick information. With the world becoming increasingly more mobile, the fastest delivery of information is King. That said, people want to remain informed. It’s why I follow CNN Breaking News, ESPN, and State Athletics. I could easily check the news on CNN.com (or turn the television on), see sports scores and updates on ESPN, or check out what’s going on with State on various websites. The difference is fast information, and having that information easily digestible. Every single person, or company, worth following has an identity. You need one too.
So, I’ve just literally as I was typing this decided that I am going to dedicate a couple of blog entries towards building your social media presence. The remainder of this entry will talk about choosing your identity.
So we’ve established the importance of an identity. Now it’s time to choose one. I decided (while previously simply emulating this identity) that I’m going to call my identity fast-twitch. But it’s not all about a name, it’s about what you give off, what information you provide, the type of person you are and someone your followers can subscribe to. When you’re choosing your identity you don’t need a name, you simply need consistency in what you do. Does that mean all of your posts, tweets, blog entries, etc. have to fit a single mold? Absolutely not. BUT, they should have a trend, a theme, or a personality that can be traced through each one. That said, when you’re choosing your identity, pick one that emulates your passions and hobbies. One that allows you to project and describe things you enjoy doing. That way, when you’re sharing things you find interesting, or commenting on real-world events that matter to you, the likelihood is they’ll matter to those following you as well.
So that’s it for choosing an identity. I want to talk about building an identity next, so stay tuned for that! By the way, I encourage anyone and everyone to leave a comment in the comments section. By the way, just because it’s called a ‘Comments’ section doesn’t mean you can’t ask questions! I will always respond to applicable comments so be sure to leave one if you see anything that I’ve written that intruiges you, are curious about something, have any questions, or simply want to tell me how awesome my blog is and how much you look forward to each post!
‘Til next time!
Alex