8 Simple Tips That Can Help You Stand Out on Social Networks

by | Aug 14, 2014

8-simple-tips-to-stand-out-in-socialIt’s not easy to stand out among a million posts and messages on Twitter and Facebook these days. And it actually gets harder each day as these and other social networks continue to grow.

Luckily, I had the honor of interviewing some of the top industry leaders, and asked them to share their secrets for doing just that.

If your business is going to invest in Twitter as a social media marketing channel, you should make sure it is worth your while.

To get to the bottom of what really works on Twitter

The result?

Advice from 31 experts such as Jason Keath, Adam Braun, Britt Michaelian, Kim Garst and many more.

Here are some of the key lessons that I’ve learned.

1. Add Value First 

Pay special attention to this point, because most of the experts I spoke with shared that you can’t skip this step. In order to stand out, start by giving back to your fans. “You have to constantly go beyond their expectations and deliver something of true value to them” says Jason Keath.

One of the ways to check yourself on whether you are offering value is to consider your perspective. Are you just “doing social media” stuff or are you behaving like a human?

Humans help one another. Humans make each other laugh. Share things that are informative, instructional. Humans respond to questions and service issues. “Just doing social media” or “being social” is a mindset that quickly reduces the value you have to offer.

Value is what gets your audience to trust that you have something important to share. According to Jeff Bullas, you can create value by developing a memorable brand or great content.  

2. Care More

Here’s a great tip by Britt Michaelian: “Treat your friends and followers with kindness and gratitude and show them you care about who they are. Do this consistently and you will not only stand out, but you will feel great.”


I agree!

 

3. Ask Your Audience What They Want 

Adam Braun, a New York Times bestselling author and the founder of Pencils of Promise, sends personalized messages to his followers every day. He makes an effort to learn more about his readers and build meaningful relationships with them.

I can personally attest to this: he was willing to take some time out of his busy schedule to respond to me. I learned from Braun that if you don’t know what your audience wants, don’t guess. Why not just ask them?

4. Reply To Questions

Simple right?

Don’t you get annoyed when you see people or businesses who don’t reply to some comments simply because they feel those people are “irrelevant” according to their “data”? Jenny Brennan has made being responsive part of her identity: “Make sure you respond to every comment, tweet and interaction.”

Your responses need to be meaningful, too.

Brennan explains, “it is also important to do your research” to “find out more about the person who has taken the time to reach out.” If you craft a tailored reply, you’ll stand out from anyone who simply responds for the sake of responding. When you respond, people appreciates it. Here’s an example from a happy customer of KLM.

5. Have a Personality

Here’s a mistake most of us make: we share content without adding any personal touches.

As Marsha Collier puts it: “Sharing good content is a given, but that is not enough. Show your personality in your posts, don’t just quote titles, add interest!”

Add your personality by including a little of YOU and your story in everything you share. 

6. Be REAL

Most of experts shared this tip, so listen up: Be authentic. Be genuine!  

Kim Garst describes how there’s simply no faking this: “You have to be authentically passionate about what you do and who you serve. True passion is contagious.” Speaking of contagious, -you can tell that Kim’s passion really is irresistible.

Post by Boom Social with Kim Garst.

7. Know the Trend 

Here’s a valuable tip I learned from Mark Ivey: constantly look out for trending topics.

When Ivey (who co-founded gluten-free food company Ivy’s Garden) found out that Jimmy Kimmel’s digs at the gluten-free lifestyle were going viral, he wrote a post that would capitalize on the buzz. jimmy kimmel However, he didn’t just hop on the bandwagon–he showed that Ivy’s Garden cares about and provides value for people following a gluten-free diet. Snickers does this well, too

8. Think Visual 

Five experts shared this tip: Play up the visual element.

According to Stacey Miller, “images catch our attention, keep our attention, and are digested faster than text.” Zach Kitschke from Canva says, “the best brands have a strong visual identity on social media” and advises us to be consistent in what we post and in our use of colors, fonts, photo filters, and icons or logos.

BONUS. Know What Works 

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Here’s a secret that the team at Post Planner uses: We have a powerful feature in our app called “viral photos,” which allows us to find and share some of the most popular photos out there. Using this tool, we are able to increase our reach significantly. Here’s a sample of one of our recent photo that had over 4.7 million reach and 60k shares: 

Post by Post Planner.

 

In addition to these eight tips that you can use to stand out, here’s yet another a bonus tip from me: be patient. It takes time to stand out, and it’s not something that you can achieve in a single day or even a month. 

What’s YOUR best tip for standing out? 

PSSST…

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