If the whole idea behind social media is to post something that folks want to share, then your message must be either provocative, personal or really clever. If you’re good at it…it will be all three.
For people in the public view, whether business execs, entertainers or politicians, tweets that come across as genuinely personal and revealing are well-received. They tend to be shared by followers, and picked up by professional bloggers.
Entertainers are given lots of leeway with their on-line statements – they even invite controversy just to stay in front of the public eye; but politicians and business leaders need to have a strategy, and some direction, before you turn them loose on sites like Twitter. Going viral is not always good, and it can happen in an instant on the internet.
For business execs, folks want to know them as a person. Are they involved in any sports, do they contribute to charitable causes, do they “live green”, are they self-made millionaires, how did they get started, were they a geek in high school, etc… A communications professional will know how to devise a strategy with messages that help develop a personal profile. They will also know what to steer away from, such as pretending that they have a happy family life – when they are actually known to be highly dysfunctional. Rather than trying to create an image that is untrue, social media messages should give readers an inside look – keeping in mind that they can smell a cover-up a mile away. At the same time, the messages should make that person “likable”, enticing readers to take their business to that company. All of this takes thought, strategy and self-control.
Politicians have effectively used social media, and Twitter in particular. Bloggers and journalists hang on their every Tweet in high visibility races. Viewers love to hear a blow by blow account of debates or presentations that are off camera. Political adversaries also keep a close watch for mistakes, such as using sarcasm, which doesn’t translate well in print. Twitter is not a place for a candidate to vent, or to make controversial announcements.
Not unlike business leaders and entertainers, it is a venue that requires a personal touch – by the candidate or a trusted staffer speaking on his/her behalf. The reader should feel they are getting to know the real person – when they close the door at home and are out of view. People have an instinctual desire to have relationships with people who are important in their lives – be it the grocery store owner, their doctor, or their elected representative. Social media satisfies that need by revealing personal information – even if it is delivered on a computer screen, late at night, while you’re wearing your jammies.