Power Up your Influence Factor on Facebook

Power Up Your Influence Factor on Facebook

Facebook is a social networking site that has been used widely in our daily lives. We access our mobile facebook app almost every sec simply to be in touch with our little world and community.

Facebook is now like our mini-television. We used to watch free-to-air and cable television religiously every night, watching serials and comedy & with the advent of technology, in particular social media and mobile phones, we are seeing ourselves gluing into our little phones, tablets for entertainment instead.

As we are wired into this social media community, it is inevitable that one needs to manage his or her own reputation. What we post online, whether pictures, words, videos would have implications to our online persona.  In today's world where things and stuff we said become permanent and unretractable online, what we say or how we portrait ourselves might bite back on us, if we don't manage our online persona well.

Remember, perception is more important than the truth. Managing perception of yourself, in the eyes of your stakeholders is very important. Your stakeholders, like close friends, relatives, business associates, fb friends are all watching you as they check their facebook all the time. Inevitably, they will form an impression about you.

Based on my observation, I have coined 3 Dos and Don'ts which I think you should adhere to, when conducting yourself on Facebook.

Top 3 Don'ts

Don't keep posting information about what you are doing.
'I am now having lunch at Northpoint shopping centre'. 'I am just done with my meetings and going for my dinner now'. Such postings are OK. But if you do it excessively, you are not adding value to your audience.
Mundane postings are very much like the trashy commercials you watch after 12 midnight. They are uninteresting and pollute the air on television. Remember everyone is a content producer. We are subconsciously providing entertainment content to people connected to us on Facebook.

Don't keep posting advertising content
If you are a blogger; people want to know more about you, your life, your views & opinion. Posting product information, campaign details, reviews excessively will certainly bore your audience. Your audience want you to add value to their social networking space. They do not want to see overt advertising content in your daily updates, blogs or tweets. So be very selective about becoming a mouth piece for brands. You do not want to be seen as constantly endorsing brands and becoming a mouth piece for them. I think ocassional endorsement is good. It shows brands are interested in you and your value to them. But be very selective. You should align yourself only with big brands that reflect the stature of your personality online.

Stop the negativity
Social media connotes freedom of speech and expression. With Social media, it has open doors widely to bountless opportunities and possibilities. Social media has broken down barriers between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots, the political elites and commonmen, and empowered people to have a strong voice for change. The last thing you want is to inject fear, negativity and pessimism on Social Media. The traditional media thrives on sensationalism and negative news. So let positive news live on Social Media.

Top 3 Dos

Be part of the change
Social media has been used widely in campaigns, & injecting social and political change in our society. Social media has been used to empower individuals, groups, companies and given us a platform to raise a point, rally changes and to better our lives. Brands, non-profit groups, individuals, organisations have all used social media to effect good changes to our society. Campaigns like "Save the Earth', 'Aids Awareness', 'Love yourself' have all used social media as a tool to spread some good messages. If you believe in such noble causes, I think we should be part of the change; helping to spread the word, campaign, pictures to our friends through sharing or commenting on our facebook page.

Be a thought leader
If you want to be influential and be seen as a positive figure in the eyes of your stakeholders, perhaps you should starting posting statements or pictures that are profound and can uplift & challenge the minds of people. We all know powerful words and statements can evoke a sense of action and inspire us to challenge our status quo and situations. Do try to upload positive statements ( whether copied, or original) to make our social media space alot more uplifting and magical. As the saying goes, 'The truth will always reveal itself'; When everyone adds on to the process of searching for truth, the truth will find itself.

Be Humorous
One fundamental requirement for anyone to engage others online is to be simply, humorous. Humor sells and interesting jokes or anecdotes could be used to tell a story, or state a point. Do not be too afraid to make yourself look stupid on Social Media. Often times, when you are true to yourself, even to the extend of putting yourself down, you are being seen as authentic and real. In a world filled with stress, structures and seriousness, a little bit of humor might just do the trick.

Positioning yourself on social media goes a long way. It starts with being strategic in your updates and actions on Facebook always. Once you find the right way, you will realised that powering up your influence factor on Facebook is as easy as updating your Facebook status.

Dennis