Jump-start your social media presence as a speaker

1. Care deeply about your audience

Genuinely caring about your audience is something that cannot be faked. This does not mean that you are giving them exclusive deals or a handful of giveaways (although there can be a time and place for that). Truly caring about your audience means that you are not in a state of self promotion, but you are trying to help and improve their lives or suggest resources that they find useful.

2.  Position yourself as a thought-leader

If you are an expert in your field or industry, show this on your social media. Share the articles you’ve been reading or insights you have had. If you are an authority on a subject, don’t be afraid to show it. When you are filling in your “about” section, or your bio, say exactly what you are an expert on. The goal is to gain trust with your audience: tell them who you are and why they should listen to you. 

3. Be available.

One of the worst things you can do is sign up for a handful of social media platforms, poorly learn how to use any of them, post once or twice, and then drop the network. Think clearly about which networks you want to be on, and whether your market is on that network. Decide on the networks you’d like to be on, and then learn how to use them. Then make sure you stay consistent and available. How consistent and available is your choice, but and average range is somewhere between two-three times a week, up to a few times per day.

4. Listen to the conversation

Even if you are not posting every hour every day, make sure that you have an active ear to the ground and you know what is going on. There are plenty of tools available, like Twilert and Google Alerts which will notify you of important posts that have to do with your subject or industry. Get involved with the conversation by liking, retweeting and sharing. It will work in two ways: you will learn more about your industry, and you will be more connected with your audience and community.

5.You are not a machine, don’t forget your humanity

When you are interacting with people online, remember that you are talking to real people. This means you should treat (and speak to) people the same way you would if you met them in person. You would not immediately try and hard sell an event organizer into hiring you if you just met them, but rather would talk with them, get to know them and what they do, and then find out if you are the right fit. If someone messages you or tweets you, answer them. You wouldn’t ignore someone who was talking to you at a networking event. There are plenty of tools available to making posting easier and more straightforward, but don’t forget that your audience is made up of real people who you need to make real connections with.