How to Win at the Social Media Game: O.V.F.

About five years ago, I decided to “up my game” and learn more about using social media effectively to increase the number of clients for my new offerings of editing / copy editing services for authors of anything non-fiction.

Not much happened for about a year. I didn’t even really know how to use LinkedIn; I had been on Facebook for several years, but I didn’t realize how different LI was!

I got lucky. Somehow through finally doing something right, I got linked to John White, MBA, who was already showing others how to use social media successfully (you should see him now!). He invited me to join a small group of LI colleagues, who were helping each other learn and succeed.

I will always be grateful to him for that.

One of the first lessons I learned from him and others was so simple I had to laugh:

Offer. Value. First.

You cannot arrive at any writing / professional platform, announce HERE I AM and expect the world to bow down and anoint you as the next influencer.

It just doesn’t work that way. No one will care.

But what did John and others mean by offering value first? (And this works for all platforms.)

Write articles. Show what you know. Don’t ask others to buy, but show them things that help them.

Hmmm. OK. So my first post, back in 2014, was ALL. ABOUT. ME. It was a perfectly fine post, but it sure didn’t offer much value. Oops.

So, I changed the direction of my articles, teaching others about American grammar and usage. As I went along, I again connected with someone who knew far more than I did about offering value — Deb Helfrich.

Her secret sauce?

Comment on others’ posts. Say specifically what you liked about the post. Then share it.

Why does that work? Because it’s NOT all about you; it’s about the writer, the writer’s ideas, and encouraging that person to keep on writing. (No, it’s not enough to write “great post!” Say something specific. Please.)

And why is this important? Well, you may not want to write your own articles, but by commenting and sharing, you are still offering value and you will be visible. Over time, others will be interested in knowing who YOU are.

Trust Deb and me; it works, for all the right reasons.

To sum it up:

1. Offer value first. What do you know that we don’t? Help us learn.

2. Be visible in a positive way. Follow others, comment on their articles, and share their articles.

3. Showcase your expertise in articles or posts to give valuable information that helps others, if you are comfortable writing.

4. Tag others in your posts to showcase their expertise.

What else would you suggest for newcomers to social media? Who shared something with you that helped YOU succeed on the various platforms?

*****

If this post resonates with you, please share it with a hive or two -- thanks!