Tag: Social Media Tips

Learn From Hollywood MistakesAugust 4th, 2014

Quite often, you see actors, actresses, and singers say foolish things to the media. This causes them to lose jobs, alienate their audience,  and ultimately hurts their careers. They seem to think because they’re famous for the ability to act, look good or sing that what they have to say is so important (when in truth most are poorly educated and not all that bright). So they can’t help but add their voices to so-called causes. This happened recently when Penelope Cruz and her husband Javier Bardem weighed in on Middle East conflict with a misguided and factually erroneous letter. The backlash was substantial and they cost themselves a lot of fans, and a lot of producers will not be looking to use them again despite their considerable talents. It was so bad, that she quickly backtracked and stated that she really wasn’t all that informed. Now most of us  realize this, but still a large percentage of her audience will not be looking to go to her next film.

To me need to keep your personal opinions and your business separate. In the entertainment world you need to be very careful as not to alienate a large part of the populous.  One error can ruin a promising career and we have seen this year after year. Mel Gibson went from one of the most popular actors to a pariah in Hollywood when his drunken statements went public.  (Of course his was not on purpose, unlike Cruz)

So what can the average person or business glean from this mistake? Well I tell people all time when you have business pages on social media whether it’s Facebook or Twitter, do not voice your personal opinions as to politics. No matter where you come down, part of your audience will be against your views. Unless you do not want to get business from certain people, keep your politics out of your business life on the web. Now if you have your own personal Facebook, Or Twitter that’s fine. Just keep business and personal pages separate. Obviously for celebrities this line is blurred and they are better off not commenting on polarizing issues.

Of course things in the news inflame people.  What I advise is before you post something to social media or to you website, step back, take a deep breath, read and then re-read.  Make sure what you are posting will help not hurt your business.  In the log run you will avoid controversy and increase your business whereas a throwaway political statement could do irreparable harm. And lastly remember every tweet is saved. As celebrities find out all the time, people make screen-prints and their words come back to bite them even though they delete posts. In truth it even looks worse when you delete a tweet as that keeps the story going.

Social Media Tip: Write things downJanuary 10th, 2014

We all struggle with what to post on our various social media pages right? Whether you bulk schedule your posts, or try and manually post each day or on a regular basis, it can be hard to think of valuable things to post. Let me tell you about a simple thing you can do to always have posts at the ready.

Write things down.

I know, brilliant right?

I keep a spreadsheet open and when I think of something I feel my audience will profit from, I add the post to my list. If I am away from the office, on my iPhone & iPad, I use the evernote app to write down these pearls of wisdom. In my job I am on the web all day, and things I see spark interest. The synapses get rocking and I come up with a post which will benefit my readers. I add things almost every day and the result is oodles of quality content suitable for social media posts.

Now if you are wondering more about the content of your social media posts, I refer you back to one of my favorite blog posts, The Power of SME (Subject Matter Expert). I always advocate posting things that portray you as a subject matter expert or thought leader.

Update: 7/9/23

Writing down your thoughts for social media posts as they come into your mind holds immense value for future use. In today’s fast-paced world, ideas and inspiration can fleetingly pass through our minds, and if left unrecorded, they may be forgotten or diluted over time. By capturing these fleeting thoughts in writing, we preserve the authenticity and freshness of our ideas, ensuring their potency when we eventually share them with others. Additionally, having a collection of prewritten ideas grants us a valuable resource to draw from, particularly during moments of creative drought or time constraints. It allows us to maintain a consistent and engaging online presence, effortlessly providing us with a bank of content that aligns with our interests and values. Therefore, by documenting our thoughts for social media posts, we empower ourselves with a reservoir of inspiration and ensure the continued quality and impact of our online interactions.