How can you make social media work in your favor? Consider these four things before getting started.

BE YOURSELF

You know the person who plays the philosopher on Twitter and then makes a complete fool of himself or herself in person? My personal favorite is the critic online, who turns mute in person.

One of the most powerful ways to make social media work for you is to simply be you. Good social media begins with a healthy perspective of who you are and how you want to be perceived.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

If you want to attract food critics you post pictures of your lunch, but if you want to be followed by business types you will need to post accordingly. Social media should be more about the social and less about the media. Respond to people’s messages and keep engaged.

Knowing your target audience should give you direction when posting your comments, tweets, or updates.

SET MILE MARKERS

Do you want to be an opinion leader on the latest breaking news? Are you an inspiring tweeter? Do you give people a sneak peak behind your company’s doors? Or, let people into a bit of your personal life?

However you want to establish yourself, set mile markers.

BE REAL

As digital as things may become, nothing will ever be as impacting or as engaging as meeting face to face. You can tweet all you want, add all the LinkedIn contacts you can find, but at the end of the day, you must be flesh and blood. Go to events, introduce yourself, make meaningful conversation, and build your brand.

Have fun tweeting, posting, and doing social media. More than just updating status, expand your networking tools and influence.

For occasions to perfect your networking savvy, follow us on twitter and LinkedIn. For programs and networks, visit our programs page.

Mike Richards