Engaging in Social Media requires time, commitment and sincerity. If you don’t spend enough time interacting with your social networks, activities and tools, people stop paying attention to you in the Social Media channel. That’s why you need a Personal Social Media Strategy – selecting which types of Social Media fit you, selecting the tools, prioritizing your time and following up.

Here are five strategies for you to choose from. Each one has its benefits, and there’s probably one that fits you better than the others.

1. Niche Influencer – Carefully pick your social channels and identify where other high profile influencers are active. For example, if you are passionate about the climate and feel that you have a lot to say about the environment, use a place like Greenedia to identify where to add your comments. Drive users to your blog by getting involved in qualified discussions. Partner with ‘green advertisers’ on your website – but make sure you screen them first, and throw them out if they don’t live up to your standards. Use feed readers to aggregate posts from around the web, and be sure to post your opinion when a hot topic comes up.
2. Expert Reputation Builder – slightly different from the Niche Influencer strategy, the ERB strategy is focused on managing your reputation as an expert. Unlike the NI strategy, you’re not focused on a cause or niche, but can provide your expert opinion in a lot of areas. Use tools like Yahoo Answers or Linkedin Answers to reply with your expert opinion – there you’ll be rewarded with Best Answers if you’re good enough. Build a repository of answered questions on your own website, referring people to relevant pages as you answer similar questions on different locations. Use a microblog to post short blurbs about recurring issues, and link to your own answers. Plan your time for staying up to date in your area – use 15 minutes a day to read blog posts and a half hour a day to read books, articles and other publications about developments in your area.
3. Productivity – this strategy is for those with little time on their hands. Use social bookmarking (such as del.icio.us) for collecting your bookmarks in one place. Spend a few minutes a day to read up on your contacts’ bookmarks and blogs, and see if there is anything for you to add. Avoid tools like Twitter and Facebook, that have too much information clutter for easy management. If you want to be an Influencer for your niche, create your blog and be very selective with what you write and how much time you spend on it (it’s a lot easier if it’s part of your job). If you want to be an Expert, use ONE social network (like Xing, Linkedin, Yahoo, or whichever is biggest in your part of the world) and focus on getting your voice heard, using short and concise feedback.
4. Recreational Socializer – simply staying in touch with your friends, checking what they do and trying new stuff online. This one is easy – stick with the social activities your friends are using, and deselect the ones that you don’t have time for. Follow up every month, to see if you are getting the fun out of using the social networks – otherwise boot the ones that don’t work for you.
5. Socialist – if you want to be an Influencer in the Social Media sphere, you test and try a lot of the new social media that become available. Mashable lists a lot of invitation-only betas out there, where you can get invited as one of the first to try the activities. Review them in your own blog, then review them again when they come out of beta. Use the big ones, from Facebook and Linkedin to Squidoo, Twitter and Digg (and 20 others), to spread your presence in the social media sphere.

Engaging in Social Media (or Social Marketing) requires time, commitment and sincerity. If you are not perceived as sincere, no Social Strategy will work for you. If you don’t allocate the time for it, people will stop listening. If you’re not committed, nobody will care what you have to say.

Here is a place for you to start, if you’re new to Social Media.

• Linkedin – add your professional profile and use it to stay up to date with your personal and professional connections. As an online rolodex, if nothing else. If you’re in a Xing-dominated part of the world, like Germany, start there instead.
• del.icio.us – keep your bookmarks in one place. There are alternatives, and StumbleUpon may be more fun for you, but pick one with browser integration, so you don’t have to leave the page you’re visiting, just to add a bookmark.
• Blog – if you own your own website, download Wordpress and install it (it takes 3 steps). If not, use free blogging systems like Wordpress.com or blogger.com
• Feed readers – reading the latest news and blog posts in one place. Tools like MS Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird have built-in RSS support. Or if you prefer using an online tool (reading from anywhere), Google’s GReader could be the place to start for you (especially if you already have a Google account).

Keep it simple. Don’t overclutter your life.

Filed under: Social Media Marketing
Tags:Getting Things Done, Personal Marketing, Personal Social Media Strategy, Social Marketing