In her recent article on Forbes, Meghan Biro discusses 7 traits that influential leaders share in their social media outlets. With social media being as prominent as it is today, it is extremely important to pay attention to what you post as a leader, and make sure that this content portrays your intentions. With this being said, I will cover the four most important traits on Meghan's list.
1. Quality over Quantity: If you don't feel that you have anything to say to your followers today, don't! There is no need to post on your various social media outlets every day. Although this approach can be helpful for attaining followers, it becomes useless when your content quality drops. Feel comfortable in silence for a few days, and follow up with a quality post to remind followers why they look forward to reading your content.
2. Be Yourself: If your heart isn't behind what you're writing, the quality wont be there either. Through passion, we connect with our followers and actively engage them in our content. Thus, we must focus on topics that we believe in, and leave out the things that don't hit home. That way, your faithful following gets the best quality work and knows what you stand for.
3. Start a Real Dialogue: Sparking interest in followers is undoubtedly the most exciting aspect of social media. Engaging in conversation that is public and available for all to see builds your persona and credibility, and engages followers to actively contribute. Commenting on a piece in which you don't receive feedback will not inspire you to ever comment again. Getting a response will have followers commenting more and more. Create an identity and don't be scared to interact.
4. Have Fun: Do not be scared to get edgy and present personal views. People follow you for a reason, and if they don't agree with what you have to say, encourage them to leave a comment and let you know. Having fun with the things you post is what makes social media, so don't ever lose track of that.
These traits mark the work of influential leaders. By instilling these values in your social media outlets, you can entice followers and build a presence in media. More followers means more people seeing your work, which is never a bad thing!
