Networking on Social Media: Do’s and Don’ts
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Social media is one of our biggest outlets for communicating, boosting business, and networking careers. There are countless advantages to social media, especially when navigating your careers in aviation, but they coincide with countless disadvantages. Social media provides a platform for users to create and engage an audience. When done correctly it is a useful business tool, but be warned, that same audience can turn against you, become your rivals, and shatter your potential!
So, how can you use social media in a positive way to network for your career in aviation, other fields, or business? There are many blogs and articles dedicated to exactly this. With a little research and the use of Google you can find various tips on the best way for you to create a presence on social media and build yourself. Personally I find social media to be very useful and informative. The key for me has been to follow the trends and interests of the audience I am targeting to build my business or brand. In doing some personal research to find the best ways of using social media for networking I found a few pointers I thought I should share. Perhaps they will be helpful, or insightful to what you should do when networking on social media, or not do for that matter.
Remember when you are using social media to network you’re putting a face to your brand, label, or business. This isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s often helpful to put a face to the name. People want to see you are just like them. It gives you an opportunity to be personal and open dialogue, which by the way is very important, and I’ll mention dialogue again when I follow the do’s with the don’ts.
The Do’s!
Do Build a social presence. According to career builders 60% of employers search job candidates on social media and pass by those who have no online presence. By all means start with family, friends, business contacts, co-workers, community members, even employees. What better way to begin branching out and being seen?
Do share relevant content that will spark the interests of your audience. If you’re unsure as to what those interests are simply take a look at your followers. Much can be told just by doing that. You can see where they are from to find out the times your audience is watching, and you can also see what their interests are by what they’ve shared and posted.
Do be visually appealing.
Do be positive! You're much more likely to gain a productive audience with positivity verses being negative.
Do conduct yourself as a professional first. I can’t emphasize enough how imperative it is that you practice etiquette when networking on social media. Keep in mind this may be the first interaction a potential employer or business person has of you. Also keep in mind that the content you share on social media may become public at some point and it reflects on you.
Do give credit to others, but also think before you tag people in your posts. Give credit to authors if you are using their material. You can make good connections this way. Only tag people whose permission you have. Unwanted tagging can lead to unwanted problems that may result in loss of friends or followers.
The Don’t’s
Don’t forget to proofread. Hey, we can’t always be perfect, and mistakes are mistakes, but employers are looking at you. Show that you are a person who pays attention to detail, instead of a person who doesn’t pay attention, or take the time to proofread. Of course nothing is perfect, we all make mistakes in grammar, but at least take the time to proofread and check for spelling.
Don't look unprofessional, and always show your best self. While you may have friends and family following you keep it professional. Let’s be honest for a moment. Appearances do matter. As they say, be the part, and dress for success. Remember again, this may be a first impression of you. What would you want an employer or potential partner to see of you?
Don’t be fake, just be yourself. You’ll get tired of keeping up appearances. It’s much easier to be yourself.
Don’t believe and share everything you read on social media. Before you put your name behind something fact check it. It’s important to know the sources of the information you share.
Don’t be distracted by the number of followers. Quality is always better than quantity. In fact, many say that large numbers often lead to large numbers of spam accounts.
Don’t use your platform to retaliate or be negative. You may find that you’ve built a large followers base and think that you can use that forum to give bad reviews about others, or be negative, and you can, but it doesn’t look good. Here’s what it really says, I am bitter and I have a feud. It doesn’t provide positive feedback, only negative, and you will often lose followers or make people change their view of you. Dialogue is important as I mentioned earlier, but the kind of dialogue we have is just as important. Always say to yourself, “what does this comment/opinion say about me”.
