Twitter has gone mainstream. Helloooo Ashton!!

Facebook is huuuuuuuge.

Music/TV stations online are battling for the most viewers.

More and more people are writing blogs.

All of this is great. (Especially for a new media director…!!) … now back to what I was saying….

So, with all these different ways to spread your message, how valuable, really, are the things you are saying?

With valuable posts that are relatable and useful to your readers and followers, you will break through the web clutter of meaningless messages and updates.

Tweeple will click through links you tweet, retweet your post, check out your Twitter profile and maybe even find themselves on your website.

Facebook buddies will like (thumbs up!) your status, comment on your post, and maybe, if its really good, forward to friends.

Youtubers will subscribe to your channel and always browse your latest videos.

Giving your social nets VALUE = making your thoughts work for you.

Ideas on how to do this?

1. On Twitter: Retweet, link articles, don’t talk about how you just got out of the shower. Also, give yourself a unique Twitter background.

2. On Facebook: I think its okay to be more personal here, update your status with stuff that’s about you. I like to post YouTube videos of songs I like. Other people also link their Twitter to the Facebook update, which is great, because folks who are just on the FB world, also have access to your links and thoughts. See above.

3. On Videos: Always do something different. Shoot videos in different locations and talk about current issues.

4. On your blog: Try to post regularly (I know this can be hard to do), update your other social nets with the link to your newest post, make sure your blog looks pretty.

5. Analyze: Take a step back and review your Twitter profile/FBook/etc to look at what you say. Think to yourself, what is someone getting out of this post? What do they know about me after reading my wall?

In review, in order to make your social media work for you, make sure you are giving value to your customer. Just like in business the old fashioned way… 2.0

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This idea of thought capital isn’t completely my own- I read about it here and it spurred the rest of my ideas about giving your readers something of substance to break through social media clutter!

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Ask yourself what do you do well, what don’t you like, what are areas you think you can improve, and what are foreseeable things that could get in the way. Getting them down on paper could give you some new ideas to make your blog better, leading to more readers. So, go analyze, develop a plan and put it into action!

1. Update: Remember to write consistently and to post often on your site, if a person checks your sites regularly for new information, and its not there, they will forget to check back completely. Always give them something new to read or think about.

2. Link: Always link back to your site or other posts or articles that you may reference. This gives you credibility as well as offers those other posts support. TMI (Too Much Information) is not a concern in this case.

3. Ask: Don’t be afraid to ask for ideas, suggestions, or email addresses. A constituent wants to feel included in your campaign and your message.

4. Thanks: Remember to always thank people for their kind words, support and interest in your blog or Web site. A simple thank you really works wonders. Also, linking to other people’s posts is a great compliment in the blog world!

5. Comment: Post comments on other blogs, this makes you more noticeable in the “blog land” and people should then visit your site to comment on your posts. It’s a give and take environment. Participate!