What do you do when you have an area of expertise you want to share but you aren't sure how to share it? In our digital media age, social media is developing as a pivotal platform for the exchange of information.
If you want to share your knowledge, here are five ways you can start using social media today: 1.
Showcase Your Events: Are you going to a variety of events surrounding your specialty? Posting updates on major social media tools lets others know where they can personally connect with you.
This will also drive followers to your sites and will showcase yourself to others as staying on top of the latest information.
a.
LinkedIn: Use the "Events" application and let your network know you are attending.
b.
Facebook: "Check-in" on Facebook to the event or venue and make comments about the event to show you are there.
c.
Twitter: Use hashtags to show you are following or attending the event.
Participate in discussions online.
d.
Meetup.
com: Does your event or group have a meetup.
com page? If so, follow the meetup page and watch for others that may not be in your circles on other sites.
2.
Write and Post Articles and Presentations: a.
Blog: Blogs are personally branded specifically about you and this is where you share your knowledge and opinions.
These sites have a great chance in coming up in a Google search if a good use of keywords and tags are used in your writings.
b.
LinkedIn: Use "SlideShare" application to upload your presentations or articles to showcase your knowledge on your LinkedIn Profile.
c.
SlideShare: Post your presentations online, using SlideShare.
com.
Set your upload to "access to download" or restrict others from doing anything more than viewing it.
3.
Answer Questions on LinkedIn: Do you want to be known as an expert in your field? Submit answers to questions on LinkedIn in the "Answers" section.
A number of questions are posted daily in almost every subject.
Help others by giving an answer and showcase your knowledge.
Your activity will come up in your activity feed that others may see and the person asking the question can rate your answer as "best" or "good" which will list you as an expert on the topic.
4.
Participate in Online Groups and Organizations: a.
LinkedIn: Thousands of groups exist in LinkedIn specific to your industry, location and specialization.
Select groups where you can post your views, articles, events, job postings and follow others in the group.
Think about creating a group if there is not one out there and promote it to your network.
Drive good chatter and showcase your knowledge.
b.
Facebook: Many groups can be found here as well, but are more generic since Facebook is used more as a personal tool.
To see if there are relevant groups for you, do a search with keywords.
c.
Local organizations: Follow local organizations that are specific to your niche area.
Most have a website, email distribution lists, or have a listing on event sites; such as, eventbrite.
com or meetup.
com.
5.
Get Recommendations on LinkedIn: If you don't already have any recommendations on your LinkedIn profile, get some.
They are tremendously valuable.
This is part of branding yourself and showcasing ways to market your specific skills.
It's best to request recommendations from people who want or will speak highly about you.
Make sure you ask for recommendations personally and not through LinkedIn.
Talk to someone about your request and make sure they write what you need to market your brand appropriately.
Once you both agree, then send them the LinkedIn recommendation request.
Social media has helped change the landscape of marketing, socializing and expertise in our 24/7 digital world.
Incorporating these social media tips into your personal branding, will put your knowledge at the fingertips of others.
You will soon see the rewards of establishing yourself as an expert in your chosen field.
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