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Are you following with social media or leading? What a great question! I have heard this question asked several times by many social media gurus. If you are going to be successful with social media then it is crucial that you understand the difference between the two and that you know how to become a leader if you are still being a follower.
Social Media Followers:
Follow Lots of People on Twitter and then read what they have to say and then copy or retweet what is already being said.
Make lots of Facebook friends and then become friends with the same people as their other friends
Play games and take quizzes on social media sites and comment on the contributions of others
Are always looking for the next trend or marketing tool they think will help them get more business.
Have a tendency to spam on social media rather than market.
Social Media Leaders:
Follow lots of people on Twitter and then make their own contributions. They retweet good content and quotes in order to build relationships but they make sure to also find or create and share their own unique content.
Make lots of Friends on Facebook and then take the time to get to know those with whom they feel a connection. They focus on connecting with people who share their interests and values instead of befriending the same people as all the gurus or as their favorite mentor. They know that some of their friends will be the same no matter what but they focus on developing their own friend list.
They avoid wasting time with games and quizzes and instead they contribute to the community with their own unique videos, blog posts, notes and other content.
They host their own teleseminars, webinars and events to establish themselves as leaders and experts.
They follow the big leaders but then they are always striving to work on their own leadership.
They avoid spam like the plague and are always thinking about how they can contribute and make a difference.
So are you a social media leader or a follower? and if you want to be more of a leader, how can you work on becoming one?
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Comments
Well said. : )
I prefer to think of myself as a Social Media Pedagogue, Agitator and Saboteur. Can I have my own category please?
I think we all are both. We must follow to be a leader.
bradleywill (dot) com
I think this is insightful but I have some questions:
For followers, you note that they RT and recycle information... Aren't these leaders for taking information and spreading it to their followers? Why would this be simply following when it can serve multiple purposes?
You also note the "follower" spams. Where is that coming from? Maybe what you're saying is that the follower comes under one or two of these categories but not all of them, correct?
As a leader, you begin with the fact that they have many followers. I've always been a strong believer in QUALITY over quantity. I would rather be following a leader who is managing their numbers so as to best interact in the space efficiently...
Finally, in regards to leaders/followers and Facebook - I feel that befriending friends of those who follow your mentors is the definition of networking. You may be a follower, but your followership may lead to leadership in that space, right?? Thanks!!
This is interesting - I'm afraid though that in your attempt to simplify, you have "over-simplified" the terms "follower" and "leader". We are all leaders to some and followers of others.
I believe most of us are somewhere in between the two stereotypes you have described here, and thus I can find little value in what you are offering. Your final question - how do you move from one group to the next - should have been the content of this article, not the call to action. That would have been a much more interesting topic to start a dialogue about.
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