Top 6.5 2008 Social Media Resolutions

It’s already into the second week of January, and I’m just writing about resolutions. I definitely have some of my own to sort out and keep (professionally and personally), but that doesn’t mean I can’t encourage you to make some around your business or personal brand’s success in conversational media.

So here we go.

Your 6.5 Social Media Resolutions

1.    Track everything.
Are you following conversations about you in social media? Do you have Google Alerts and Filtrbox set up with key words (the name of your business, products, and executives, competitors, industry buzzwords, etc.), so you can see what’s being written about you? Are you keeping track in Twitter, as well?

2.    Become a part of the conversation.
Now that you know where people are talking about you, or your industry, get out there and comment. Don’t be self-promotional; just weigh-in where appropriate. Build awareness about who you are and what you believe. Even if you don’t have your own corporate or personal blog (see resolution #3), you can still become a sort of thought leader.

And don’t be afraid to be honest, even if it means your opinions or advice is polarizing. Seeding controversy is a great way to get noticed, as long as you’re authentic (see resolution #5). Make sure you get in there when people are talking crap about your brand.

3.    Start a blog.
It doesn’t have to be fancy. It can be a corporate blog, where you and your team take turns posting and commenting, or it can be a personal blog, where you discuss your opinions or expertise in your industry (or, you know, just put your personal stuff out there, because, apparently, other people are going through the same thing).

4.    Actually follow through and keep your blog current.
So you started a blog last year, and posted once every couple of weeks or so, at best. Here’s your chance to start fresh, and post regularly. But how are you going to do it?

Some advice:

• Put yourself on an editorial schedule, and stick to it (yeah, yeah — I know I need to do this, too). If you’re going to post two or three times per week, block out time on your calendar as a meeting with yourself, and don’t miss it. Your best bet is, as Jeremiah Owyang says, to “feed yourself first,” which means to start your day, before you even check email, by perusing your RSS feeds and writing your post.
• Write more than one post at a time. All day long, you’re thinking up great new subjects, but then you forget about them when it’s time to write. So, instead of churning out fully-formed posts in one sitting, start a new one every time you think of something you want to write about it. Keep a folder full of starter posts that you can work from. Come across an interesting conversation? Paste the link into a new doc, write a few thoughts, and save it for when you have time to dig into it.
• It’s okay to be lazy, sometimes. Meaning, you don’t have to write a fully-formed, cogent column of brilliance every day. Even a short post about something you read (or a really funny video) is better than not publishing anything at all.
• Switch it up — change the length and format and subject matter of your blog posts, so you and your readers don’t get bored. Take some chances.

5.    Be authentic.
But you already knew this, so it’s one of those resolutions you can keep without working too hard. It’s like making a resolution to eat more chocolate in the coming year.

6.    Make a commitment to Twitter.
Seriously. It’s not that hard, and it’s good for you. That’s all I’m going to write about Twitter.

6.5    Read the National Internet Business Examiner’s columns.
It’ll keep me motivated to stick to my own editorial calendar. Think of it as your good deed resolution, like when you resolve to buy an extra taco at lunch and give it to a homeless person.

Next time, my resolutions, and why they may be relevant for you.