Six ACID TESTS FOR ASSESSSING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

Six ACID TESTS FOR ASSESSSING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

‘‘You are the light of this world: A city that is set on heal cannot be hidden.’’

Matthew 5:14

Having a brand presence

Having a presence on social media differ from being present on social media. Indeed, just because someone is in a place does not mean they are fully and actively alive in that location. In the real world, there could be several reasons for which a person may enter a place. Some people may be at an event by just accompanying their friends and not truly knowing anyone at the said event. These people, under this circumstance, are usually tensed, recoiling to their shells, except they have an exceptionally outgoing personality, which make them cry louder than the bereaved. While everyone can be present on social media, not everyone can have social media presence. Social media presence is about having a standing and not just a status. In this piece, I am painstakingly relating how these two constructs differ. I will largely focus on key characteristics that defines one’s social media presence.

1.      Social Media presence is Active and Deliberate: The most distinguishable characteristics of people who have meaningful social media presence is their level of involvement and investment they put into it. No matter how one looks at it, social media is not free. At the very least, one needs a smartphone, data and time to be consistent with same. Just setting up a page does not mean one will be active or deliberate about serving a need. In fact, number, whether huge or small, does not even indicate whether one has a presence or not. The real deal breaker is the extent to which, the individual actively invests the required amount of money, resources and time to make their meaningful more meaningful and fulfilling in the long run. As a Marketing Consultant, I have seen companies buy huge following just to abandon the hard work of having to create genuinely valuable presence and intimacy with the social media community they serve. The first test for assessing one’s social media presence is to track the level of investment and involvement that person or company truly make on social media.

2.     Social Media presence is Participatory: People with social media presence are not just passive consumers of information. They are participants and not mere spectators. They are active producers and consumers, adding the beauty of their uniqueness to social conversations and their communities. I have heard people compliment themselves about being on social media and remaining mute, without any form of interaction. While I may not want to question the basis for that and I do not know the intentions of people who do that, I consider such approach as self-centred. Such attitude towards social media is at variance with the very essence for which social media was created. Social media, must essentially be a social activity and not a personal endeavour. Remaining inactive and a spectator on social media are synonymous with never greeting or exchanging pleasantries with anyone you meet in a social setting.

3.     Social media presence is positional: There must be one or two things you have to be known for. Over the years, I have always positioned myself as a writer and researcher. Almost everything I do doe tils into this positioning and reinforces my presence. Where I intend, I will usually create different social media page to experiment the success. People who have meaningful and profitable social media presence have brand essence. That is, they clearly define what is it that they want to contribute to the whole social media ecosystem, enriching others with their perspectives on matters.

4.     Social Media Presence is Intentional: Social media presence is an intentional and proactive engagement. In the corporate setting, the decision to set up a social media page is usually underpinned by major organizational goals and business objectives. On the individual level, people who want to have meaningful presence on social media are very intentional about what is it that they want to offer, how they want to offer it, where they offer it and who they offer it to. People and organizations who are nonchalant and indifferent towards their presence on social media are usually not too sure about the purpose it serves or how they can strategically fit it into their broader corporate goals and business objectives.

5.     Social Media Presence is Selective: Just because you want to be relevant and have a compelling presence on social media does not justify the need to be everything to everybody. It is been said that if you do not stand for something, you will fall for everything. Having a social media presence means being selective about context and type of content you consume or the conversations you wan to join. This is a very deliberate set of actions, which will include making little decision like what picture to put out, your choice of diction, and matters that, though innocuous, but could still have a long-term impact on one’s brand presence and standing.

6.     Social Media presence is Introspective: Being introspective is about being yourself and truly understanding what is it that you represent as a brand. Without self-awareness, one can hardly make any meaningful presence on social media. Social media exist to amplify and mirror a person’s opinions, expertise and position about life. Without knowing what an individual’s values, vision and mission are, their presence on social media will have no direction or meaning. This is true for organizations seeking to have social media presence. You do not set up a company page before establishing the vision and mission for the company. That is counterintuitive. It is always best starting from what you know about yourself, vision, value and purpose, whether individual or organizational.

Conclusions:   

It is time we evaluated our presence, whether individual or organizational. Being present on social media is not enough. The real deal is being Intentional, Positional, Retrospective, Selective, Participatory and being Active.

Boateng Osarfo Samuel (BOS)

Writer/Researcher/ Lead Consultant for Preset Media and SkobaPublic Relations

0541842198.