What is Social Media good for? If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times, "Social Media is NOT about self promotion!" I get it. I get it. Companies, businesses and self made experts shouldn't promote themselves. Social media consumers don't like pushy people.
Yesterday, I discovered a secret way, quite by accident, to use Social Media to advance your own cause. It worked. It's worked many times, almost every time. Interested?
It began with an innocent enough status update posted simultaneously to Twitter and Facebook: "I'll not be defeated by momentary discomforts." Within a moment, a couple people responded. Then quickly, a few more. The statement was liked, commented on, Re-tweeted and shared. That alone was nothing special, it's what happened next. First, some back story...
Yesterday started out bad. My dog woke me up early. I hadn't slept well and as I got up, I felt the familiar aches and pains of my aging limbs screaming a little louder than normal. I was out of my 'good' coffee. I started thinking of the difficult things at work that awaited me... Get it? Been there?
Later, as I drove to work things got worse. I began that mental spiral into the dark side, negative thinking, one sided emotions, grumpiness. I parked at the office and before I left the car used our friends over at Foursquare to check in at work and thought, "I'm not going to whine." Then I posted the update: "I'll not be defeated by momentary discomforts."
When the responses came an interesting thing happened. I felt better, supported, understood. I know many of the people who responded. I know that on a bad day, if they could, they would have my back. My day, and in a small but important way, my life advanced. Social Media promoted me.
Just for the record - if you're ever having one of those days, let me know. I'll gladly return the favor.
Yesterday, I discovered a secret way, quite by accident, to use Social Media to advance your own cause. It worked. It's worked many times, almost every time. Interested?
It began with an innocent enough status update posted simultaneously to Twitter and Facebook: "I'll not be defeated by momentary discomforts." Within a moment, a couple people responded. Then quickly, a few more. The statement was liked, commented on, Re-tweeted and shared. That alone was nothing special, it's what happened next. First, some back story...
Yesterday started out bad. My dog woke me up early. I hadn't slept well and as I got up, I felt the familiar aches and pains of my aging limbs screaming a little louder than normal. I was out of my 'good' coffee. I started thinking of the difficult things at work that awaited me... Get it? Been there?
Later, as I drove to work things got worse. I began that mental spiral into the dark side, negative thinking, one sided emotions, grumpiness. I parked at the office and before I left the car used our friends over at Foursquare to check in at work and thought, "I'm not going to whine." Then I posted the update: "I'll not be defeated by momentary discomforts."
When the responses came an interesting thing happened. I felt better, supported, understood. I know many of the people who responded. I know that on a bad day, if they could, they would have my back. My day, and in a small but important way, my life advanced. Social Media promoted me.
Just for the record - if you're ever having one of those days, let me know. I'll gladly return the favor.