Writing a Social Network Profile
When you’re writing a social network profile, there is a very fine line to walk. Whether you are on the social networks for personal reasons or professional ones, the goal is typically the same – you want people to follow you so you can share your thoughts and information with them.
Getting people to follow you starts with your profile. The line you have to follow is how to “stand out”, while also “fitting in”.
You have to craft a profile that is in line with the social networks and is in line with the groups and people you want to appeal to. However, you must also stand out and separate yourself from the rest of the crowd.
Show, Don’t Tell
This is the number one tip for writing in general and it also applies to writing a social network profile. Don’t put the focus on “who you are”. Tell them what you do, and what you’ve done. It’s easy to write a social profile that gives your job title, but that isn’t nearly enough. In fact, a lot of job titles don’t really describe the job so most people won’t even know what it means.
When you’re writing a social network profile, focus on telling people what you do. For example, instead of telling people you are creative, give them some examples of projects you’ve worked on that showed your creativity. Or get creative with what you write in your profile. Those will make you stand out much more rather than just saying you’re creative.
Focus on Keywords
Using keywords when you are writing a social network profile are much more important than most people think. Every social profile is searchable and can be found on Google, Big, Yahoo, etc if you use the right keywords. Make sure to identify the keywords that are important to your audience and use those keywords in your profile. That way when they are searching online they’ll find you.
Keep it Fresh
When you are writing a social network profile, you should focus on keeping is current. This includes being careful when you use the popular “buzzwords” of today. Most of these types of words have a short shelf life. If you fill your profile with the trendy buzzwords of today, that means tomorrow they will be outdated and will reflect poorly on you.
Along the same lines, you should also review your profile from time to time to make sure the rest of the information is still current.
Value Proposition
Another overlooked item when you are writing a social network profile is the value proposition. This is more commonly known as “what’s in it for me”. If you really want people to begin to follow you, it’s critical that you tell them why it would benefit them. Tell them what they can expect from you, what value you bring to the table or what type of information you will share with them.
Get Personal and Add Humor
While many people build social network profiles with business in mind, that doesn’t mean it has to be ALL business. In fact, most experts will tell you that it’s important to add some bits of personal information when you’re writing a social network profile. You want to convince your readers that you are a real person, and personal information and humor are great ways to do this.
Spell Check
When you write anything, it’s important to use a spell checker to make sure you didn’t miss any typos, and that’s true when you’re writing a social network posting as well. If you’re trying to get people to follow you, and they see words that are misspelled or basic grammar mistakes, you will instantly lose your credibility.
