Today’s guest post is by Andy Crestodina.
We all know someone who scoffs at Twitter, fears Facebook, and has no interest in Pinterest.
Some of these people are lawyers, some are boomers.
They call it trivial, narcissistic, and the end of quality human interaction.
They hate social media. But, they don’t need to be completely left out.
Here are three set-it-and-forget-it tips for people who will never use social media.
Here’s the right way to not use social media.
Note: We realize the Spin Sucks community is very active in social media. Great! We hope you’ll share these tips with the haters by emailing them this link.
1. Update your LinkedIn profile
I’m sorry, but there’s one profile out there that every professional needs to keep updated: LinkedIn. An up-to-date LinkedIn profile is the absolute minimum. So do it. Enter the following:
- Current position and title
- Contact information
- Your picture
You don’t have to think of it as social media. Think of it as a second resume or a business card.
Time: Ten minutes, once per year
2. Set up a Google alert: Your brand, your name
You can get the benefits of social listening without being active on social media. Just set up a Google alert, so anytime your brand or your name are mentioned on a website, you’ll get an email. Ignore the email if you’d like, but at least you’re listening.
Time: Three minutes
3. Call forwarding: One tweet, one post
You don’t have to use a network to have a presence there. That presence can declare to the world that no one is home. Think of it as call forwarding.
- Twitter: Create an account, enter a simple bio, upload your picture, and link to your website. Then tweet once. The tone and message should be something like this:
“Hi there. I’m not an active user of Twitter, but you can connect with me through my website at http://www.website.com.” - Facebook, Google+, and any other network: As above, create an account and post once, letting people know where to find you.
Creating accounts will help with your personal SEO, making you easier to find in Google. Be sure to upload a professional headshot to each site, especially if you have a common name. This will help people know they found the right person and direct traffic to the right place.
Time: Fifteen minutes
Don’t judge the haters.
After all, social media marketing is completely optional. Many brands still get huge results through traditional channels. Readers may remember, I once made the case that the best web marketing tool is the phone.
Hate social media? Don’t use it! But don’t completely ignore it. And if you’re already a social media pro, please email this to all the backwards, ignorant luddites (I’m kidding!) who still dislike social media.
Andy Crestodina is co-founder and strategic director at Orbit Media, a web development company in Chicago. You can find Andy on Google+ and on Twitter.