Learning to Speak Social

5 Tips for Getting Started

Jan 19, 20165,331 views456 Likes34 CommentsShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookSha
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There was a lot of reaction to my recent post Learning to Speak Social . As a topic
it evoked strong opinions. Many people swore they would never give up face-to-f
ace for online while others urged me to dig deeper and share success strategies
for integrating our online and our in-person worlds.
Let me begin by reminding that speaking social does not mean sacrificing the hum
an element. Far from it. It provides an opportunity to extend our face-to-face c
onnections as we seek out and begin to build relationships with people we eventu
ally want to meet in person.
I have learned it is where business begins today.
I will candidly admit. When I began my own speaking social experiment a little o
ver a year ago, I was not expecting much in the way of a personal return. At Cis
co, we had pockets of people, from road warriors to leadership, who were engagin
g online. As one of the global leaders for our fast-growing datacenter division,
I saw social as an opportunity to broadcast. To influence beyond the room I was
in at any one moment.
But speaking social is so much more.
As is often the case when we choose to do something new
something that takes us
outside of our comfort zone - we are introduced to a bigger and more illuminatin
g adventure than we could ever have imagined at the start.
My Personal Social ROI
I have been delighted with the results of my speaking social journey. And it is
a journey, not a sprint. It requires a regular investment a commitment of time
efore you begin to see results. But results will occur. Here are some of the mom
ents that have mattered to me:

Increased Awareness One of my first blog postings garnered the attention of colle
agues and partners who responded positively with likes and comments . While publishin
g that first blog can seem un-nerving, when you strive to be authentic and to ed
ucate, you will find it fosters connections and re-connections that matter. Spea
king social has boosted my online profile and enabled me to re-connect with othe
rs.
New Opportunities I have been surprised by the number of followers, reach-outs a
nd requests to meet. Many of these have helped Cisco begin new business conversa
tions. Social is expanding my tribe by introducing people I want to know and wid
ened my circle of influence. The dialogue begins online but to get the real bene
fit of social, you learn to move the right conversations offline.
Developing My Voice I have opinions about many things that range from building s
trong relationships to leadership strategies. While I have no problem expressing
these ideas in person, it was intimidating at first to commit them to paper. Bu
t writing them down has actually helped me to clarify my thinking and introduced
me to new ideas. I often interview or meet with others as I begin to prepare a
posting and these meetings have been invaluable in helping me explore new ideas
or look at topics from a fresh perspective.
Here are the five tips I would recommend to anyone who wants to get started.
Tip Number One

Get Yourself a Coach

While I intuitively knew a year ago that I wanted to become more active socially
, I was not certain how to begin. One of my colleagues recommended beginning wit
h a coach. It was great advice. Both my business and personal calendars are alwa

ys packed. Navigating this world on my own would have taken time I didn t have.
Your coach does not have to be an expensive investment. Colleagues who are fluen
t and willing to share strategies or even an online group coaching program can g
et you started with the basics.
In my case, I decided to meet one-on-one with a social media coach who specializ
es in the technology industry. She recommended a make-over. A new picture, a ban
ner and an integration of Twitter and LinkedIn combined with a regular cadence f
or posts. This strategy would enable me to take control of how I wanted to be pe
rceived and communicate online. My personal brand is reflected in both words as
well as visually with pictures.
Tip Number Two

Identify Your Social Platforms

We can t be everywhere on social media. I have a Facebook presence that I guard je

alously. It s my personal space. Enough said.
For business we agreed that LinkedIn and Twitter would be right for me. Twitter
would enable me to remain current, tweeting and re-tweeting as events unfold. I
ask and receive questions on Twitter. I can participate #realtime during confere
nces. I follow thought leaders, partners, journalists and competitors.
LinkedIn would become my living resume. My experience, business ideas and leader
ship philosophies. LinkedIn long-form posts act as my own personal blogging plat
form. I invite you to read through some of my past postings to understand how I
am choosing to use this feature to strengthen my online voice.
Tip Number Three

What Are You Talking About?

Personal branding is about managing your name

even if you don t own a business
in a
world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records. Goi
ng on a date? Chances are that your blind date has Googled your name. Going to a j
ob interview? Ditto. Tim Ferriss
When I post on LinkedIn, I broadcast using both LinkedIn and Twitter to let my f
ollowers know I have something new to share. I decided that I wanted my social p
resence to be an expression of my personal brand. In particular, I wanted to exp
lore and talk about leadership strategies. I am fascinated by the evolution of l
eadership and how we can adopt and learn new leadership styles to help ourselves
and our companies perform.
As you get started, you might want to ask yourself what is my personal brand? Wha
t do I want it to be? Deciding how you want to be perceived online and how that p
erception will influence your personal brand will be a big step forward in helpi
ng you determine the entire footprint of your online presence.
Tip Number Four

Plan an Editorial Calendar

It has been much easier for me to be consistent about sending my message out bec
ause I follow an editorial calendar. Sometimes events dictate that we introduce
a new topic or move our planned content ideas from month-to-month. Some of my me
ssages have been spread across a two or three part series. Currently I am consid
ering how I might incorporate some of my messages more broadly with vehicles lik
e an eBook or a webinar.
The bottom line is that it is easier to meet my goals by having a plan to follow
.
Tip Number Five

Be Accountable

I have a monthly date on my calendar when I review my social progress. Some of t

he metrics I measure are the number of new followers, who those followers are, w
hat kind of engagement is occurring with those followers, the number of shares a
nd what people are actually saying to me. And while increasing my followers is o
ne metric I look at, I am more interested in who is engaging with me and their c
omments than in the actual number itself. One of my big goals with social is to
engage so that I can move from virtual to real connections.
I am fortunate in that I get to work with a communications team who provide me w
ith input and ideas. It is definitely a bonus to have others to work with and th
ey keep me accountable because we have a hard date every month where the rubber
meets the road.
But if you don t have a team, you don t have to do this on your own. In fact, I woul
d encourage you to find an accountability buddy . A colleague or friend who has sim
ilar speaking social goals. Set a date on the calendar and meet once a month to
bounce ideas and share progress. It will be easier for you to become confident,
gain clarity and remain consistent with your speaking social plan.
In Summary
I hope this posting has provided some useful tips for your own speaking social j
ourney. If you have any comments or any ideas you would like to share, please le
ave them in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you.