Being Likeable

Have you ever read a cringe-causing rant or comment online? Have you ever vented publicly on your social media sites? Have you ever been the recipient of online rudeness?

It seems with the advent of immediacy in sharing thoughts, especially if it is anonymous, people sometimes act/react badly and maybe later regret their words. If you are striving to be a professional, being likeable on social media is a must.

Does being likeable mean that you can’t be honest and open about your thoughts and feelings? No. Does being likeable mean that you can’t disagree with someone else? No. Does being likeable mean that you have to be meek and passive? No.

According to Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen (read my review here), being likeable means that you are genuine with your customers. Think about that for a moment. You are who you are. You write what you write. Not everyone will like you or your writing.

Even best-selling authors are who they are and write what they write knowing they have a specific audience. Within that audience, there are some who will hate the next book. I love Patricia Cornwell’s “Kay Scarpetta Series”. When Ms. Cornwell went away from the “Scarpetta” books to Isle of Dogs, Southern Cross, and Hornet’s Nest, I had the same one-star reaction that most readers had. Ms. Cornwell is who she is, wrote what she wrote, and thankfully left those books behind.

Is it because she listened to her critics? Could be. Her audience is her most important asset, and if she’s paying attention to her customers, then yes, she responded appropriately.

Reading a terrible review hurts. How you respond matters. Fighting back doesn’t usually help, but trying to understand the person’s point of view, if it’s constructive, may. Unfortunately, few people are constructive in their online criticism. I think I fall into the camp of “ignore”, because it’s impossible to please everyone.

I can only be who I am, write what I write, accept whatever comments come my way, and be what I think is likeable. It may help me win readers or it may cause me to lose readers, but if I can sleep well at night, that’s good enough for me.

Marketing with Social Media

Before I waded into the world of social media, I did a lot of research. I wanted to know as much as possible about LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter so I didn’t make a fool out of myself. I read several online articles, watched several videos, and still hesitated to jump in.

Why? Because I received a lot of conflicting information.

There are differing viewpoints about setting up profiles, what to share, what not to share (I’m appalled at some posts I’ve read), how often to share, and I just wanted basic information to start with.

Enter Social Media Marketing for Dummies by Phyllis Khare (see my review here). I was able to glean from her book, the general material I needed to open accounts. What I figured out while reading the book is this: social media needs to be professional if you’re trying to market yourself as a writer.

That doesn’t mean you can’t put in cute pictures of your kids or your dogs. It doesn’t mean you can’t tell us about the fabulous dinner you had the night before. Being personal and personable are great qualities. But your posts need to reflect you and your brand and not turn off any potential publisher, editor, agent, or reader.

I’ve seen people make political statements, religious statements, rant about retailers, carry on about other people. If that isn't your brand, it can be a polarizing topic! Yes, we should all have opinions, but we should be mindful about how far we spread them. I know I don’t want to antagonize anyone who could potentially move my writing career forward. Being an attorney, I also must pay attention to privacy and ethical issues. It’s a huge topic that every bar association is talking about, and until the rules are settled, social media for attorneys can be unsettling.

Social media has helped careers; social media has hurt careers. Think about your message before you post to ensure that it is relevant and helpful, and not harmful.