Show a Little Gratitude – just post it!
August 17, 2010
Your Social Mark – why do you make it so hard on yourself?
October 1, 2010

By Kathy Sipple, My Social Media Coach

When you’re tweeting or updating Facebook, what do you say? If you’re like a lot of people, you write conversationally—top of mind. Which is good, to a point.

It’s great to be yourself and let your natural expression come through in your words. However, if you are using social media to develop your professional network, you can help Google and other search engines find you online by being more intentional with your posts and integrating some choice key words.

What do you want to be known for? More importantly, what are people searching for online who need your service? Take the time to get inside your target audience’s minds and think like they do. Develop a list of key words you suspect they may use and try to incorporate them into your tweets and updates on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Leaving a digital trail of key words that relate to your business not only helps search engine optimization (SEO), it also helps remind people already in your network about what you do. Strive to inform rather than to sell though. Sometimes it’s just a matter of adding a few words to clarify or enrich your meaning.

For instance, instead of saying “I love my job—great group of people”, try “When I help a client conquer an eating disorder, I know why I became a therapist—truly a rewarding feeling.” Both statements express a similar sentiment; however, if friends or family don’t know specifically the types of problems you counsel people on, they will be less likely to refer people to you. When you give people specifics, they paint a more accurate picture of you over time.

Last piece of advice… Don’t pack too much into a single update—let your story unfold, over time, but with intentionality.