Let me preface this by saying that I am not a data scientist. I am not posting about numbers, engagement, likes, shares or, reposts. I’m just giving a view as to what one’s social media behaviour may be doing for one’s reputation and one’s business.
Within the few hundred connections I have on LinkedIn, there are a few of you who are stand-out. I see you posting lots of content. Rather, I see your smiling face in your profile picture reposting other people’s content. Many of you do it once a day and some, even more frequently. I see you posting pretty well anything that you think will reflect well on you or perhaps, which you feel will be of interest to those with whom you are connected. One of the biggest culprits (yes, I see you as a culprit) is in the PR business. I can’t look at my feed without seeing another “viral” being reposted.
A buddy of mine, also in the PR business doesn’t post often. He rarely reposts, always has content that is appropriate to his own business, is genuinely interesting and is well-thought-out.
In the short term and even in the longer term, the manic poster may well get more engagement, more eyeballs, more connections. But, I see that there may be a couple of other things going on too. They leave me with the impression that they are always chasing business, looking to show how much they know by sharing other people’s knowledge and insights. If I think about it at all, this leaves me asking “What does this guy or gal bring to the party? Have they any real value to add to me or my business?” Do they ever ask “What can I do for my connections?” I fear that they come up on the short side of this one. I also think to myself that they perhaps are spending too much time on platforms and not enough time on their own or their clients’ business.
When I look at my other buddy in the PR field, Brian Purcell, I see a guy who knows his business inside out. He has demonstrated over the long term that he understands his clients. He shows that he has a real passion for their industries. For him, I see social working well. It works because it reflects his passion and brings that enthusiasm to a wider audience. It reminds us that he is there, working away on the business that he loves.
In short, I see it as being more important to get the quality right and then share it. For me, the other approach reminds me of the old BBC series from the ‘60s (I only ever saw repeats), “Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width”.
I do understand that the nature of this content works against it getting shared far and wide. I’m comfortable with that. Maybe Brian will repost….
For clarity, I have no current business connection with Brian (more’s the pity).
Image courtesy of (and edited by me) Ethan Bodnar on Unsplash