One of the best ways to increase your reach and influence isn’t often talked about.
It’s not talked about because you have to do it with the mindset that you don’t want anything in return.
It’s giving to others.
When it comes to social media, those that give more than they ask for are the ones that seem to have the most impact. They have the most reach. And they have the most influence.
Are you looking to give to others via social media?
Here are some ways you can do just that.
#1. Listen
It’s an obvious one, but not one that many of us practice enough. People want to be heard. They don’t want to listen to you talk when they have something to say that feels important to them.
They also don’t want advice or judgment. They just want someone to listen. If they want a fix they will let you know.
How does this work on social media? Many people use social media for venting. They’re looking for attention and really just looking for a way to share their feelings.
You don’t have to listen to the point of detrimental negativity, but listening to your followers can be a way to help them through issues.
#2. Ask Questions
Following up on the last one is asking questions. This one works well on social media. It can often begin in a feed and move into direct message.
Again, people are looking to be heard. Reading their comments, then asking questions to learn more and help them discover their own path is a great gift to give anyone. In real life or on social media.
#3. Connect People
The cliche saying that It’s who you know… turns out to be true in so many instances.
Finding jobs. Starting businesses. Meeting friends. Meeting spouses.
All kinds of things.
There is value in connecting people you think would fit well in some way.
When you see someone on social media in a situation that another person you know could help with then go ahead and connect them. It will take some of your time, but the connection could change a life.
Not always. Maybe not often. But often enough to make a difference.
#4. Do What You Promise
Let’s say you’re on LinkedIn. You see someone share a new episode of their podcast. You leave a comment that you’re going to check it out.
Follow through and listen. Then come back and leave a comment with something specific from the episode.
It’s an extra step that means the world to the person that posted the episode, but it’s an extra step that not many do. It really stands out when you do something like this and the extra effort is really worth it.
#5. Positive Feedback
There isn’t enough positive feedback in the world. For some reason it doesn’t come naturally for most of us. We point out the negatives. We point out the flaws.
The more positivity you can spread around the better you’ll leave the world.
I do see this often on social media. It gets a bad rep a lot of the time for the negativity, but if you look for it there is a lot of positivity.
If you make it part of your routine to leave positive comments and send personal messages it really improves the lives of others.
#6. Set An Example
One thing I’m noticing more in life is that people struggle with what they want to do. They just kind of go through life working a job and not necessarily being unhappy, but really not be satisfied either.
I think a big issue is that people aren’t able to find people to model their lives after. And it’s not that we need to copy someone else 100%. It’s about finding people to model after. Taking a little from a handful of people and seeing the life that you could have and work toward.
How can you help?
Set an example. Find people that you can model yourself after and then live the best life you can live.
And share the details with the world on social media. Not just the good, but some of it all.
Set an example for others.
#7. Document & Publish Your Life
And that leads us into the final tip for helping others with social media.
People often ask what is the best way to generate content for social media…
It’s documenting your life.
You can do it with text, audio, video or a combination of two or three. A key point is showing the real you. The struggles. The successes. The little details that seem foolish, but that really connect with someone.
Obviously it’s not easy to be open. It’s not easy to document your life all the time.
But by doing it you’re giving yourself to others and that’s a wonderful gift.
Conclusion
Giving something to others isn’t just a key for social media. It’s obviously a key for life in general. But it also works for social media. I think social gets a bad rep for being negative. And that’s certainly true. But there is a lot of positivity. And you can help by giving some positivity to the world. Do that and good things will come to you, but it’s obviously not about that.