Your Number One Goal For Social Media
Your number one goal when posting online should be bifurcated evenly between providing value for those who see your post and connecting with those people. So, make sure you don’t chase “likes,” make connections.
Again, when posting online:
Your Number 1 Priority: Providing value for those who see your post.
Your Number 1 Priority: Connecting with those people.
To Gain Career Security, You Need To Be Making Human Connections Through Meaningful Engagement, Not Chasing “likes.”
Here’s the kind of reaction we’re aiming for when we post:
- Comments that represent a meaningful engagement with the topic.
- Comments that are the basis for a continued business relationship IRL,
- DM’s from people telling you that you helped them in some way or asking you to create a professional relationship to help them further.
- People expressing interest in attending events you’re organizing.
- Any indication that you’re helping people and providing genuine value to their lives (this kind of engagement can vary across platforms, so I wanted a catch-all here).
If someone drops a like on your post, who cares? Do you have any idea what that means? It might reach a wider audience because of that like and connect with someone else, but we should be aiming for connections with who is already seeing our posts. If we’re providing value, the expanded reach will come in time so just continue to focus on providing value consistently over time.
Why Meaningful Engagement Is Better Than “Likes”
If you’ve provided value to someone through interactions, they’ll remember that. Now, instead of being someone who’s post they liked, you’re someone who helped them with a problem. You’re an expert in their eyes who they’ll either go to, or recommend to someone else. They’re also much more likely to go to an event you’re hosting, or to recommend that a friend goes with them.
By soliciting meaningful engagement by giving value consistently over time, you’re building genuine relationships with people that you can foster in real life. And you can build business relationships with those people to help you gain career security.
Likes mean nothing. Human connection means everything when building career security.