Now you're talking social

 When I went on holiday recently I was fascinated (as was the wife) by a group of deaf people all signing to each other. I could of watched them for hours. They were so expressive. Using their hands arms and body to really articulate what they were saying to each other. It was really beautiful to watch and it got me thinking about how basic language alone can be and how much can be misconstrued by it.

But do we really talk enough? Probably not I’d venture. I was guilty of this for a long time. Would shut down and bottle things up and not share.

It started getting me to think about language, culture and the way we pass on knowledge through the written word and how the internet and social media has turned that almost into a real time dance. Different forms of content (written word, audio, video and images, graphics and photography) allow us to communicate in even more varied ways to appeal to our audience.

Talking with pictures and making memories is universally appealing - Evan Spiegel

Research at 3M Corporation concluded that we process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Further studies find that the human brain deciphers image elements simultaneously, while language is decoded in a linear, sequential manner taking more time to process.

So for that reason alone you’d think that video would be king on a platform like LinkedIn and whilst it does have more weighting now (YouTube anyone) it isn't the only form of content that is consumed.

How it’s consumed (on the move with mobile) vs static through desktop also account for the ways we interact with it. People have certain preferences for different types of content as well.

So having a varied and mixed content strategy (and being disciplined in every type) will give you a competitive advantage over people that specialise. That’s also not to say you can’t get good at a particular type (mine was video when I first started, simply because it gives me a competitive edge as so many people fear it as a communication medium because there is so much to learn).

The variance between content types and if its being consumed via web or mobile (57 percent of LinkedIn’s traffic comes from mobile devices (LinkedIn, 2018).

But content isn’t a one way flow of information, it’s not broadcast in the traditional sense. We are creating a space through our content to drive conversations. In all honesty I almost don’t care what that content is, it’s the beginning of the conversations that it drives that are for me the real gold.

This is where you start to enter into (near) real time conversation with prospects, advocates, followers and your new audience. Building a framework of who you are, what you stand for and most importantly how human you both are. It breaks down barriers and allows you to start the beginning of a real relationship. One built on trust and values. A strong foundation to begin business.

Something ghost writers or people that create content can never do. Because of the disconnect between the content and the person driving the comments. 

People can sense the fragmentation between what has been produced and the feel of the story that continues in the comments.

Creating content and not engaging with people who have taken the time to comment is just plain rude. It’s the digital equivalent of being on a trade stand that took 2 days to build, dressed in your best suit, holding out a jar of sweets. Then someone approaches the stand and you turn your back to them.

The damage you are doing to your personal brand by not responding to comments is HUGE.

Also don't forget to listen, I have learnt so much from this platform and the people on it in the space of 3 years by doing just that. Some of it invaluable.

But content isn't the only opportunity for conversation we have on the platform, every single touchpoint someone does is a magical opportunity to begin a conversaton with someone.

Things like a Comment on a post

A Like on a post

A Like on a comment 

A Share of your content

A Profile view 

A Profile video view

A Connection request

A Follow

An endorsement of a skill

An article shared and referenced...

The list is endless. But when you start to see that the whole platform is one big swirling heaving mass of communication and language the possibilities are limitless. So get out there and get talking. You never know where it might lead.

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing- Walt Disney

#engagement #content #conversation #networking #thatsocialnerd