159 Social Media Tips From 2009 in 140 Characters or Less by @shanegibson

If you follow me on Twitter you know that I like to tweet social media tips. This is a collection of social media tips under 140 characters that I tweeted out in 2009. It’s not all of them, just the ones I personally archived. They are chronologically organized from most recent to oldest. You will notice a consistent theme but also somewhat of a change in thought process as well. The reality is social media and our attitude toward it has changed a lot in 12 months. Here’s my 159 Social Media Tips in Under 140 Characters for 2009:

1. Improve the way you use 5 tools 10% each. Cumulatively it will have a big effect.
2. Easy access to tools like blogging raises the bar for those who want to lead, lots of competition.
3. Take massive action when you see a trend that may have large growth potential. You won’t win them all… but one will do.
4. The best medium is the one your customer likes, use multiple media.
5. There will be platforms you visit and platforms you call home. Make sure you own your home.
6. Be open to feedback, be open to being wrong. Defensiveness isn’t all that social.
7. Hone in on and focus on engaging people. Help multiply each other’s vision.
8. When teaching people talk in variable rules and principles not universal ones. Nothing is forever…things move fast.
9. Many people will quit, shun and criticize social media marketing when they realize it’s actually about leadership.
10. Dear Agency/Marketer/Sales Guy, if we wanted marketing and pitching we’d watch TV.
11. If you keep changing your message you will keep starting over. Experimenting with your strategic brand is not good.
12. Social media works better when it’s incorporated holistically with your entire set of marketing tools.
13. Before listening to someone’s social media tips or advice use social search to verify their credibility.
14. Leadership is influence (John Maxwell) and influence is measured based upon the change and action we create.
15. Use Twitter lists to let people know you’re listening.
16. Consistency, conviction, passion and focus are needed to see a social media plan succeed.
17. Best short-cut for results: focus on people, relationships, & psychology not gimmicks and clicks.
18. Not listening to your customer = Brandicide (Brand Homicide) do you have a social media listening strategy?
19. Once you find a conversation about your brand encourage it to spread by creating and hosting places for dialogue.
20. Social listening strategy comes before social media content strategy.
21. Most social media efforts are abandoned long before their results can be measured.
22. Integrate your tools in your marketing but also measure the effectiveness of each tool individually.
23. Social Media Trend: More people realizing that social media success is about leadership not technology.
24. Social Media Trend: Simultaneous translation in mirco-blogging and collaboration platforms.
25. Social Media Trend: Mobile social apps aggregating multiple social networks and media into one place.
26. Aggregate your client and prospect list and develop nano-casts for each nano-segment.
27. Social media can be used for retaining, developing and prospecting clients, all aspects of the sales cycle.
28. Get out of your industry vacuum when building strategy. Look for SMM concepts that can be adapted.
29. Want to make good connections? Make value added, thoughtful comments on their blog.
30. Teach your clients about social media, help them get online. It creates more dialogue opportunities.
31. Make it real at least twice a week. Meet offline in person with contacts.
32. Research and test the latest platforms but don’t go down the rabbit hole.
33. Teach people the principles of leadership before teaching them how to use Twitter or blogs.
34. Meetup.com is best used for community events. Using it just to promote your product or company will have minimal results.
35. Your great idea or blog post, is being written in 10 different languages by other people right now.
36. Any system or company bent on being exclusive versus inclusive will fail.
37. nstead of writing headlines write engagement lines.
38. As a leader, make the journey look fun & share your joy. People will want to follow the path.
39. “Nothing happens until someone tweets something.”
40. Being a thought leader is just as much about selfless contribution as it is about unique dialogue.
41. You don’t have to like or use every tool to be successful.
42. Social Media Trend: Brands now need to think global social etiquette when planning their social media strategy.
43. Unique, brief sound bytes produced consistently can yield great results.
44. Once in a while ask your FB and Twitter friends for help. See who steps up. This will tell you a lot.
45. Make a list of people who support you online. Develop a strategy to reciprocate.
46. Use your experience in social media to predict areas of growth in new regions and niches. Then pay it forward.
47. You may be awesome blogger but does the world know? SEO, social networks, offline promotions are needed.
48. Make your events that you promote about the community. Education and collaboration trump pitches.
49. “Think what’s in it for me?” from your target market’s perspective.
50. Using more than one channel / stream shortens your brand engagement curve.
51. Defining your target market and goals is easy, engaging them is the challenge.
52. The numbers are exciting but they’re just numbers until you make it real and build good relationships.
53. Engagement is not just about listening; it’s about empathy, rapport, and making people feel heard.
54. Engagement is the goal, social media are the tools.
55. Thank people who comment on your blog via e-mail or twitter. Let them know you’re listening.
56. Search engine optimization can help you rapidly grow your network and connections. Get good at it.
57. Develop a list of your top connections/influencers and make sure you’re connected on multiple networks.
58. There is a Trend: Condensed writing, short videos all getting shorter.
59. Blogging tip. Pick a theme or topic for the month. Plan 7-10 blog entries that build up to 1 core message, event, or action.
60. Have a series of steps planned and measured to track and develop relationships.
61. One of your final steps in the social media sales process is to connect offline, on the phone, or at least one on one virtually.
62. Use http://www.backtype.com/ to search blog comments about you, your blog or a topic.
63. Social media is too new for Gurus. We’re all amateurs! That’s what makes it fun and open.
64. Social Media Phases: Adoption, Population, Pollination, Aggregation, Splintering, Commercializing, and Globalizing.
65. Social media is here to stay and has more relevance and power everyday.
66. Embracing and understanding how to use social media is a core life skill, leadership skill and career building skill.
67. Social media is social. It’s about helping people connect to people using technology, it embodies truly what the internet was intended for.
68. Social media is not just about technology, it’s a new way of leading, thinking, and connecting with other people.
69. Social media belongs to all of us. An ordinary consumer, a front line employee, a political activist in Iran all have access and a voice.
70. You need different messaging for client retention than you do for attraction.
71. Statistics tend to be a history lesson. Growth and human behavior are rarely linear. Listen to customers and staff.
72. Use social listening tools: http://www.collecta.com/ http://www.twitority.com/ http://socialmention.com/ http://www.twazzup.com/
73. Develop a social media policy and set of guidelines to keep your team on track and on message.
74. You can force someone to be social, you can only give them the tools and training.
75. Worry less about selling and more about connecting and rapport.
76. Read Free the Future of a Radical Price before launching your next marketing campaign.
77. Read “Ignore Everybody” by Hugh Macleod if you want to tap into your social media creativity.
78. Spend time each day promoting and contributing to another blogger’s success.
79. What works for you now will only keep working until it is no longer unique. Keep innovating.
80. Polish your work too long and someone will move first with a less perfect work but they’ll get the credit. Publish first.
81. One day we will look back at “social media” as a buzz word. But the best practices will still be in use.
82. Seeing someone as a competitor is old economy, seeing them as a peer and a fusion partner is key.
83. Talk and listen to small nodes or groups of people in your larger niche network. Niche broadcasting is not enough.
84. Contribution, help and kindness are your social currencies which can get you access to great people and great networks.
85. Want to implement your social media plan fast? Think collaboration not committee
86. All the details, plans and tools don’t mean much unless you understand people.
87. A sense of curiosity and willingness to experiment can lead to some positive serendipitous discoveries.
88. Stop focusing on being a social media rock star, focus on building a community and a list.
89. Develop an understanding of the Long Tail http://longtail.com Think variable not universal when building strategy. Nano-casting and the “Long Tail” are key.”
90. Types of social media ROI include: improved staff engagement, quicker response to business challenges, increased frequency contact with clients.
91. Social Media results could also be: increased revenue, more customer data, increased store (real world) traffic, press, improved customer service.
92. Looking to hire a social media expert? Look for proof that they have done more than just build traffic and followers.
93. Words to use in a social media job posting: track record, business experience, well networked, project management experience.
94. There is a lot of hype. Look for truth, verify information and execute with dependable tools and strategies.
95. Use give away’s that have real value with a variety of paid options to upgrade to. Think customization and options.
96. Permission to connect has put the power in the consumers’ hands. Seek and then treat that permission like gold.
97. When I join your facebook page, give you my e-mail or follow you on twitter those are examples of “permission to connect”
98. Some people like lengthy whitepapers, others learn best through video, audio or text updates. Use variety.
99. Measure engagement levels, revenues, value added interactions. Big numbers in views and traffic can lie.
100. Bad customer feedback is a branding opportunity if you handle it right.
101. If you can’t be relevant, at least be entertaining!
102. Visit sites outside of your industry and interest areas for new ideas.
103. Constantly look for ways to contribute and you will never run out of marketing leverage.
104. Social Media should be integrated or synced with other marketing activities.
105. Social media is not rocket science. Forget the big words and focus on listening and connecting intimately.
106. It’s kind of like dating. Don’t ask someone to marry you on the first date.
107. Your goal is to become referable; to become credible, and to build a following through value added interactions.
108. It is not about getting referrals; it is about becoming referable.
109. There are many ways to get followers. A good question to ask is: “How do I create quality connections on Twitter?”
110. Ning.com is a great social networking tool. What it enables you to do is create your own private network for anything.
111. Pay it forward. Teach people about social media and they’ll tell other people about you.
112. Resist the temptation to fill your Facebook friends inboxes with daily marketing. They will tune you out.
113. Break long blog posts into a series of short-posts, it will increase your page views and be more engaging (except this one of course)
114. It’s personal reputation and brand building that makes us approachable, people want the real deal.
115. When you’re reaching out to thought leaders in the social space you need to tap into their motivations.
116. Pre-scheduled tweets and blog posts can help you reach audiences in different time zones.
117. Use http://www.tubemogul.com to distribute video to Youtube, Viddler, Vimeo etc. all at once.
118. Use http://hootsuite.com to manage multiple twitter accounts and schedule tweets into the future.
119. It feels great to know people are listening to us and that they care. Let your customers know you’re listening.
120. If done right social media will become a part of your business process not a separate addition.
121. Spend at least as much time listening as you do broadcasting.
122. It’s called “social media” for a reason. Be prepared to interact consistently.
123. You can’t win the game focusing on the scoreboard. Focus on the game of engagement and the traffic will come.
124. Losing followers is okay, measure the engagement level of who is still here to see how you are doing.
125. Have a goal, measure results, measurement provides feedback and improvement.
126. The internet has always been about helping people connect to people (@nickusborne)
127. Pay it forward. Help, teach. guide and be patient with people new to the scene. [Tweet This Tip]
128. Study people who are credible with the type of clients you want to attract. Model their strategy.
129. Marketers aren’t always synonymous with community builders, traffic and followers isn’t always equal to credibility.
130. If you’re an old school e-mail marketer or pitch artist, there’s some habits you will need to unlearn.
131. Before you start your campaign define your market and their pains.
132. Everyone and every company gets off message once in a while. Refocus and learn from it.
133. Leaders of large “Tribes” need to have thick skin and a tolerance for noise.
134. Continually tweak and update your Linkedin profile, your network will be notified.
135. Social media is changing so quickly that if you stop too long to smell the roses you’ll be out of touch.
136. Try a new platform each month, video blogging, FaceBook, tumblr etc. Curiosity can lead to great discoveries.
137. You can’t make a robot network for you at a party, why do you think they can do it for you on the web?
138. Some un-follows are strategic. People want to know if you’re really listening.
139. You can’t please everyone. But know who you are trying to connect with. Get in sync with your audience.
140. http://www.ping.fm updates FaceBook, Brightkite, Twitter, tumblr and Linkedin statuses all at once
141. Focus on a specific theme in your social media for extended periods of time
142. Your blog is your home base, all social media should feed your home base
143. Social media is 90 % contribution and connection 10 % marketing and sales
144. Social media belongs to the people, they get to make the rules not the marketer
145. Have a social media policy for your company. Help your people be effective and on message
146. Promote other people’s dreams. It builds community, loyalty and brand for you
147. “Marketing is a process not an event”- @jaylevinson Blog, tweet and talk about solutions to people’s pains and challenges
148. Social media tools like twitter are listening tools more than they are broadcasting tools.
149. Nano-cast to many small niches instead of broadcasting to everyone.
150. Learn to break up large blog entries into many smaller entries. It’s more user friendly
151. Take time each month to update your major social media profiles, use key words that your prospects would search for
152. Use social search like http://search.twitter.com and http://blogsearch.google.com to listen to your customers
153. Each social network has it’s own etiquette FaceBook type behavior doesn’t work on  LinkedIn
154. Answer people’s comments on your blog, or @ replies in Twitter. Social media leadership is about bi-directional communication.
155. Think twice, click once.
156. Take it off-line, book in person meetings or hold events for your online social media contacts
157. Use an assortment of tools, it geometrically multiplies efforts
158. Always be asking where are we going? What is the next Twitter or FaceBook going to be?
159. Use a mixture of content on your blogs, top 10 lists, photos, video, audio, guest bloggers, and polls…

I’m excited about what this year has to hold. While the big talk and focus is on Social Media ROI the real trend in my opinion is the realization that social media is a leadership tool. I’m looking forward to seeing many leaders amplify the good things they are doing in 2010 using social media. Happy New Year!

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