Social media networking has branched beyond LinkedIn and Facebook! Now, people are starting and maintaining thriving companies off of Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. It seems easy but before you dive into someone’s DMs, check out these quick guidelines.
You have to embrace the art of social media stalking- but don’t be a complete weirdo. Social media is an inexpensive and efficient resource if you use it right. Whether your goal is to be a writer, or a video editor, or even a professional closet organizer- there’s always someone on the Internet looking for your specific skill set. Everyone has their email in their bio (especially on Instagram). Everyone is connected. Everyone is accessible. But that doesn’t mean you should take advantage of it. Follow the golden rule. Treat people how you’d want to be treated. Would you want someone spamming your comments with bots? Or passing your information off to someone? Use social media to your advantage but don’t take advantage.
Speaking of taking advantage, let’s talk about about email etiquette. Stop randomly adding people to your email lists without their permission. Just because you have access to someone’s email address doesn’t mean that they want to receive stuff from you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to unsubscribe from lists that I never actually subscribed too. Stop it.
Now, let’s say you’ve done your research and you’ve found the email that may make your wildest dreams come true! Before you get into your pitch- take two seconds to introduce yourself. It sounds like common sense but you’d be surprised. Also, it’s easy to make grammatical errors, even if you’ve proofread your message a hundred times. However, there is no reason why you should misspell the name of the person you are writing too- or their company. My name AND my brand are in my email and people still manage to call me “Syndey or Sydney or anything else that isn’t my actual name”. It’s rude.
Quick question! How do you expect people to help you if you don’t interact with their content? If you really like a photo, comment on it and tell the photographer. If you really like someone’s outfit, DM them and ask how they styled it. There is no harm in reaching out. Especially if you’d like to collaborate with a person. Don’t be a ghost follower. Social media was made for networking, but you have to actually interact. A double tap or a simple smiley face emoji won’t hurt you. Do you ever find yourself saying “oh that’s super cute”, but you don’t actually like it or reshare it? That’s weird. The only way to build your online community is through communication. Now go get your double tap on!
