@Klout and @Megan Berry asked me a few questions on how I got started.
+ How did you get started on social media? “In the early days, my first experience with anything social was AOL. I used to spend hours chatting online with lots of people. It sucked up lots of my time just like something else we all know called Twitter.
I’ve gone through life wondering what is my thing. I believe, I’ve found it, more like it found me. Twitter is really what started it all for me. I’ve never thought of myself as being in social media. It kind of just happened and I love it.
Twitter has really helped me become a social butterfly, once shy and still am at times. I really enjoy hanging out and meeting new people, especially my followers at conferences, events and out on the street. Yes, it does happen once in awhile.
It’s funny, I’m known better as a social media guy than a designer, which that is what I do for a living. My goal was never to become this social media person. I joined Twitter to make new friends, connections, help others and push out great info.
As an extra bonus of all this sharing and helping, it somehow created influence and trust for me. Brands have been reaching out to me; sending me on trips and asking me to try their goods, services and review their products.”
+ What’s your strategy for the content you produce and share on social media? “My motto is always to give value; be helpful and be nice. I’ve become almost like a news media outlet. I see myself as filter or editor of great information, a curator according to Klout.
Know your audience. Many of my followers are small biz to medium size. Many can’t afford a designer like me. I try to tweet articles on web design, color, inspiration and basics of design to help them. Novice articles are the best — sometimes intermediate or advanced design topics may go over their heads but I still throw those out there.
Recently, I have expanded my tweets to anything I enjoying in life; like food, movies and traveling. I take my followers on my journeys wherever I go.”
+ What advice do you have for someone who wants to take their social media influence and presence to the next level? “You have to really engage with your community and build those relationships. Be a resource for them. I’m a designer, so I tweet lots of design articles for beginners, intermediate and advanced. I also answer questions. If it’s not in my area of expertise, I try to find an answer for them.
Retweeting is a great way to build your network and say “Thanks, I like what you tweet. I want to spread the word.” Make sure the context offers value that is helpful to your followers, no selling.
The real big one for me is attending events, tweetups and conferences. You build a stronger bond after an In Real Life (#IRL) meeting. When you meet finally, It’s just like hanging out with an old friend.”
