3 Ways to Drastically Improve Your Social Media Skills | Best Web ...

Being adept at social media is an advantage to anyone. An article in McKinsey Quarterly says that few domains in society and business have not been impacted by the social media revolution. Many businesses and organizations recognize the transformational power of social media and have responded to this change. Social media platforms are now being utilized to generate sales leads, create sophisticated viral campaigns, increase brand loyalty, and more.? Even individuals benefit from social media ? we see amateur performers being catapulted to instant popularity through YouTube, professionals finding their dream jobs on LinkedIn, and writers turning their self-published works into best-selling ebooks through social media promotion.? If you?re not as social media-savvy as you would like to be, consider these tips:

Learn the craft of image manipulation and video production

The creation of compelling content is a must for anyone who wants to master social media. Nowadays, YouTube videos are uploaded in a blink of an eye and infographics, memes, and other images have become staples in catching followers? attentions. You can start off by learning the basics of video editing, and don?t worry if what you come up with is not as perfect as you would like it to be. The McKinsey Quarterly article also says that, ?Too much perfection is actually a barrier to collaboration and co-creation, as it disinvites participation.?? The raw and unpolished feel is actually acceptable, since it invites your audience to engage with your material.

A lot of online tools can now help you learn more about multi-media production. To make animated videos, you can also use sites such as Xtranormal and GoAnimate. There are also hundreds of Photoshop tutorials on YouTube and other free resources such as Adobe tutorials. If you need a quick image upload, then simply use image-filtering apps like Instagram.

Brush up on your writing skills

Responding to comments, coming up with regular blog posts, creating simple infographics ? all of these require decent, if not exceptional, writing skills.? If you?re not that comfortable with the written word, you can build your confidence level by doing two important things: reading and writing.? The only way you can learn excellent writing is to read excellent writing. So throw away that copy of 50 Shades of Gray, and substitute it with classics such as Strunk and White?s Elements of Style and more contemporary but awesome novels like Ender?s Game or even Harry Potter.? There are also online sources you can use to guide you in basic grammar like the easy-to-read explanations of Grammar Girl, the humorous albeit sarcasm-laden The Oatmeal, and the Marvel/DC-inspired Grammarman.

The next thing you can do to practice writing is to put up a blog. It can be about any topic that interests you. Your own blog site will not only motivate you to write, it will also give you hands-on experience in promoting your blog posts on social media. You can also sharpen your writing skills by participating in online forums and commenting on the blogs of others.

Follow the social media experts

Learn social media from the experts themselves.? You can follow recognized social media gurus like Guy Kawasaki, Pam Moore, and Mari Smith on Twitter. You can also read blogs like Social Media Examiner and Social Media Today and experiment on the tips they give.

Of course, your social media skills won?t improve if you don?t use social media yourself. Focus on a few networks you would like to master and start learning their distinct characteristics.? It may take a bit of time, but you?ll be able to gain more confidence as you use social media more and more.

Source: http://www.thegrizasonline.com/3-ways-to-drastically-improve-your-social-media-skills

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