Do you want to be more successful on social media? Perhaps you’d like to increase the number of your Facebook friends or gain more Pinterest and Twitter followers?

Giving is receiving

A golden rule to success on social media is to be generous. Don’t hesitate to click “like” if you really like something or post a brief and succinct comment where appropriate. Emoticoms are important, too, because they encapsulate many thoughts and emotions in a single image. Using them appropriately and effectively will increase your popularity.

Play by the rules

Not everyone plays by the rules; but if you do, you’ll be appreciated and sought after even more. When you post–and this applies to virtually all social media settings–be positive. Say things and/or choose images that are uplifting. There is enough bad news out there; why don’t you be a harbinger of good news.

Be engaging

If you have something to say, make sure that it’s timely, contemporary and interesting. People have very little time as it is, so don’t waste their time with nonsense. At the end of the day, we are all looking for something that we can add to our how-to-live-a-better-more-fulfilling-and-happier-life tool kit.

Don’t be sarcastic

We all have moments when we want to reply sarcastically to what someone says (in general or to us specifically). This is because it might sound stupid or rub us the wrong way.  Avoid this temptation by being nice or saying nothing instead. In the psychologist’s dictionary, sarcasm is a mask for sadness. Better to process the feeling and move on. It’s not true that what we say on social media doesn’t affect others because it’s the Internet and, hence, “not real;” on the contrary, what we say could have implications beyond which we are able to comprehend.

Be careful

This is why we need to be careful about what we say. Online publishing–whether it be e-books, group posts, tweets or pins–must be treated with care. You may want to ask yourself before you write something, Do I really want to say this? This simple question may save you much heartache later.

Enjoy yourself

In spite of the above caveats, you can and should enjoy yourself when you’re navigating the world of social media. By all means relax, feel good about yourself, and unabashedly say what you must bearing in mind that your words will be read more than once.

Social guru

When you feel completely self-confident, know who you are, what you’re about, whom you serve, and why you exist, you’ll be able to blog, post, write, pin and tweet flawlessly. This is the secret to increasing your following on social media.

For more on this topic, see my blog post, The 5 Golden Rules to Success in Social Media.

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