Ignore this piece of advice

If you believe that the purpose of social media is to be all things to all people and don't want to change your mind, stop reading here. Click over to this Hootsuite blog for advice you'll want to follow. I follow a different path.

I have no issue with the first part of the blog. It advises people to Google themselves to see which one of their social media outlets returns high-ranking results. That insight could be helpful. In fact, I learned recently that I really should Google myself more often to get beyond the hits of the articles I've published. It was such a search that revealed my Twitter profile is what landed on a list of big data bloggers back in September. I only happened across the list months later.

Yes, it makes sense to keep abreast of what is your key identifier for those who happen across your posts. I post a lot on Twitter and quite a lot on Google+ because that's where I share links in all categories that interest me,  professionally, personally, and even politically.  I post less on LinkedIn because I limit myself more to professional interests, though I do sometimes throw in some links from the other two categories. For Facebook, my brand pages get less than my personal page. I post very little on Pinterest and never contribute to Instagram or YouTube.

I know all that without Googling results because I know my own habits already. Now if I were to follow the advice of the article linked to above, I would resolve to set up a YouTube and Instagram account and  spend a lot more time on Pinterest. But I have not intention to do so. That's because I'm playing to my own strengths and interests rather than trying to be all things to all people. 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/The_Childrens_Museum_of_Indianapolis_-_Goha_story_cloth.jpg

There really is no way to please everyone. That's the moral of the story of the father and son who set out to market with a donkey, one of Aesop's Fables. You can read a really short version of it here.  There are those who would favor the father, favor the son, or favor the donkey, and by trying to please them all, you lose sight of the real objective of the journey and devote all your time to juggling positions.

The thing about branding is that it works so long as it is focused. The focus is not just in the message but in the medium. If you're pushing fashion, it makes sense to get your message across in a visual medium. If you're pushing ideas, you may want some illustrations, but you likely have to also choose words that explain and clarify.  If that's the path you've chosen, stick with it. Veering off to tend to pictures diverts your time and attention, which can detract from your core identity. I'm not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and if I try to be, I'll just lose my own flavor. 

Yes, I know that video deliver great metrics.  know that pictures garner more shares and likes than text. I don't object to using pictures or even embedding videos, yet, my primary medium is the written word. It's the way I like to get my information and the way I like to present it. Other people do a better job at creating images, infographics, and videos, and so I will leave them to it and concentrate on what I do well.