By Nathaniel Luce
Camille Brandon, MBA’14, is a social media strategist at IBM, where she focuses on earned media through the IBM Futurist program. In this role, she works with influencers in the fields of social, mobile, and commerce to help share their thought leadership with IBM’s audiences via social media.
Previously, Camille was responsible for the Smarter Commerce blog. The goal of the blog is to provide readers with thought-provoking content and a place to talk about the issues raised by that content. Readers come to the blog for insight on customer analytics, marketing, eCommerce and merchandising, procurement, B2B integration and payments portfolios. Thought leaders, including IBMers, Business Partners, and market influencers, write about topics and trends most important to business.
Nashvillians may also know Camille from In The Middle, a blog about the best food, drinks and events in Music City.
We asked Camille to share some of her favorite social media tips with us. Read on for her thoughts on meaningful engagement, creating your own content and the Grandma Test.
1. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see
If you’re questioning whether something is appropriate or not, put it to the Grandma Test. Would you say that thing or show that photo or share that link with her? These days, chances are that she’s already on at least one social media platform (ahem, Facebook). You’re a professional and should act that way on social media. Make your personal brand something that your grandmother would be proud of!
2. Be yourself
Being yourself will get you far in life, and that carries over into the world of social media. No need to pretend to be an expert on a certain subject, there’s plenty of time to learn and grow. Your genuine-self will attract more followers and engagement than some fake-self persona that will eventually slip up. Remember to use the Grandma Test though!
3. Don’t buy your followers
Instead, you should earn them! Sure, the old-fashioned process of gaining your followers one by one will take more time and energy, but it will pay off in the long run. I’m not saying you have to be besties with each of your followers and know their pet goldfish’s name, but certainly don’t buy 1,000s of robot followers just to boost your numbers. If you want to have meaningful engagement with your audience, real followers are the way to go.
4. Participate. Don’t be a fly on the wall
It’s way easier to be a fly on the wall than to be the center of a social media conversation. But, you’re never going to increase your audience or influence by sitting silently in a corner. Find tweetchats, hangouts, Blabs, etc. that focus on your area of interest—they’re are plenty out there—and participate! These activities are a great way to connect and talk with other people in your area of interest who want to connect with you and share ideas. Think of these activities as digital-networking.
5. Create your own content
When you’re first getting comfortable on a new social media channel, it’s perfectly fine to retweet/repost/share other people’s content. In fact, that’s another great way to connect with people in your area of interest. The next step in your social media growth will be a bit more challenging—you’ve got to create your own content. Whether it’s through blogging, instagramming, tweeting, or anything else, creating your own content and communicating your real self will take you to the next level.
For more from Camille Brandon, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, or connect with her on LinkedIn. Follow In The Middle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Contact Person: Brett Israel Director, Business News & Communications Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management
Contact Phone: (615) 322-NEWS
Contact Email: brett.israel@owen.vanderbilt.edu
