Now is the time to tell you about how I used social media in 2013. I think that discovering the balance between generating initiatives that can be leveraged by the social web, the scalability of any idea (or business) and the creation of communication and marketing channels is just around the corner. You'll be able to impact the world in this way, through work that matters and through work that's waiting to be done.
How I used social media
This has been my recipe for the last 365 days, the social media strategy I followed throughout the year.
- Blogs: one post per day (rarely two or more) at isragarcia.es. Without exception, without taking a break or holidays. At isragarcia.com, one every two weeks, and other collaborations as a blogger.
- Sharing: the daily post on Twitter (disseminating the tweet / post following a logical time scale over the month), Google+ (as an embedded post, not as a link), LinkedIn (as an update and, if it can give rise to a debate, in those groups that are closer to the topic at hand) and on my personal Facebook page (for friends, acquaintances and colleagues; my Facebook isn't completely public).
- Tripit: this has great functionality for me. I organise my travel, conference and public agenda here. Any updates are automatically shared on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and the widget in isragarcia.es. In this way, you know what I'm going to be doing where and perhaps we can connect.
- Foursquare: I use this to share the location of my training sessions. In this way, I've been able to train with many people I wouldn't have met otherwise. The only handicap is it only allows 1,000 contacts, a number I've already reached!
- Instagram: this has become a great communication platform for both my work and for my adventures, challenges and travels. Every night, I reflect upon something that has marked my day. This allows me to grow personally and professionally.
- LinkedIn: this has been the greatest letdown / neglect on my part this year. From 35% of my annual income in 2011 and 20% in 2012 to barely 2% in 2013. This is the result of hardly any activity on this platform this year, mainly due to an overwhelming number of invites to connect on LinkedIn. More than 1,800 invites this year. I'm currently working on responding to many of these invites and I've managed to bring the number down to 960, though it has gone back to 1,100 within the week; it's all a bit too much. I'm starting to think that the more invites you accept, the more visible you become in connection lists, allowing more people to connect with you. If this is how it's going to be, I'm considering closing down my LinkedIn account.
- Facebook: this allows me to be close to my friends, family and acquaintances online and on the go. This is a good place to know what the people I care about are up to when I have some spare time or when I'm away. I use it to share my posts and to reflect upon my day but this isn't where I carry out professional activities. I don't answer private messages and have well-defined policies in place. There was a time when I considered deleting my profile. However, I'm not ready to let go of so many things that would just disappear; at least, not for now.
- Youtube: this has become a powerful communication tool for me. It has afforded me the opportunity of connecting with the people who're interested in what I do, both professionally (as a speaker) and personally (practicing extreme adventures). I've generated much traffic to my channel, which has led to traffic to my website. This has led to leads regarding my new challenge for 2014, the interest of two new sponsors and negotiations with a large brand in regard to challenges I will face in 2015.
- Google+: I've chosen Google+ this year as the platform to share interesting content that may be of value to other people. Mostly TED talks, videos and posts that have caught my attention, like this one published by Rafa Osuna some time ago or this other one regarding an interesting app for SMEs. It has also helped me to convey my message, not as a source of traffic but as a content board.
- Feeds / subscriptions: Once again, this year hasn't been my year as regards newsletters (besides subscriptions to my blog, which have grown exponentially) or podcasts. This has been the year in which I've made the most of the content I've published over the last three years to write my first book and, also, to start two other books.
- Pinterest: I've continued to use Pinterest personally. I don't usually share anything that isn't happening around me (not necessarily about me). We could say it's totally 'handmade'.
- Whatsapp: Great to make me waste my time more than I could ever wish for. I'm thinking of deleting it in 2014.
Outside social media
This is where most of my work has taken place: Mapmakers, Internet Cambia Todo, Ultraman, IG, StandOUT. Also, the most important work of all for me: the work you haven't seen yet. All this with a few ideas in mind: creating, starting, launching, doing and seeing what happens. Obviously, a large part of my work is influenced by the social web, though another significant part isn't. Setting the difference means being a good trapeze artist, keeping your balance while jumping from one line to the next at the right time.
Do whatever you need to do and remember that the best social medium in the world is incapable of creating any project on its own in the long term.
What do you think? How did you use the social media? How are you going to use it?
Photo credit: Jonathan Barker.