You don't always have to be controversial as in devils advocate to stand out and build credibility. All you have to do is be willing to say the uncommon things while delivering quality content. And yes that matters in social media as well as blogs. I dare you to be controversial and challenge the social media status quo in the following ways.
11. Support the ideology of building a serious following over followers. Instead of concerning yourself with 10,000 followers for social proof. Focus on a core 500 for serious performance. Remember social media is just as much about partnerships as it is about building your customer base and clientele. The power is in the quality of the following not the followers.
10. Block and break open an explanation. There are some who need to be removed from your social media circles. I remember having this guy who I had to ban from stalking me on social media about a contest. He decided to get really nasty and talk about me directly via social media. I decided to give a unofficial series of messages in a polite yet firm tone explaining why this person was banned. I also followed up with suggestions for others to handle similar situations. Yes it was an unfortunate situation but the return was a greater respect in how I handled that incident.
9. Be willing to walk away. If you truly believe that Facebook is a waste of your time and you could use your time better building your business etc. Then your most likely right so walk away. But make sure the time you were putting into Facebook is giving you the return you thought it would.
8. Enforce what you endorse. This is a common saying of mine. If your promoting another blog, a affiliate program or your own products. Be responsive and willing to explain what you posted. Also be willing to share the details of your post. A friendly yet direct debate about something you posted will take you far in credibility.
7. Raise hell then send him to college. What I mean by this is that IF you are going to "get attention" make sure you have an ultimate means to an end. And that doesn't always mean money or credibility. The concept of perspective can sometimes be just as powerful. I made a major argument against the super powerful merchant powerpay. This conversation in a forum a few years back opened up Pandora's box. But the end result was a greater respect for my perspective. Raising hell is one thing but educating why you are doing that is another.
6. Take a public stance against discrimination of any kind. IF you want to build your ranking as an authority be willing to fight against discrimination.
5. Say substantive things beyond the popular quotes. The popularity of posting quotes across social media is well documented. I have shared thousands of quotes. But if you want to lead challenge the quoting and ask as well as provide substance. Inspirational sayings are nice. However if you want to become an authority in social media circles dare to inspire even at the risk of losing face.
4. Fight Twitter for your friends. One day Twitter decided to remove all of the friends from several accounts calling them spammers. I knew several of them. The people I knew were by no means spammers. I traded tweets with twitter staff for days. One friend a spiritual person who would never spam lost 22,000 followers. So I created a campaign called "Twitter Thinks Only Spammers follow God". Then tweeted it for days and shortly twitter returned my friends following.
3. Join a movement. I was one of the first 10 people to join the FREE Iran movement in 2009 by going green. I had no idea it would get me international media attention from every corner of the earth. Honestly I didn't do it for that. I did it to rebel against what I felt were unfair elections.
2. Make a bold prediction. I told people at one point I thought twitter would die. Of course this was before they changed CEO's. But it indeed raised some eyebrows and got some attention when I started telling people in the mist of the Twitter blow up to concentrate LESS on Twitter. The idea here was to bring up alternative ways to grow your following.
1. Tell the unpopular truth. I believe in being real versus popular. That doesn't earn you the biggest respect from the cheerleader squad. But the thinkers of the group will definitely take notice. People are looking for leaders that are bold and honest.
Your Controversial Thoughts
Ok, so they might not be controversial, but have you ever tried using one of the above tactics or another to increase your social media presence? Share your experience, and the results, in the comments.
This is a guest post by Darren Monroe.
