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The truth is that if you have just one person who assists you, even as a virtual assistant, you are a leader. You’re also a leader if you have a company with 500 direct reports. You’re also a leader if you have a team with six people for whom you must figure out payroll every month.
As leaders, if you want to continue to show up that way, you must remember, how did you get to where you got in the first place, then remember to go back to that and talk about it on social media.
Your social presences are no longer a matter of, “If I get to it I will,” but now a matter of, “Can I create influence?”
So, what defines whether you are showing up as a leader on social media?
There are three specific actions leaders need to take when it comes to social media, and it is time to break these down.
Document your heart-moving ‘moments’
One of the best ways to be able to resonate with those you lead is to meet them where they’re at. Oftentimes your employees, team members and those who take direction from you are watching your every move, but with “hopeful” eyes. They want to see you as one of them and feel connected to you.
To make your people feel seen, heard and appreciated, you must be willing to show up in raw vulnerable moments.
The easiest way to show up this way is to document these heartstring moments — when you leave a meeting, when you are done speaking with a client, when you have a special interaction at church, the grocery store, in line getting coffee. All these moments are learning moments, and the best thing you can do is listen to that little “person” on your shoulder that is telling you to share it out loud.
Show up in messages
Doing engagement, meaning leaving intentional comments and sending authentic DMs (direct messages) is often something that people feel is a “I will get to it when I get to it” type of thing.
As a leader, it is important to show that you can be committed to something that is a fundamental principle to a successful business: Engaging in conversation.
The days of grassroots marketing like door-knocking, cold calling, mailers and just simply relying on your “sphere” are not “gone,” but they convert lower with higher effort required. That is why Instagram is so powerful. Creating relationships at scale is as simple as doing 45 comments and 20 story replies per day. This can take as little as 20 min per day to execute.
Why does this matter as a leader when you are the one doing it? This level of engagement is prospecting at scale and showing that you can time-block to make it a priority, and it will only create better buy-in down the line.
Put an emphasis on your personal brand
Being a leader, regardless of on what level, is going to require you to create a memorable social footprint.
Building a personal brand does involve building out branding colors and logos, but in this conversation, building a personal brand is more about creating memorable moments that people will connect with.
That video you didn’t want to record because you thought nobody would care? Do it anyway. Then add your logo to it. Then post it.
The time you needed to spend having someone help you build Canva templates that are unique to you, not stock from a “quick” or “easy” plug-and-post solution? Spend the time on it.
You want people to think, “I remember that really good post; let me see if I can go back and find it!” The biggest compliment will be when someone references a post you put up or the “style” you have created. If that person thought it, it is likely that others did as well. Start building your social momentum.
The idea behind true leadership is that you are willing to learn, grow and spend time doing things that you know will create change. Oftentimes, these are uncomfortable. What will it cost you? Personal responsibility and professional accountability.
Get control of your mind, and all three of these things will come into existence for you. Don’t take the next month or two to “slow down” because it can take you until the spring or even longer to regain the momentum you had or are in search of.
Michelle Berman Mikel is a nationally sought-after Instagram Content Development coach, speaker, Owner of Berman Media PD and Creator of the Instagram Power Method Program. You can connect with her on Instagram and LinkedIn.
