by Brooke Schultz
Stepping into the world of social media felt a lot like crashing an A-list dinner over at Angelina Jolie’s chateau. I felt a little out of place with all the fast-paced lifestyles, the energetic personalities, the gaggles of follower reactions when you say something witty, the insider tips that spread like wildfire when discussing how to become more appealing and even the sheer joy of knowing you’ve finally made it in this world full of quality content.
Since starting at Slingshot SEO, I have quickly learned three valuable lessons that catapulted (pun intended!) me from being an Ira-glasses-wearing girl to a SEO-savvy, social media scholar:
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- Hrefs, A-tags and jquery are not the latest fashion trends. Basic HTML knowledge has become one of my best friends. With the support from some of my HTML-educated cohorts, along with a natural curiosity (read: need to fit into the tech world), I have not only been able to inspect sites for exciting leads, but I have also been able to give my own personal Indianapolis lifestyle blog a much-needed facelift. The HTML jargon might be intimidating at first, but once you dive in, you’ll be hooked.
- Maintain an ongoing level of timeliness, relevancy and content consistency. Nobody wants to read about events that transpired two months ago. Whether you’re sending out tweets, writing for a blog, or conversing at the water cooler, bring your best, most relevant game to the social media world. The more relevant the content, the more re-tweets, followers, “likes” and views the site will receive.
- Be a brand evangelist and cheerleader for your team. I am convinced that a little positive chatter, along with some quiet clasps and jazz hands, does the office good! We’re all working hard under the same company umbrella and I guarantee the mood will always be brighter if optimistic attitudes are part of the handbook.
I may not be the most influential social media guru just yet, but I am admittedly a super sponge each and every day that I arrive at Slingshot SEO. There will always be people who are more knowledgeable and more creatively gifted out there—but those are the people you need to befriend and ask for answers. Chances are, they’ll let you into their social circle; after all, that’s the most appealing aspect of social media, there’s always room for one more!