9 ways to use social media to enhance your professional life

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Scrolling through Buzzfeed, Instagram, and cat videos along with Andaaz Apna Apna memes. You’d think we were wasting our time, but we were actually doing something else entirely – research. We’re looking at what’s trending in the ecosystem to figure out our next moves in our own industry. Too much of it though, and you’re just kidding yourself.

Image : shutterstock

Here’s the 10 quick ways you can be leveraging social for your career:

1. Insta-hacking: If you’re in the fashion industry or even in the financial services industry, you can always hack Instagram and become a thought leader there yourself. Who wouldn’t want to learn more about what a daily fashion diva or an equipped social change leader does on a daily basis? Hack hashtags and trends, and look at other member’s profiles and connect with them. This is the new way of networking, and it’s here to stay! Use it wisely.
2. Comment hacking: Use the articles that you find interesting in your industry as a way to keep up with the trends. Then comment on the ones with a huge social following. This way, you have your own way of keeping up with what’s happening as well as turning yourself into a thought leader in your industry. Comments are a gold mine – especially for comedians.
3. Write for publications: Whenever you come across a great publication on Facebook or Google, write for them and connect with your peers in the industry.
4. Twitter trending: Go on the trending section of Twitter and understand where the internet voice is heading. Chime in and create a conversation on these trending topics. A great tool to find the trending hashtags in your industry is HashTagify.
5. Influencer Networking: Find the influencers in your industry, and locate their social presence, whether it’s a YouTube channel or a SlideShare account. Leave valuable feedback and talk to them directly.
6. Invest in a website: There are days where you’ll go through multiple corporates with bad websites. You need to have a great one built on WordPress (free) and have a professional photoshoot with content related to your field. Have a ready presence and link it up to all your social accounts in case someone wants to know more about you.
7. Join a group: Whether it’s WhatsApp, FB, or even Instagram – join a group asap. Not only will you learn more about your industry, but you can also share and download some great content and images.
8. Use tools: Don’t be a social media noob. Download all the apps it takes to take great pictures, track influencers, gauge trends, and understand analytics. Google Analytics, Snapseed, Buzzsumo, and so on will help you out tremendously here.
9. Share: Share as much as possible with your own audience – the things that they would like and that you like too. Share jokes, trends, pictures, and interesting articles – don’t be shy about sharing too much, as most social media apps selectively show your post to only those that are interested.

A bad social image is the worst thing to happen to a brand, and it takes away from a personal brand as well. Make sure you’re balancing your professional and personal life, as well as taking away all the learnings you can from this article and others that can impact your career today!