‘Cause You’ve Got…Personality!

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Lloyd Price once sang his desire to behave like a fool “O-o-over an’ over”, opening admitting to it. His message was heard by millions. Nowadays, we don’t have to have a hit record to be heard by the masses.

And we’ve all got something to talk about! Mind boggling, isn’t it? So what are you contributing to the mix?

Some time ago, a research study suggested that a large portion of the content on Twitter is “babble”; what IS that, anyway? Well, the Merriam-Webster dictionary states: “wordy and generally unintelligible jargon”.  Hmmm. So I set out to find some prime examples (account names removed to protect the innocent):

• Could you fill out my resume for me... while I hit it from the back?


• People run past my window all day long. I watch them go by but I never get any thinner. I guess it doesn't work that way. Sigh......


• 2 females were sitting at a table & they didn't gossip the whole time...who got this joke?


• what was will be..... what is will be nomore


• You can loose everything but you can NEVER loose your character...BUILD IT !!

While not really making sense, they are however, part of those Tweep’s personalities. Now think of how you display your personality as a small business owner, blogger, or perhaps as someone who just enjoys being connected on Twitter:

• If you’re a business, does your Twitter bio contain info on what your business is?

• Does your Twitter bio contain info on what your passions are so that people gain insight as to what you’re usually tweeting about?

• Do all of your tweets make sense to the casual observer?

• Is everything spelled correctly? One of the examples used "loose" instead of “lose”, changing the tweet's meaning and making her appear less bright than she may be.

• Is your grammar correct? Sure, you can take liberties with the limitation of characters, but it should always be an easy to comprehend tweet.

• Do you converse with those who share your passions?

• Can people see you smiling through your tweets? Positive energy will take you places!





And a few thoughts on what not to do when displaying your personality:

• If you’re having a bad day, don’t tweet about it. (see example above regarding the gent who doesn’t get thinner; would you respond to his tweet?)

• If you’re a big cursor when you’re alone, that’s one thing, but consider it a part of your personality that should remain private and keep those words off your tweets.

• Having personality does not mean tweeting every move you make in every moment of the day. Keep it to a few highlights that would be interesting enough to open up a conversation.

• Don’t selling your product or service by tweeting about it. No personality there! That’s spam. And besides, Twitter is not a sales tool.

• Getting into an argument with someone on Twitter is not going to fare well on your personality overall. People do forget quickly and move on; but why open up that can of worms? Move to direct messaging and leave the public forum to settle it.

♫

So what have you got?
Walk (with personality)
Talk (with personality)
Smile (with personality)
Charm (with personality)
Love (with personality)
An' plus you got a great big heart…

♫

By now you’ve probably got the idea. The challenge is to reflect who you are on Twitter while remaining confined to the limitations it has. Let your personality shine through via your tweets; your followers will pick up on your vibe and are more likely to respond and retweet you.
Speaking of vibe, click here for the song that inspired this post.

Stop Wasting Those Business Cards!

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Are you giving out small rectangles of heavy paper that cost money and do very little for you? And why even bother going to events to meet people if you’re not going to follow up with any of your new acquaintances? This was my closing thought on Part One about business cards. So how DO you get around the potential wastefulness of business cards?

Here’s a few observations from meet-ups, gatherings, events, both big and small plus some suggestions:

• People who know each other tend to stick together. Why do that if you’re at a NETWORKING event? It’s hard for someone on the outside to wiggle in to the conversation.

• I almost always go alone. Yeah, it’s scary. You have no choice but to meet people.

• The folks that tend to enjoy having conversations are more likely to be attending by themselves, just like you.

• Approach the shy folks; they turn to out to be great people.

• Many people are just as terrified as you are about starting a conversation.

• Look for common ground and build a discussion around it. You’re probably saying “yeah right” but it’s easier than you think. Ask them why they are there, ask them if pink is their favorite color since they’re wearing it head-to-toe, or inquire how often they attend events. Something will spark. Those people will remember you from something you’ve said and the business card you’ve left with them has a higher potential of being utilized by them.

• Laugh and offer up a light joke or two, but stories about your dog running around with the underwear you left on the floor isn’t going to cut it.

• Get there earlier when there are fewer people and establish a few connections. Then you can introduce each other to other folks at the event later; it’s like you’re old buddies by the time the full crowd gets there!

So what does all this have to do with your business card?  One thought:

It’s a waste of time handing business cards out to everything with two legs. Concentrate on offering your business card just to those you’ve spend some quality time with. These people know a little more about you, are likely to remember you and follow-up with you. 

Okay, some of you are saying “but if I don’t give out my business card to lots of people, I’m lowering my chances of getting contacted by them in the future.” No, you’re not.  As I pointed out, most folks rarely follow up and/or contact you anyway. Hmmm…I’m seeing a survey happening in the future to substantiate my theory!

If you’ve had past experience where most people DO follow up with you, I’d love to hear about it. Let the debate begin.

Part One on this subject can be found by clicking here.