Social media is one of the most dynamic channels of communication in today’s day and age. It covers every sector imaginable, and allows you to market in so many different yet specific areas. Whether it’s on a personal level involving staying in touch and sharing selfies, or it involves complex marketing strategies that enable you to target millions of customers in a variety of areas, social media presents unlimited ways of building business relationships and honing your technical, professional skills.
To take advantage of all the opportunities available through social media, here are three questions you can ask yourself to start carving out a proper direction.
What am I Aiming to Learn?
In what ways are you trying to expand your knowledge? Are you wanting to learn more about your own industry from other angles, or in a deeper way? Do some research, if you don’t already have names in mind, of those you admire. Industry leaders are exceptionally important in terms of gaining insight and following by their wise example. This is one of the best channels to see what types of hashtags are being used in your industry, and can open up new doors to different resources available. If you’re using Twitter and LinkedIn, which are the best social platforms for maintaining business relations, resharing the useful content you’ve found can be an excellent way of connecting with others in the same areas and community.
What Kind of Time Can I Allot for Learning?
Finding the time can be challenging, because everyone needs more time. Here’s where multitasking skills can come in mega-useful. If you have a long commute, spend a few hours a week at the gym or jogging through the neighborhood, or even while cleaning the house or washing the car, listen to relevant podcasts during those boring chunks of wasted time by maximizing them.
Who do I want to Learn From, and With?
Community is essential to our existences and many people learn best when immersed in a group of like-minded individuals. Luckily, social media is perfect for this because it is an excellent way to participate in active learning; there are endless communities on Facebook and LinkedIn, and it all comes down to networking. Start chatting, and one great way to begin is by start asking those you know personally if they’re in any communities online dedicated to business development.
Social media is such a major part of our world nowadays that being connected to others, especially those who share similar values, goals, desires, and can help in the exchange of learning and information is one of the greatest benefits to our mobile world. In terms of ongoing professional development, few avenues offer greater benefits than social media, especially in regards to networking and your long term career goals.