What do these numbers mean?

3-2-1-1-1

It took 3 years, 2 months and 1 week to reach 1 billion tweets. Today, there are 1 billion tweets every single week!

There are also 900,000 blog entries and 300,000 hours of video posted to the internet every day.

What does this mean for you? If you want to enter the world of social media… you better have something compelling to say. Otherwise, you will just be part of the din.

It reminds me of what my good friend and fellow author, Mike Bosworth (of Solution Selling fame) used to say, “Technology’s great, but if your message sucks, the technology just speeds up the sucking.”

You need to find your “social media voice” before you jump in. Don’t be the king or queen of the re-tweeters. I know people whose entire existence on social media is to talk about their personal exploits and re-tweet other people’s insights. That’s great if you want your followers to be limited to your drinkin’ buddies, friends and family.

My advice is to be an expert. Find a topic that you can own based on your experience solving specific problems. Then, go deep on that topic. Really dig in and become a specialist on that subject matter.  Gobble up all the current information on that topic and then determine where you can add value and insight to the discussion.

From there, you must develop a distinct point of view.

I’ve been delivering a keynote address recently entitled:  “Developing Your Distinct Point of View.” It’s 30 minutes, but 30 minutes worth spending before launching your social media career. It could make the difference between being ignored or being invaluable when it comes to your social media strategy.

- Tim Riesterer, CMO and SVP Strategic Consulting and Products