It Takes More Than Tights To Be A Social Media Hero

December 26, 2014

Chatting with a friend recently, I said, “Well, it takes more than tights to be a super hero.”

We both realized, I needed to make this a blog.

You can’t just install Twitter on your iPhone and think you’re an expert. Expertise comes from a whole world of experience. Experience takes time. I realized this after meeting a lot of people whose pay grade is much higher than mine. A WordPress Nerd is not a SEO Nerd is not a Twitter Nerd. I am a Twitter Nerd. But I digress.

What does a superhero need besides a pair of tights?

Superheroes have a mission, a recognizable costume, a song or motto, a sidekick, and superpowers or gadgets.

You need a mission.

What is the point of being online? Are you here for revenge or to save lives? Batman or Superman? Your overall mission on social media will determine your tactics.

Though I don’t necessarily believe you need to write down everything you do and measure it to death, you should have an overall goal. Is it recognition or building a community? Is the end game selling widgets? Do you want to meet people and build friendships?

You need a costume.

I once joked that I was wearing so much spandex under a dress, I should be a superhero. Essentially, the superhero’s costume is his persona. It’s his branding.

The “bat signal” was “just an outline” used on a spotlight. Boy was that ever branding. And the police force in Gotham were thankful for his help. We need a recognizable logo or image. No matter where they saw Superman in the sky, they recognized him. Superman was never mistaken for Ronald McDonald.

You need a song or motto.

“It’s a bird, it’s a plane…” may be how people described Superman, but Spiderman had the best song of the few superheroes I’m aware of. Well, Mighty Mouse is a close second. I did write my own jingle, but that’s maybe over the top.

When you meet people, the’ll want your “ten second elevator pitch.” You need a tag line. Mine is: “I’m not an expert, just opinionated.”

You need a sidekick.

Does a superhero need help? Of course. It’s okay to get help. In fact, many superheroes had mentors. Superman, of course, didn’t need anyone – except Lois. Batman had his lair, gadgets, and, of course, Robin.

Sometimes you need a blogging buddy to help keep you accountable. In other cases you can partner with someone whose strength is your weakness.

You need Gadgets.

So, Superman had X-Ray vision and Spiderman shot webs out of his wrists. Not everyone has superpowers. Where you lack natural talent, you need tools. Batman and Inspector Gadget had, well, gadgets.

Laptops, smart phones, and wifi hot spots are our must-haves. Check out scheduling tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Minideck. Google Alerts are your best friend. You may need to consult an SEO expert, a graphic designer when Canva no longer suffices, and a coding friend. It doesn’t diminish your glory.