Fun with Branding: Social Media Tips
I decided to come up with five easy to follow tips that EVERYONE on social media needs to follow to better represent their brand. The brand can be a business or for you yourself personally because you are your own brand. This isn't just for social media, but a set of five easy rules for life too.
A lot of people want their social media presence to be impeccable and think the only way to achieve that is by living life virtually and putting the best version of themselves out online. The general public will see that as a fake and you still have a life to live. Unless you are making money from the internet, please do not treat it as a job onto itself. You have far better things to do.
Making unique content is important. This does not mean to not post the same core content on your Twitter as you did your TikTok and Instagram but it does mean not to copy what others are doing with the exception of trends. Posting trends is a great way to get more followers on your video platforms. I am even leery of the Pinterest posts that say "365 Blog Post Titles to Get You Started" because of how many others may use the exit same name and idea. Be original and if you can't be original, at least be creative in your subterfuge and originality will ensue from that. Every once in a while I will post something others are suggesting, such as "post your work area on social media." the get mixed results and I feel mike a dancing monkey when I do it without the reward of some peanuts in the end and I only do it if I haven't posted anything in a while or to break up monotonous postings like when I did 15 days from Monday to Friday for three weeks of my various social media outlets and how to follow me. It got boring less than half way through yet they were scheduled for 1PM every day still and I hadn't gone anywhere with exceptional food or views at the time to show pictures of as a way to break it up a little bit.
This tip was inspired by LinkedIn, but works with anything social really. LinkedIn is nothing more than a dick measuring contest between professionals. Don't get me wrong, I love LinkedIn and love measuring my own dick, but part of a proper dick measuring is honesty. If you are just adding someone so you can sell them something, just be upfront about that and don't try acting like you are old buddies.
Engaging, topical, educational, informative, and funny are your five main motivators for people to engage with you. Think of a dog at a party. If you are having a party and a golden retriever came in, EVERYBODY would love the dog more than anyone else. The dog would make a bunch of friends and be more popular than the most popular person there, because dogs are fun and engaging. If you can teach people something and they enjoy learning, they will follow you for more. IF you are informing them of a news event, people will follow you for more. How many news outlets do you follow on Twitter? Comedians also have huge follow numbers on social media. Have you ever wondered why?
Gary Lee often tells people to "be authentic." Though I generally appreciate what he has built and have learned a lot from him, I find it humorous that "be yourself" is his sage-like advice and it works because so many people don't think to just not lie to people or try to make themselves seem to be of greater importance. Because of my current job, I fly a lot. In the last six years I have been on more than 300 flights including connections, which became a way of life during and after the COVID-19 scare. I've flown a lot. I have sat in every row from the mouth to the asshole on a number of different flights. So I love when I am online and you see the woman with her Gucci handbag and sunglasses acting like a roll model to the next year's cast of Sugar Babies posting pictures of how successful she is and she posts a picture out of the window on takeoff...behind the wing when my broke ass even gets to sit forward of that. She is trying to show herself to be more successful than she is, playing on people's lack of deductive reasoning that she is sitting in the cheap seats. Guys do it too and all the time too. There is huge money in renting a Lamborghini for the day in Miami and taking pictures of people posing in front of it by the beachfront so guys can be posers on their social media and Tinder profiles. both men and women try to mimic people they can't afford to be even though they still have something others could learn from. Authenticity is so very important and sadly will set you apart from the crowd.
I always enjoy writing these and sharing what I know or have researched with others and I hope people get something out of my postings. I personally get something out of coming up with infographics like I did here for my social media shares and now I am writing blog pieces on them so it gave me extra content that is evergreen.
Please like this if it helped you, share it with a friend who can benefit from it and / or tag that friend so they can see it. Share on your social and please tag me at @TheMichaelBeebe on all things social or use #TheMichaelBeebe or #MichaelBeebe. Also, if you got something out of this, please follow my social. There’s a lot of it! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email at Discussion@TheMichaelBeebe.com.
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Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.