Personality online

Author and blogger, , joined us for #bufferchat to share about how to let your personality shine through your social media posts and blogs.

• Be yourself! What you post online shouldn’t be anything you wouldn’t say/share among friends offline.
• Oscar Wilde said it best: “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” (& Shakespeare, “To thine own self be true.”)

More great advice:

• “In my opinion, being genuine means being yourself no matter what the consequences, unless you’re running a brand. Be honest”
• “Being genuine on social media is about finding the right balance between professionalism and expressing personality.”
• “Produce content that creates, establishes or compliments a community rather than marketing only yourself”

How would you define your voice?

From Susan:

• What you see online is what you get off. Well, I curse more offline! Read & u’ll REALLY know me (warts & all)!
• Try to balance being honest with not alienating/offending people. Gotta watch that if building a brand/audience!

• “Combo of (past) knowledge & experience, combined with current research (& subject experts) filtered thru (strong) opinions”
• “An voice able to resonate with our audience that define our soul and our purpose”
• “A reflection of culture and values as if someone were in your office OR your own voice if a personal account.”

What advice would you give to those working on finding their voice?

• Being self = EZer said than done! I didn’t fully know self til I was in my 40’s (I share this in
• Ask yourself before posting: If my mom or best friend read this, would she know it was me saying it?
• Only post what you’ve read! Rookie mistake online—reposting things w/out reading them can backfire & confuse your followers.

• “Your voice = your business goals + your audience + your principles and purposes (mission) coded in ‘human’ messages”
• “Never seek the acceptance of others in order to feel good about yourself. Be yourself, everyone else is taken.”
• “If you’re trying to “find your voice” just tweet. Eventually, you’ll find it on your own. No one can find it for you.”

What are some tips to let your personality shine?

• Posts should reflect who you are & your message. Don’t get it when people put “RTs are not endorsements”. Why RT what you don’t agree with?
• Balance “give people what they want” w/being yr true self. If people don’t like who that is, GET NEW PEOPLE!
• I like me. So if other people like me 2, it’s nice! But not necessary.

• “Write about what scares you. Only publish what you yourself would want to read. Take a stance and go all in. Take chances.”
• “This will come through in how you structure your form & voice. You will know you are there when creating is like breathing.”
• “Find influencers and others that share the same personality as you & share their content. Offer your expertise & opinions.”

How do you help encourage others to feel comfortable being themselves on social?

• I try not to judge. I don’t like everyone, & not everyone likes me. But we ALL deserve to be respected.
• It’s fear of judgement & criticism that prevents people from being comfortable expressing themselves honestly.
• So good to let people know you see them, you hear them, you support them, & value them.
• Think you are weird? Remember…everyone is weird! Some people are better at hiding it is all! You are AWESOME!

• “Taking that first step is terrifying, but the more great people you meet, the better it gets.”
• “Favorites, retweets and joining their conversations all send a positive message and encourage!”
• “1. show, don’t tell. 2. Create space for people to try it out: we’ve done it on a small scale and so far so good”

Who are good examples of genuine, inspiring personalities to follow online?