6 Things All Founders Should Be Doing On Social Media

We all know how time consuming social media can be.

If you’re currently trying to build and grow your startup, should you really spend time on social media? Yes.

But don’t scroll mindlessly. Do the kinds of things that will build your personal brand and contribute to your startup’s success.

Here are six.

1. Show Your Face

The days of perfectly curated content are over. Instead, consider capturing the small, everyday moments of your team, your customers, or your startup’s journey.

Your social feed gives customers, partners, and future employees a quick snapshot of who you are, so the more authentic the content, the more likely they are to engage and take interest.

Building a sense of rapport and trust starts with showing faces and personalities. People don’t like to interact with robots – they want to know there are real people behind your services and products.

Here’s an example shared by digital transformation consultant Saggezza (not from the founder’s account, but this is a good model):

2. Talk About Your Successes AND Your Failures

While publicly admitting faults can be a gamble, it’s important to be vulnerable with your audience. Share how you overcame an obstacle or corrected a mistake which then led to a better product for your customers.

For example, in this LinkedIn post, Mustafa Bayramoglu, founder of automated testing platform Preflight, highlights the struggles he and his team faced while building their product:

3. Celebrate Happy Customers and Users

Show prospects how you’re helping your customers achieve their goals.

The proof is in the pudding. Potential customers and investors want to see that your startup is actually delivering on its promises, so tell customer stories. How did you help them succeed? What problem did you solve for them?

4. Snoop on Your Competitors

Make sure you’re following your top competitors. This will give you a peak into their day-to-day content and marketing tactics.

Be sure to log on routinely to share these insights with your team as you learn to refine your approach to social.

(For a more radical approach about how to learn from your competitors, read about how custom software firm Table XI launched an entire conference designed to help them share insights with and learn from their competitors.)

5. Engage

It’s called “social” media for a reason. One of the most rewarding things about social media is engaging with other people who care about the same things you do – whether or not you’ve ever met in real life.

Log on with the intention of liking, sharing, and commenting on other people’s posts – even if you don’t post anything yourself. By doing this, you become part of an online community.

You also set yourself (and your startup) up for success by improving your name recognition. When people “get to know” you on social, they’re much more likely to open your marketing email – or click on the pitch about your startup.

For example, in this tweet content marketing guru and Superpath founder Jimmy Daly takes to Twitter to figure out how to deal with a data outlier that’s skewing his results (and possibly find out if it’s a mistake).

6. Build Reporter Relationships

On Twitter, start following reporters who cover your space and see what they’re sharing. No doubt you will find them posting articles, insights, and other commentary. Use those opportunities to engage with RTs, responses, and favorites. But keep it authentic. No one likes the follower who constantly likes and RTs everything, no matter the subject.

And a quick trick: if you read a great article by one of the reporters who you want to know, be sure to share it on Twitter and to include the reporter’s handle so they know you did it. (For more in-depth tips, check out our guide to DIY PR for Startups.)

There's Always Time for Social

Social media can be time consuming, but it can also fit into the cracks of your life: when you’re waiting in line, on hold, at the gym.

By making a point to spend a little time on the social network of your choice every day, you’ll help build credibility and awareness for your startup and yourself as its leader.