Social media has given us an incredible tool with which to reach millions and millions of people across the globe. With 7.5 billion people and counting and almost 2 billion on Facebook alone, as a leader, it is more important than ever to be thoughtful about what you post, tweet, and share.

So, how do you know what to “tweet”?

In the video interview that accompanies this blog, Todd Lombardo, digital marketer at Hastings Digital, recommends contemplating two questions when deciding what to share. These two questions are:
 

• What do you have to say? And,
• Do you offer value to the audience?

In my case, the first question, “What do I have to say?” has a simple answer. Everything I share on YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter is focused on my mission: helping successful leaders achieve positive lasting change in behavior, for themselves, their people, and their teams. I am the world’s expert on this one distinct thing. In fact, if you do a Google search for “helping successful leaders” (make sure you do this in quotes!), 450 of the first 500 hits are about me. I am not an expert on anything else, nor do I try to be. I have a very clear mission – Peter Drucker taught me the importance of this. He said, “Your mission should fit on a T-shirt.” This is so that it’s clear and easy to remember.

To the second question, “Does what I am sharing offer value to the audience?” Always, before sharing on social media I ask myself, “Will this help successful leaders achieve positive lasting change in behavior?” Does this content reinforce my positive mission? If the answer is yes, I share it; if it’s no, I edit, rewrite, or scrap the piece all together.

While my mission hasn’t changed in decades, where I find my audience has. In the past, I did three things: I’m an executive coach, a speaker or teacher, and an author.

Executive coaching has a very deep impact, however, I can reach only a tiny number of people. Realistically I can coach 10 -15 people at one time. With speaking and giving talks, I can reach far more people. It is of course limited to the size of the room. It is a different level of depth than coaching. It’s not as deep, and it is broader in reach. Broader still is the third thing I do, which is write and edit books and articles. This was how I reached most of my audience for many years. You may not know this, but more than 2 million people have read my books! With the Digital Age, I have added a fourth dimension – digital content creator. With online content, I can reach millions of people. The impact is not as deep, and yet for many people it makes a positive impact.

What hasn’t changed across any of these dimensions is my mission. I continue to “help successful leaders achieve positive lasting change in behavior, for themselves, their people, and their teams” in all of these areas.

What are your thoughts about social media? How do you choose what to share, post, and tweet? I’d love to hear your views!