We've all been there - rolling our eyes at that obsessive facebook-competition-entering friend, or putting in our tuppence-worth of wisdom on issues rocking the world on twitter. Love it or hate it, you can't escape the internet phenomenon that is changing the media landscape as we speak. What you can do however, is make the most of all that social media time (yes, we know how long you spend on facebook every day - 46 minutes on average).
Akanksha Goel is someone who has turned her love for social media into her career, so she knows a thing or two about how it works. Here she shares her views on the most common personality types found in the social media-sphere. Find out which category you fall into, and you may learn to use it to your advantage!
The treasure hunters
Like happy magpies, the treasure hunters will hop from one shiny object to another, drawn by the tinselled words ‘contest', ‘win' and ‘prize'. These people are very rarely loyal to brands, flitting from one to another depending on who's giving away what. They are easily the most active kind of social media user, creating a buzz using their networks. Their persistent ‘sharing' helps competitions go viral, making them dependable soldiers for brand awareness. In other words, companies love a treasure hunter - especially around the time of a new product launch. At the risk of alienating their non-prize-crazy friends, they can stand to win some serious goodies - from iPads to beauty hampers - by regularly entering competitions.
Fast fact: This category is mainly made up of women in the age group of 28-45.
The critics
You can spot them a comment away. The critics adopt the role of keeping a brand on its toes, often forcing it to field his or her volley of comments or tweets. They are the brave kinds - not afraid to shame, challenge or point out a mistake. They are also an informed lot. Both feared and appreciated by online community managers, they are also great assets and can be converted into worthy brand ambassadors. With the sort of instant publicity social media gives us, a critic with a solid case now has a louder voice than ever - and can in some cases bring a brand to its knees.
Fast fact: The critics are mostly male in the age group of 18-24.
The observers
Everyone has, at some point, been in this group. While observers may not actively contribute through posts on social media forums and groups, they still know what everyone else is doing or talking about. They are careful, perhaps only venturing into ‘liking' a post or page, or re-tweeting content posted by others. The ‘Look what I found' sentiment drives the majority of their posts and becomes their signature. They are the discoverers as they have an incessant hunger for out-of-the-box information. As an observer, you can keep your finger on the pulse of what is happening around the world.
Fast fact: Less than five per cent of the social media community falls into this category.
The talkers
The talkers have a lot to say on their favourite topics, be it fashion, photography or technology. They love to participate across various social media platforms, offering their almost-expert opinions. For the talker, his or her reputation and number of followers are critical. They frequently monitor their metrics, stacking their numbers against those of their peers. Competitive, with a bit of a show-off nature, talkers tend to share their goings-on and whereabouts generously with online communities and are often prolific bloggers. If you recognise yourself as a talker, use your online influence to become well-known as an expert in your field - who can say where it could take you!
Fast fact: FMCG brands love to target this sort of social media user.
The gurus
They are smart. Period. As the early adopters of the newest technology, they bring knowledge to the game, and invite everyone to benefit from it. Irrespective of whether they are professionally involved in social media - and more often than not, they are - they're pioneers of content creation and dissemination. They make sure they are in the know, and are clever about building strong personal brands, as a result of which companies take them and their opinions seriously. They understand the importance of strategy - whether it is for reputation management, brand building or engagement. If you know your way around facebook, love to tweet or have a formidable professional network on LinkedIn, use that knowledge in your workplace to help find ways of leveraging social media profitably. It will win you some serious brownie points with the boss.
Fast fact: Most businesses now have a social media expert in their communications team.
