Page 24 - MyFaith Mag October 2016 Web

CHANGE REVOLUTION

Does Your
Social Media
Information
Match
Your Message

BY PHIL COOKE

I met someone recently who wanted to be taken seriously as a Christian apologist. He hoped to increase his opportunities to speak and
teach to larger audiences, and land a publishing deal in the process. But when I checked his social media platforms, here’s what I found:

– His Facebook banner photo was a shot of him fishing. (Apparently he likes to fish.)

– His Twitter background photo was his favourite football team.

– His Twitter bio was a Vince Lombardi quote: “We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.”

All very nice.Except none of it had anything to do with his personal brand. If you want to be taken seriously as an apologist, pastor,
filmmaker, attorney, writer, worship leader – whatever – you need to be easily discoverable. That means all your social media, website,
blog and other information needs to support the perception you’re trying to achieve.

Confusion carries a hefty price tag because increasingly, job offers, opportunities to speak, news coverage, investors, publishers and
more search for your information online and via social media.And if it’s not clear, they’ll look for someone else.

“Don’t waste your digital real estate by squandering promotional opportunities via social media.” - Phil Cooke

Aim all your promotional guns in a single direction, by making sure your online, blog, and social media information point to your
expertise and brand. Sure a Twitter photo of a kitten is cute, but if you’re serious about your career and calling, I would suggest a photo
of you would accomplish so much more.

24 | OCTOBER 2016 CLmyfaithmag.com