It’s that time of year folks! People of all ages have returned from holidays headed back to school and work. It’s time to refocus our attention and prioritize what our social media goals are for the first semester and last quarter of the year.

Fasten your seat belts, because here are the 5 questions you’ll need the answers to, to determine your formula for success!

1. How do you want to be perceived?

Do you want to be seen as successful? Smart and respected? Funny and playful? Perhaps one, some, or all of those traits. What you probably don’t want is for people to know you for being, rude, disrespectful or lazy. What you post matters. Swearing, being overly critical or complaining about someone/something will affect how you’re perceived. Keeping things like this in mind is important when maintaining your social identity.

2. Who are your mentors?

No matter how long you’ve used social media, there are probably areas in which you’d like to improve. There are billions of people using social media, which means there are many people to learn from. Seek out those people and make an effort to engage and learn from them. These relationships will serve you well, I promise!

3. On which social networks should you focus your attention?

Slow down a little – It’s not about being on, or using every last possible social network. In my world, “social media” is my business. While I may study and monitor all the major networks, I still focus on certain networks to accomplish specific results. Identify which networks work best for your intended results and direct your focus to those.
Quick Tip:  Still take the time to fill out profiles for all the major social networks. Let your connections know where you are most active.

4. What are you most passionate about?

Take a few minutes and write down what you are passionate about. Put them on your social media profiles and talk about them. This will distinguish you from everyone else. Remember, BILLIONS of people are using social media, and you want to stand out. By doing this, you will end up growing your network – connecting with people who are passionate about the same things.

5. What is your action plan?

Success is planned, and shouldn’t be left to chance. How many blog posts do you want to send out a month? How many engagements do you want to make a day? How much time are you going to devote to your networks? Write down an action plan for your first month, and stick to it. Make notes as you go of what worked and what didn’t. Revise your action plan as needed and you will see the results of your efforts.

Use the comments below to share your answers. Remember when we commit to something publicly we are much more likely to succeed!