The Kiss of Death in Social Media

Okay, friends, let’s talk.

Are you… boring?

Like, ugh, really boring. Instant narcolepsy.

I don’t mean you, personally. I mean your social media.

Here’s the BAD news: In a world with a 9-second attention span, you have to either stand out, or don’t bother.

In social media, boring is the kiss of death.

Here’s the GOOD news: Once you know your personality advantages, you can easily create messages that fascinate your followers.

Your personality already communicates in certain ways. You do it naturally, unconsciously. Whether you realize it or not, you use some types of messages more successfully than others.

When someone reads your social media, they should hear almost your voice, and your language.

Your personality’s fascination language

This all relates back to your personality’s “language.”

(If you’ve taken the Fascinate Test, log in and review your results here. Haven’t taken it yet? Take the assessment here.)

What language do you speak?

7 Languages of Fascination

Think of your own communication style… which qualities make you most persuasive, so that people can’t help but read your ideas and opinions?

Are you analytical or streetwise? Restrained or animated? Are you a natural storyteller who shares vivid experiences, or a dignified thought leader? Do you focus on the big picture, or the details?

How to fascinate your friends and followers on social media

Usually, we focus on your professional or corporate fan pages. But how about your personal pages? Here, a few quick examples of how you can continually apply your “language” in your posts:

If your Primary Advantage is INNOVATION: Surprise people by changing things up, for instance, frequently changing your profile photo, or type of posts you share.

If your Primary Advantage is PASSION: Use emotion and excitement to build engagement.

If your Primary Advantage is POWER: Be a leader, the voice of authority for your audience.

If your Primary Advantage is PRESTIGE: Give examples of how you and others are raising the bar.

If your Primary Advantage is TRUST: Stick to the same types of post (and consider sticking to a regular schedule, posting on the same days and times each week).

If your Primary Advantage is MYSTIQUE: Avoid posting too much information (“TMI”) so that only your closest insiders get the full picture.

If your Primary Advantage is ALERT: Carefully review each post for typos and correct info.

By knowing your Fascinate language, you can avoid feeling stuck, and get into a confident and authentic content flow. Your language helps you feel more like a human being, instead of robotically posting the same memes as everyone else.

Remember: You’re a real person, with a real life. And real life is awesomely fascinating. (In our market research studies, people report that real life is more fascinating than fiction.)

Here’s a personal example, from my own social media

My primary advantage is Passion, which means I speak the language of relationship. My secondary is Innovation, so I also speak the language of creativity.

That means my most natural form of communication is to build relationships through creativity and emotion.

When I got married, I celebrated by changing all my social media profiles for a month. The wedding was passionate (of course!) and also creative. By sharing this “before and after” from my own life, I was inviting my audience inside my personal life for a moment.

Sally Hogshead Social Media

Right now, I want you to post using your Fascinate language. Find out yours when you review your Fascinate Profile right here.

That’s how to get more social media love— and avoid the kiss of death.

 

 

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About the author

Sally Hogshead

Sally skyrocketed to the top of the advertising world in her early 20s, fascinating millions of consumers for clients such as MINI Cooper and Coca-Cola. Since then, she’s published two New York Times bestsellers on the science of fascination, and is one of only 172 living members in the Speaker Hall of Fame. Over a million professionals have taken the Fascination Advantage® personality test to discover how others perceive their communication.

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