Brandon Mendelson has attracted an exceptional one million followers (or close enough to it) on Twitter making him more qualified than most to explain this new phenomon of social media, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube channels.  What should you Tweet about?  How should businesses utilize social media?  How should non-profits use social media?  So don't be left behind... get up to speed on social media in Brandon's interview with Gabrielle Reilly.

Gabrielle Reilly:  Where is social media heading?

Brandon Mendelson:  I call it social publishing because social media is a terribly inaccurate term. All because we can report the news doesn't mean that we should, or necessarily want to. We are all; however, publishers, whether we're publishing photos for our family or tweeting with our friends. So, although I didn't come up with the phrase, I'm hoping social publishing will catch on.

Where's it all heading? You're going to see two major things occur in the next few years: Everything will be social. From your television viewing to how you make your purchases. This is great because it puts valuable information in the hands of all consumers to make their decisions.

But it's also going to be really annoying. Not everyone wants to choose. In fact, too much choice causes a sort of paralysis and discomfort. And a lot of social publishing is very easy to cheat, meaning you could manipulate ratings for a restaurant and put them out of business pretty quickly if you were malicious enough.

The end result is going to be more Britannica than Wikipedia. Sure everyone has their say on any subject, but there are going to be editors to help us find the best content that's relevant to you.

Gabrielle Reilly:  For those newer to Twitter and considering it for professional use, what are the advantages of Twitter over say Facebook?

Brandon Mendelson:  Twitter is more about mobilization than it is sharing. Yes. You can share links and other content, but you're not getting it if that's all you do. 

Think of it like this. You're in sales. Your followers are all clients. Let's say you want to do something spontaneous and fun for them, so you send a tweet saying the first round is on you at the local bar and give out the address.

Or let's say you run an animal shelter, preferably a no-kill one. You get an adorable cat that needs a good home. Why not tweet about his arrival? Or better still, give the cat it's own Twitter profile to keep people posted of his activities until he's adopted?

If you run a body shop, get customers to follow you on Twitter and to receive SMS updates. This way when their car is done, you just send them a short tweet to let them know.

Facebook is pretty static. You go there. Twitter is dynamic, it's everywhere you are and it comes to you. Find a way to come to your audience using Twitter, not the other way around.

Gabrielle Reilly:  What would you recommend people Twitter about?

Brandon Mendelson:  You know what every popular blogger / internet sensation says? "I just did this for me and my friends." Do that. Tweet what interests you. What makes you laugh. What inspires you. 

Authenticity and drawing in folks with similar interests is critical to your success, not to mention mental health.

Gabrielle Reilly:  What is the best way for people to attract followers?

 Brandon Mendelson:  Just be yourself. I know, it sounds stupid, but it's the darn truth. Tweet content you enjoy. Say what you think. Everyone sounds so robotic that an authentic, honest person who works hard and acts how they want to act will be more successful than anything else.

Also: Don't ask people for things. If you see something you like that someone else said, retweet it and credit them. Over time, people will do the same for you.

Oh, and above all: Have a profile picture of you, a bio, and a website where people can go for further information. Lacking any of these three items will prevent you from getting anywhere.

Gabrielle Reilly:  How would you promote a personal youtube channel?

Brandon Mendelson:  Promoting a Youtube channel is no different than promoting your store. You need to know who your audience is, and you need to focus on them over everyone else. 

The best approach has been to network and start local. You need friends to succeed online, it's impossible to succeed alone.

But you also need to test your content, see how it plays, and create a base of operations for yourself. And to do that, you need to market your Youtube channel to the appropriate audience in your hometown and slowly expand out from there.

Gabrielle Reilly:  Any tips for making your media go viral?

Brandon Mendelson:  How many friends do you have in your email contact list? The thing about viral is that it really doesn't exist. Here's how it works:

If I send a video to my wife, she might watch it and pass it on to the family. It stops there.

 If I send my video to a well connected blogger, and they watch it and share it, more people will see the video.

In theory, one of those blogger's readers will re-post the video on their blog (or link to it). But unless your content hits that gatekeeper and they open the door for you, nothing is going viral.

So if you want something to go viral, and really if you just want to succeed on the Internet, you need two things: 1) Good content and 2) a lot of influential friends. Plenty of people have great content but no friends, and so the material never spreads.

Gabrielle Reilly:  What is a Million High Fives?

Brandon Mendelson:  A Million High Fives is a nationwide e-junk collection drive. We are collecting laptops, cell phones, game consoles, and CDs. Anything that's broken will be recycled with the profits going to charity, anything that works will be distributed to homeless shelters, children's cancer hospitals, and other charities.

Further details on the project can be found here: http://www.soapboxincluded.com/a-million-high-fives/

Gabrielle Reilly:  What words of advice could you offer someone wanting to be successful with social media?

Brandon Mendelson: 

1) Don't buy any books on the subject. They'll be out of date by the time you open them.

2) Run away from "social media experts". Nobody's a legit expert in this field.

3) Do everything yourself. You need to be authentic and transparent, other people can't be "you" in person, you know?

4) Be yourself. Don't censor yourself or pull your punches. 

5) It takes a very long time for this stuff to payoff, so don't wake up the next morning thinking you can retire.

6) Make a lot of real friends. Friending someone is a nice start, but a relationship is what you need.

7) Focus on the one thing you do really well and start there.

Gabrielle Reilly:  Your now heading towards 1 million followers on Twitter. how did you get that many followers?

Brandon Mendelson:  My wife and I were travelling across the country to promote the early detection and prevention of cancer. It was a total misadventure, but as it was for a good cause, the folks at Twitter placed us on their Suggested User List. That project is the subject of a book I'm working on called, "Astonishing Tales Of Mediocrity". You can read some of the sample content here: http://www.soapboxincluded.com/stories-and-essays-by-brandon-mendelson/

It's a bit of a cheat, I'll admit, but I'm thankful for the opportunity. Being able to say how many people were following us helped us formulate A Million High Fives and so we have Twitter to thank for the project's existence.