What I Learned About Social Media, I’ve Learned from My 15-Year-Old Daughter
A funny thing happened on the way to a conversation with my daughter. She is only 15, but loves cars. Every time we pass a Ford Mustang, she says, “That’s my car.” Never mind that she doesn’t have her learner’s permit yet or that there’s no way she’s getting a Mustang as her first car. I told her a used Toyota or Honda would do just fine. “No way, mom, I won’t drive those, they’re not cool,” she retorts.
So one day we were talking, while driving home from school. She mentioned that @chevycustcare tweeted her. I turned to her immediately and said, “You’re kiddng. What did they say?” She went on to tell me that she tweeted, “I want a corvette or a red mustang soo badd.” @chevycustcare found her on Twitter and tweeted back, “Definitely get the Corvette.” I urged her to reply and thank them for responding to her. She said no because she thought it was “stalkerish” that they tweeted her in the first place. I went on to explain that it really isn’t and that’s what’s so cool about Twitter. That if she tweeted them back, she’s connecting with Chevy’s customer service and that one day she might even end up tweeting for them as an intern (ha!). Always thinking like a mom.
This past summer, she decided to have some fun and created an alter ego on Twitter. She created a persona that was nothing like her, but decided to have some fun with it. She tweeted humorous comments and ended up garnering some 1,000 plus followers. Each day, she would gleefully tell me how she was surpassing my 400 plus Twitter followers.
Here’s what I learned about social media from my daughter:
- Tweet about things that you like, care about or are interested in. You never know who will follow you (hopefully, a good connection). Unfollow the weirdos.
- Engage with your followers. Thank them for following you or retweet something they say so you can share with your followers. Note: she didn’t do this with Chevy, but I frequently remind her to do so. But do teenagers ever listen to their parents??
- Use humor or lightheartedness to engage your audience. I’m not as funny as my 15-year-old (or as bold) and am reluctant at times to show my true personality online, but I’m working on it.
