Virtually all entrepreneurs and companies have a social medial presence today. But what social skills do you have as a business owner? What skills do you need?

Social media provides a great platform to connect leaders and their teams (especially if they’re working in remote locations), prospective customers, and other stakeholders. If you’re adept enough to respond quickly, correctly, in public and in real time, you’re in great shape.

Becoming fluent in the technical side and conventions of social media is part of the picture, but where many people fall short is in the foundations.

Here are six skills every leader needs to be prepared for social media:

1. Presentation: You must be able to present your ideas with compelling content and try to be informative and share useful tips. Every opportunity you have to share your content; increases your visibility is valuable. 

Most leaders, should think of social media networks as the channel for their leadership presentation.

2. Communication: Focus on conversations that are meaningful to business. Forget what you know about traditional communication and use social media to focus on getting to know your customers, team and clients. Develop a genuine voice.

3. Feedback:  Be ready to hear what people have to say–the good and the bad. Be open to conversation and dialogue, and be responsive to concerns and complaints. We all need people who can give us feedback, that’s how we improve.



4. Committed: Be ready to commit to giving without immediate results, creating connections and giving people a favorable impression of your brand. A strategic and open social media plan can move people from being interested to being a customer, and from being a customer to being a loyal fan.

5. Analysis:  Choose your social channels channels wisely–think in terms of effectiveness and ROI. Remember the value of leveraging your social media is key for your business functions.

6. Community:  Take the time to build community and get to know your people. The result? A long-lasting relationship on two levels: social media and “real life.”

Every leader needs to be an influencer, but they need to focus on unique content that comes from the heart; this is the key to becoming a true influencer–not just on social media but in every setting and context.