“Always connect with people when you don’t need them, so they’re there when you do.” This quote was one of the first of many memorable things Sree Sreenivasan spoke during his keynotes on Tuesday, March 24 in the Lawrence Hall Ballroom.
I was lucky to attend an incredible line-up of speakers on a social media pro-panel hosted here at our university, #Burgh @ Point Park, by the Point Park News Service. This event didn’t just gather together communications students, but also working professionals across the area. The main event was a presentation by Chief Digital Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sree Sreenivasan, who can be best described as innovative and passionate. Although it’s not possible to condense all of his knowledge into a short article, I wrote down 6 key points I took away from his presentation below:
- Chief Digital Officer = Chief Listening Officer – Listen to your team, listen to your visitors, listen to observers. Listening is the key to innovation.
- You Never Know Where Good Ideas Come From – Even if you think a suggestion is absolutely going to fail, try it anyway. No one can predict what is going to be viral and successful, trial and error is key.
- Story-Telling Counts – Engage your viewers by painting a picture or sharing something relatable, something they can connect with. A tweet should be 140 characters, but it should link to something more in depth.
- ABC’s – Always charge your phone, Always be connecting, Always be collecting.
- Nothing’s worth doing if you’re not telling people about it – Many people aren’t digging information out of social media profiles, you have to present it to them and put it in front of their face. If you don’t share, no one will know the amazing things you are doing.
- Not a Number of Followers, A Number of INTERACTIVE Followers – It’s not enough to just have followers, they can be bought. You need followers that are liking, retweeting, commenting, etc. They bring more value to a follow and act as a referral to their followers.
“Almost everyone will miss almost everything you do on social media, until you make a mistake.” – Sree Sreenivasan