Sales Driven Marketing Hub

If you're looking to find your place in the world of social media, check out this list of eight social media personality types and figure out which one describes you best.

Contributors

Social is about sharing and people want to contribute. They want to share their experiences and expertise with the world. Contributors believe they have a lot to offer. They look for places where they can make the biggest impact and where the maximum number of people can read and benefit from their ideas.

Promoters

Promoters love people, especially those who impress them. They go out of their way to tell everyone about you. Promoters are givers. They don’t do it for money or fame. It's more about building relationships with the people they like and promote. They gain pleasure from making other people look good!

Reporters

Reporters build a following as a credible source of information. Some are Publishers who write their own articles and stories, but many are focused on being “The Source” of news. Reporters work hard to be the first to find and post links on social networking, micro-blogging, and bookmarking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and StumbleUpon.

Publishers

Reporters and publishers have a lot of similarities, but there are some clear differences. Most publishers have their own blogs and web sites and primarily focus on their own content. Many submit their articles to other sites as guest authors. It is a good strategy for expanding your reach attacting a new audience. Publishers who consistently produce great content build a strong readership and loyal audience. Their sites become communities buzzing with ideas from like minded people.

Connectors

There are three types of connectors: those who want to be connected to everyone, those who want to introduce you to others, and those who like to do both. Connectors are masters of networking. They take pride in being well known and, just as importantly, they love being the person who can put you in touch with the “right” people.

Instigators

Instigators are thought leaders who like to create buzz and discussion. They spend time in busy web communities posting questions, rants, thoughts and ideas that get everyone talking. Contributors often keep a close eye on Instigators. Those who share interests often fuel each others' success.

Recruiters

Recruiters spend time looking for like minded people to join their community or cause. Unlike Spammers, recruiters draw positive attention by using a combination of all the Social Types listed above.

Spammers

Yep, you knew we would get to these people. Spammers bounce around from site to site and group to group posting advertisements and links for the sole purpose of getting as many clicks and visitors as they can. They have no value added content to contribute. Although some do try to mask their advertisements with a short blurb, when you visit multiple sites you see the same post here and there, and there it is again. Some of them are working under their real name and profile, while others are operating under a fake profile.

No matter which role you feel most comfortable in (hopefully no one readily identifies as a spammer!) it's important that you add value to your social following and broader web audience. The best personality is a mix of the first seven, and if achieved can take your online visibility to a whole new level.