6 Ways to Make Facebook an Idea Generator
By Mindy Tyson McHorse

Here’s the thing about Facebook.

Like most everything else in the world, it can be a terrific place to learn and grow as a professional …

… or it can be a terrific waste of time.

I’m going to share how to avoid wasting time on Facebook and start benefiting from time spent with the social media giant.

Specifically, I’m going to illustrate how to use Facebook to harvest scores of new ideas and creative leads for your writing business.

1. Subscribe to a variety of interesting people and pages

If you doggedly connect with only the people you know well or only the people who share your opinions and beliefs, Facebook won’t be much use as an idea generator.

I did this in the beginning. I was very wary about the whole system. I wasn’t sure I wanted to let people know what I thought or where I was. So I only connected with close friends and family members.

You can certainly do this … but it doesn’t expand your horizons much.

It wasn’t until I started connecting with other writers and interesting people far and wide that I saw the potential for new leads. The sheer variety of posts that filter through my news stream now is enough to prompt dozens of new blog posts on an hourly basis.

2. Do things that provoke response

I’m not saying you’ll experience a flood of ideas every time you get on Facebook. Sometimes, you have to send out prompts. Ask questions. Get a dialogue going.

Let’s say you’re writing copy for a hypnosis CD designed to help people stop smoking. You’re trying to figure out the biggest reservations people will have against buying it.

So put it out there. Ask your Facebook community open-ended questions: “What do you think of hypnosis?” or “How do you think this stuff really works?”

Get them to address the issues you’re trying to address in your copy.

Keep in mind, the responses won’t always come from your ideal prospect, so take some of the feedback with a grain of salt.

3. Look for ideas in everything

The best ideas don’t necessarily come from simple status updates. Maybe you’ll find a gem in the conversation that follows an update or in the video somebody posts. Maybe clicking to a new website via a shared link will launch some new creative thoughts.

Be open to posts from people you don’t usually interact with, and click on things that may not immediately interest you. You never know what you’ll find.

4. Look for language clues

Another nice thing about posts and updates is that most of them involve people speaking naturally. In other words, you’ll be hard pressed to find formal language in a forum like Facebook.

People interact at a conversational level. They react with expressions they’d be likely to use out loud.

Pay attention to this, and use it to improve your writing. Remember, the best copy tends to run more like a conversation between friends. Facebook chats are a great lesson in this type of dialogue.

For example:

Jane Doe: Had a blast going skating last night!

John Doe: You? No way. How much of you is black and blue?

Jane Doe: Never had a problem. Your brother was a different story, poor guy.

John Doe: Tell me you got pictures! This’ll be fun.

5. Develop a quick and easy way to capture ideas

For every great idea you get from Facebook, you’ll need a way to capture it.

I use Evernote for this purpose. It’s like an electronic notebook devoted to work ideas. Within that notebook are several notes, each related to the major projects I’m working on.

If I pick up a lead or a link from Facebook, all I have to do to capture it is click over to my Evernote screen and paste it into the relevant note.

Other programs you can use for this include Microsoft OneNote and SOHO Notes for Mac users.

And of course, there’s always good old-fashioned pen and paper.

The bottom line is to make sure you capture your creative ideas quickly and in a way that’s easy to access when you’re ready to capitalize on those ideas.

6. Perfect the “Quick Skim”

There’s a fine line between legitimate creative research and goofing off. Set a time limit for yourself and your creative research on Facebook.

In fact, I’d contend you’re better off clicking in and surveying the news stream for five minutes or less, and then closing your browser. Do that several times a day and you’ll get exposed to a wider variety of ideas from more people.

So whenever you log on to Facebook — or any social media network, for that matter — keep your eyes and ears peeled for inspiration. It often hits when you least expect it and may even come from an unlikely source, but in the end, it’s a terrific way to keep your mind actively on the lookout for your next great idea.

By the way, there is one last thing I wanted to mention …

Watch Out for Yourself

If privacy is a big thing for you – it is for me – then just be conscientious about the way you post things.

You can hide Facebook status updates and photos from certain people. Don’t want your professional contacts to know you’ll be at the lake for the weekend? Don’t want to share photos of you at the lake with anybody but the friends who were there with you?

All you have to do is click on the security lock icon next to the “Share” button. There, you can customize which groups are able to see which posts.

Of course, this assumes you’re vigilant about assigning people to groups when you friend them. Groups can be customized based on your own preferences, but generally should include something like “Everyone,” “Acquaintances,” “Friends,” and “Close Friends.”

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Published: February 2, 2012