Social Media Today explains that sharing high value content, ensuring transparency, and having a consistent voice and personality are ways that trust can be garnered on a social platform. It's for these reasons that I trust and follow best-selling author and speaker, Marcus Engel on Twitter. Whether he is off- or on-line, his messages honor health care professionals, include his story of overcoming adversity and encourage others' commitment to higher goals.
As a college freshman, Marcus was blinded and nearly killed after being struck by a drunk driver. His two years of rehab, over 300 hours of reconstructive facial surgery and adaptation through a multitude of life changes are the basis of the keynotes given to major healthcare institutions, corporations, faith based organizations and many of the country's universities and colleges. I trust Marcus because he uses a consistent voice and personality in his keynotes, as well as online. The clip below shows he is friendly, inspiring and influential.
Marcus is respected as a communicator and shares content generously from other industry experts (as seen below). Even though this post in particular did not pertain to me, he lets his followers know that there are others who are working to inspire students and healthcare professionals about keeping the patients at the heart of patient care.
Furthermore, Marcus uses his platform as an opportunity to be open and honest with his followers. Rather than using social media to brag about his writing skills, he becomes relatable and human in admitting his nervousness about his upcoming book, as seen in the tweet below. It's clear that he doesn't take his work lightly and he wants to portray healthcare settings in the best light.
What a compelling and interesting story by Marcus Engel. I can certainly see why he is trustworthy on social media. His trust is in part because he seems to be so genuine about his own work and passionate about other health-related topics. The example you used about Mr. Engel being nervous about his fifth book shows that he is a human and not just someone pushing information. I will also say, I think that was a bit of a humble-brag, clearly he benefits from book sales; but at the same time it’s acceptable because his other content seems so sincere.
ReplyDeleteI went on Mr. Engel’s Twitter account and I like that he doesn’t post more than a few tweets a day. He is also very responsive to people who communicate with him, which is important because it adds to the credibility that he actually runs his own account. The “Task for Today,” that you mentioned in your post, is a terrific way that he grows followers and motivates people for success. One thing that I appreciate about his page is that he has been tweeting for quite some time. With nearly 6,000 tweets he clearly is credible on Twitter since he’s been around for some time. You don’t just have to take his word for it, you can look at his history of tweets and make your own determination.
@MarcusEngel just got a new follower!
Thanks for commenting, Hampton! Like you, I really appreciate how Marc does not desire to only push information, but rather share a story with his audience. He is transparent with his past and how that's affected his present.
ReplyDeleteHis other website, imheremovement.org, is another resource where his audience can see how his story is positively affecting others and truly impacting healthcare professionals' work around the country. I'm glad you felt inclined to follow him on Twitter!