Ann Kaplan of The Real Housewives of Toronto’s social game has been the strongest, wittiest and the most notable of all the housewives, mostly because she goes against the grain and isn’t concerned about what people think. In fact, she’s pretty much #goals thanks to her mastery of the subtle art of not giving a fuck, all whilst being authentic and true to herself.
We sat down with the mother of eight to find out what she really thinks of one of the housewives, whose name will go unmentioned (hint: the only one in the Toronto franchise to not do any press), and to get her top five tips on how to come out on top on social media.
Where do you get your empowering/inspiring chutzpa?
Although my businesses (we have a team of eleven that focus on marketing, social media and the internet applications) are well ensconced in social media and online presence, I had shied away from any social media privately, saving LinkedIn for personal business (I have >10,000 connections on LinkedIn), I had no social media presence.
When I started on the Real Housewives of Toronto, I realized I had to connect through the main platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook), otherwise people will draw their own conclusions about who I am or my beliefs… I wanted to be the one who presented that, but I was not prepared to personally expose myself (funny for someone starring in a reality show). I had to do it… I consciously decided to just “be me” on social media (Instagram in particular) and post what I felt would give a look into my life – who I am – I figured if someone doesn’t want to follow me, they won’t. People are smart – they know what they like.
You called out a cast mate and RHOT-nation seemed to be totally behind you. Why did you decide to speak up?
I called out ‘people’ who say negative, disparaging things, then buy “likes”. A lot of the story took a twist and turned to buying followers. What really upset me was the negative comments (on someone else’s posts) and the percentage of “likes” to the number of followers (at the time there was maybe 1200 followers with 2600 likes per post), and that the comments that person was making were largely negative! I wrote my post titled, “Anyone can Buy Fans”, in a fashion that a reader could test for themselves if anyone was buying their “likes” – the response was overwhelming – true to test, I had affirmative responses (to my insinuation) from many.
And lastly, what are some tips our readers can use to come out on top on social media?
- Don’t copy what others are doing – be true to yourself: I do not look at other posts to copy someone, I enjoy other stories, but I try to be true to who I am – it enhances my creativity (whatever creative juices I have) and the only bar I measure against is me. I figure if someone doesn’t like it, they don’t have to follow me.
- Post beautiful pictures – make sure they are clear and powerful: I look at what gets engagement – people love clear, beautiful pictures – not busy pictures. A picture that stirs an emotion is a perfect post. It also cannot be complicated. I see what gets engagement – it is the current, clear, well defined picture that someone stops at – remember, people scroll very quickly through their social media.
- Mix it up – post video, drawings, statements (thoughts) and pictures: Surprise your followers – no one wants more and more of the same. Let your followers know who you are. I try to post family pictures, pictures from the show (Real Housewives of Toronto) and my thoughts. If something bothers me or I feel I need to make a comment, I will post a quote, but add a picture to engage. Videos are also fun – I like to make them in the present moment.
- Add humour – people love humour: Remember – life is funny – you don’t need to be a comedian. Do I need to say more? We all need comic relief – people love, love humour… we need more of it in our lives.
- Other tips: Use hashtags. You can look up preferred hashtags (for your subject) on this thing called, “Google”. Be positive – I do not “like” any negative comment – no one really likes negativity any more. And, if someone takes a picture with you, make sure you ask them to tag you.