For a marketer, TV is a broadcast medium - that is, I place an ad and it gets 'broadcast' to the viewers. There is no engagement, no dialogue just a hope that the ad increase the market's affinity with the product.
Social networking, the latest hot topic in marketing circles, on the other hand is an engagement channel... or at least it has the potential to be. But I am seeing more and more supposed social networkers mistaking platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as another broadcast medium. That is, they think all they have to do is post links back to their core website and people will follow.
People accept ads on TV because that's what the medium is designed to do.... and we passively watch our favourite TV shows and sometimes we watch the ads. But people use social networking sites to.... wait for it....
....NETWORK.
That's right - they use it to connect, engage and be involved in a conversation.
If you're outcome in social networking is collecting friends or followers, you're missing the point (as Steve Woodruff so beautifully describes in his article "Connection Collector".) To truly benefit from the power of these platforms, you have to actively engage as well - with influencers, your target market and other people of interest.
And while you're doing that - actively engaging with people - if you 'accidently' collect 10s of 1000s of followers - then fantastic.... and kudos to you for building a community that you are actively connecting with. (Sarah Prout and Darren Rowse are both excellent examples of Tweeters with HUGE followings... followings built by actively engaging... yes, apparently you can 'talk' with 60,000 + people at a time!)
But if all you are doing is broadcasting 'ads' (often disguised as informative links back to your website) in the social networking space, you'll not only not collect followers or friends... but you'll lose them....
So if you're going to use social networking platforms as one of your marketing channels, then clarify your purpose, your intent and your strategies and targets for engagement... reply to people, comment or 'retweet' and thank people for connecting with you.... share elements of you the person as well as your business and have fun....
In other words.... network! It's just like how you 'network' at a networking function.... only it's in cyberspace, at hyperdrive and can be done from your computer or mobile phone - no travel required!!
How are you engaging with your network using social networks? Or are you a bit stuck on how to have meaningful conversations with limited words or in such a public domain? Comment below.
