Thursday, December 4, 2008

Don't be a Social Media "Tool"

hammer 


Photo used under Creative Commons from
ppdigital.

Social Media Tools are just that: tools. You still need to be a good marketer to have success.


Now, we're all still figuring out how to use social media to do effective marketing, but I do know a few things that definitely won't work. Here's what doesn't work for me:


Add me as a friend on Plaxo, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or any other social network. Then immediately start sending me spam. That approach amazes me. I mean, has that technique ever work for anyone?


Just because I accepted you invitation to "connect" doesn't mean I want to be pitched. At least try to establish a relationship first. I have a pretty liberal policy for accepting "friends" on social networks. Even if I barely know you I'll probably add you as a friend if invited. But if I don't know you well, it is really just an invitation to get to know you better. Imagine if I approached you at a party and said "Hi, I'm Brian. Want to be friends? Want to buy some insurance from me?"


I've noticed that the most effective Twitter users usually add more value than. People will follow you on Twitter or subscribe to your blog if you provide information that can help them. Conversely, if you are constantly plugging your company or talking about your lunch, people will quickly unsubscribe.

One great example of how an influential thought leader uses Twitter is web analytics guru Avinash Kaushik. This sums up how he uses Twitter:

Well, there are a lot of uses for these tools but if you're trying to use them to influence people you're better off starting offering something that can help them. Once they trust your advice you are in a better position to influence. In fact, they may seek you out...