I've been tweaking a presentation for a training session I'm facilitating this week on the topic of (what else?) social media. I'm jazzed about it.
No, not just because I'll be playing a role in helping a great group of folks understand the topic a little better (at least, I hope!), but also because it sounds like they, too, are excited about the topic. I've been informed that some folks are skipping other modules to attend my module on social media. (My piece is only one portion of a four-part marketing series.)
For my part, in addition to the little "how tos" and "where fors," there are a couple of high-level concepts I find myself revisiting. One of these is the concept that social networking is a lot of work. The other, which I've written about in a previous post, social networking isn't a point-solution. I'll revisit that second one in a follow-up post.
But, for this post...
Social networking is a lot of work.
Based on feedback and discussions with colleagues, I've found this is definitely one of the underlying messages that needs to be communicated. The lamentations of one of my colleagues comes to mind--an executive with a small business I consult with--"So, Mel, I set up that Twitter account... but nothing happened..." (Ho ho ho. Silly rabbit, Tweeps are for kids... who work at it!)
On another occasion, I was asked by another executive about how he could maximize his time getting 1,000 followers over an upcoming weekend. (Whooaah... easy boy.)
'Turns out, it appears their thought process was that, social networking, being technology-based, should "make it easy" to connect with a lot of people at once. So, why wasn't this happening?
Well, as it turns out, it's not the case that you should just set up a LinkedIn account, or just a Twitter account, or just a Facebook account and then "things" will happen. The fact is, the word "networking" is an operative word. At the end of the day, online social networking isn't really too far removed from live networking in a brick-and-mortar setting.
Similar common sense manners are in play:
- Don't lead with a sales pitch (though an "elevator pitch" may still be appropriate with proper context),
- Don't come with the sole intent of seeing how many business cards you can pass,
- Be interested in others,
- Be engaging without making it all about you,
- See who else you can connect with those you meet,
- Find opportunities to help someone.
The list above works just as well for online social networking as it does in a brick-and-mortar social networking venue. And, while I think most of us understand this, many of us run into trouble when we try to automate the points above because, let's face it, there are a helluva lot of social networks to have to engage folks in.
So, we tend to lose the bubble when we allow auto DMs, auto-follows, and LinkedIn Inmail-blasts to supplant the relationship building process.
Ahh, well, hence the header... social networking is a lot of work. And it is a process.
So, Automating Social Media is Bad, Right?
... Well, no. But, if you're going to lean towards automating anything in your online networking activities, don't delegate your relationship-building and conversation-engaging activities to a 'bot. Rather, use technology to automate some of the listening processes.
Google alerts, boardreader, blogsearch, tweetscan and twittersearch are just a few free tools that can get you started. (Exception: tweetscan has a nominal charge after an initial free trial period.)
By placing keywords and phrases into these tools on topics, themes and trends that interest you--or that relate to you or your business--you'll be informed about conversations as they happen now and have an opportunity to reserve the core of your efforts to engagement and conversation with actual people.
Rather than re-hash a list of listening tools in this post, let me offer these excellent articles from which I, myself, have learned much:
- John Bell's Links for Listening,
- Chris Brogan's, Five Tools I Use for Listening,
- Mike Fruchter's 10 tools for listening in social media.
- Kyle Lacy's 5 Quick Tools for Listening in on Social Media.
Later this week, I'll hit another point I'll be touching on during the training sessions: Social networking isn't a point solution.
Until then, I wish you success and hope to hear from you.
