Why do you think they called it social media? Because it’s social.
Let’s go back to my constant ally and source of inspiration – freedictionary.com:
Social: Spent in or marked by friendly relations or companionship.
Delve deeper. Another definition:
Living together in communities.
Makes sense, right? Being there for your community. When they need you. For companionship.
No inference whatsoever intended as to ignorance on the part of the poster, but I found this on LinkedIn Answers today (which incidentally, you absolutely need to be using as one of your core outposts for brand building and getting your biz groove on):
I’m looking for something that will allow me to post updates in advance and manage my Twitter, LinkedIn, WordPress and Facebook accounts under one “roof.” One concern I have however is regarding security – will any of these companies “steal” my password information? How can I be assured?
Hello?! Is there anybody there?
Well, um, yah. I guess so. If we all live in a dream world and never snap out of it.
HootSuite is great. You can track, you can collaborate, you can post messages easy across most social media networks (was it really only last year that ping.fm seemed so a la mode?) and you even have your own owl on tap to make sure you’re not sleeping all the time. That is cool.
But what HootSuite cannot do is be there for you. To answer questions, to be the heart and soul of your community, offer companionship to your clients and constituents while the wind gently rocks your cradle.
So here’s the thing. I broke the mould. I delivered a ministry that I believe is fair and just. LinkedIn – To be there, you have to BE there…
Since everyone has already mentioned HootSuite, which is an incredibly powerful tool as they rightly say, I wanted to pose a question back at you:
Why is it you want to post updates in advance?
In my mind social media is best used when you’re ‘open’ since if you’re having your readers suppose you’re involved in a conversation, yet you’re not actually there, you might be actually doing more damage than benefit to your brand and business.
I know this is a totally random throwaway thought but I wanted to bring it to the table since it’s not something many people think about.
In my experience – and I only have 1,300 followers – whenever I post something of value I get people reverting with questions which manifest as potential leads or help in building relationships. If I’m not there they imagine I’m not interested, and the immediate nature of social media means the day after just isn’t good enough to meet their needs.
I think blogs and your home base are the perfect place to have always-on messaging enabled. People understand that immediate responses are not necessary there. The whole idea of using social media is to generate impact and drive folks back to your site – so you see how the ‘always-on’ system works for me.
I’m wrong, aren’t I? I’m thinking about this completely the wrong way.
