Social Media FAIL

This past December I completely forgot about checking Twitter & Facebook. No intent to do so...it just happened. A couple weeks later, when I realized the time that had passed, I also realized I hadn't missed it. So I set out on an experiment to see what would happen if I stopped the constant social media participation for a bit. How long would I last? Would people start to ask me why? My last SM check in was on Dec 18. Number of people that have asked me why I stopped posting - only 2.

No one seemed to care that I left my blog outdated. My Twitter followers weren’t asking where I was. No one on FB noticed. I was a little humbled. Guess my status updates weren’t as funny/intelligent/interesting as I thought they were. This reminded me of a common question we hear from folks engaged with us in Branding initiatives…”Should we be on Facebook?“; “Should we Tweet?“.

Should Social networking be an automatic for brands?

Content is no longer a premium. Gone are the days when subscribing to a magazine provided me with an inside track to content I couldn’t find elsewhere. And if this is true of magazines and newspapers, just think what it means for SM. There are millions of people pushing millions of pieces of content everyday on FB & Twitter. What’s valuable? What matters? Who cares? Is it worth the time? The risk? The potential posing? It can be fun, educational, sometimes relational, and can actually provide good connections. We’ve even seen it result in new business. But its a new world that everyone is fast to jump onboard without totally understanding what, why, & who.

People have lost their jobs over SM. People have not gotten jobs because of SM. Companies have been hired and fired.

I believe the answer to the question of whether a brand – new or old – should quickly jump onboard the SM bandwagon is, No. My opinion is that it should be a considered decision. Here are a few questions that come to mind when I think about the decision of if & when:

- What will you say?
- How often will you say it?
- Is it something that someone else is already saying?
- Will anyone miss it if it went away?
- Is it meaningful, purposeful, helpful, insightful, funny, or entertaining?
- Should it be meaningful, purposeful, helpful, insightful, funny, or entertaining?
- Is your audience actively participating on FB & Twitter? Do they read blogs?
- Would you care to read what you’re posting?

Realize you’re entering into a large conversation that may not yet have rules, but does have influence. Make the choice with intent and purpose. Its not automatic.

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Posted by: Dustin Britt on February 5th, 2010

7 Comments

"Ironically enough, I just started a "Bring @jdbritt Back" social media campaign. You now have a fan page, a tumbler account, and a twitter feed."
- Blake Howard
"These are great things to consider! I'm making a social media "cheat sheet" for our company- can I include these questions in it?"
- Barbara Tushbant
"RT @jdbritt Good food for thought, that's for sure."
- Scott Fuller
"One of the most common complaints I hear from clients is "I don't know what to say on Twitter" or "I haven't seen the ROI yet." I typically respond by saying that it's hard to know what to say or offer much of value without undergoing a heavy listening effort first. This doesn't just mean "join the conversation," but using some free and some more expensive tools to map out conversation trends and how different types of buzz are associated with brands and brand attributes. After taking a few weeks to observe, then it's time to build a bridge between the crowd and what makes your brand unique. Listen, Plan, Engage, Optimize....repeat."
- Rich Wilson
"I wonder if anyone is actually reading this blog entry. It wold be ironic if no one cared. "If a blog is written and posted on the internet and no one reads it, was it really written?""
- Craig Johnson
"Go for it Barb!"
- Dustin
"You bring up good points. Only starting to move my work and the services I offer as a designer and artist into the world of SM, I have created a FB account and a blog for my brand. I don't have a following to speak of yet, and don't expect to until I do some strong marketing. But, I decided to feel out the rhythm of the SM tools everyone's using. I've found myself asking some of the questions you pose. I agree with your urging new brands to give the thing some thought and consideration and not to just jump in just because. (Got to your site, blog, etc. through the Accidental Creative website.)

- Want"
- Want

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