Turn That Thing Down!!!

As we all look to beef up our online presence these days, especially on behalf of the companies we work for, I have noted a couple of trends. Everyone seems like they have advice on whether or not you should join Facebook, get a Twitter account, start your own blog, or broadcast live on YouTube. Well, here I am to tell you - just listen to your mother.

“If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?”
Ok, so everyone else may be joining social media sites to help promote their online presence, but that doesn’t mean you HAVE to. Do what feels right. You have to approach everything you do with a level of commitment and enthusiasm. If you don’t have these attributes when it comes to social media, you may just want to stop reading here, because this may not be the right medium for you or your business.
“One mistake I often see when people use Twitter is that they approach it without a real interest in or passion for the service.” via @SorenG

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Back to my first point - you have to want it. Commit to where you want to spend your time online. If you don’t have a lot of time - pick one social media outlet and carefully approach it – you know, baby steps. Don’t come out too strong in an environment you may not understand. Try creating a personal twitter account before you launch one for the brand you are working with. Get used to using tools like TweetDeck to help you navigate your contacts and manage several accounts. We live in such a fast-paced environment these days, people are quick to judge you and then move on so make sure your entry into the world of social media is strategic.

“Don’t sit so close to the TV or you’ll go blind.”
Sometimes it takes a little stepping back to see the big picture. Think about what you are trying to gain from social media. Are you trying to network? Drive traffic to your website? Encourage more online sales? Discover more potential business partners in your field?
It may be best to determine just what your own identity is, build your sense of your own brand and determine what your goals are before you outline just how you set out to accomplish these through social networking.

“Money does not grow on trees.”
I think what mom was trying to tell us is nothing comes easy. You can’t expect to convert twice as many sales next month just because you posted a video on YouTube or sent out a few tweets. If you are expecting to see immediate monetary gains from online activity, you may want to hold your horses! (Another mom-ism right there) Especially in our current economy I wouldn’t plan seeing the money flowing in to your online store right off the bat, but don’t give up! You can gain more from social media than just profit. Beware of marketers who tell you it’s all about selling wine – try focusing on building your brand first.

“If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
The most important thing to remember is to play nice. You should always maintain a certain level of tact while blasting things out online. Just because you have the ability to update your status every 3 seconds doesn’t mean you should. You don’t have to resort to only speaking when spoken to, just think about what you are saying - is it helpful or are you just trying to fill dead space? Recommending things to others or giving people props for cool new ideas will only get you further in this brave new online world.

And finally – If you keep making that face it’s going to freeze in like that!