photo by d. sharon pruitt

As more people crowd into the social media space, knowing who’s worth your relationship-building time and who’s a waste of effort becomes more imperative.

I don’t know what your criteria are, but for me making the first cut is pretty simple: Is the person in question social or antisocial?

My definition of sociability is pretty straightforward. Are you open about your identity and transparent in your motives? Do you engage in conversation, share your thoughts and opinions, pass along what you’re finding online and share your knowledge and expertise? Or do you see this as just another opportunity for endless self-promotion and selling?

If it’s the latter, don’t bother me. When I’m interested in what you’re selling I’ll find you. Better still, be of value to me before the sales opportunity and I’ll probably put you on my short list of potential vendors.

Keep in mind that sales and marketing are two distinctly different activities. The American Marketing Association defines marketing as “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.” Social media is very much a marketing opportunity; the key is in how you approach it.

There are those who don’t share my opinion re blatant self-promotion. They see nothing wrong with using social media the same way they use traditional media. I’m not going to go into all the ways in which I think that’s just plain shortsighted and stupid. I’ll save that for another post.

For me, being a true creature of social media boils down to the following:

You are identifiable. Your Twitter profile includes your real name, photo and a profile that tells me something about your background and interests. Tweeting on behalf of an organization is fine, but tell me who’s doing the tweeting and what your connection is to the organization. You have a blog where I can learn more about you and what you think. Your LinkedIn profile is rich with details of your background and experience. The same with Facebook and other networking sites.

You are present. By present I mean I can easily find your web site, blog, social media outposts, Google profile, etc. I’m always skeptical about a Twitter user who doesn’t provide a link to a web site, whether it’s a blog, company site or even a LinkedIn profile. Point me to where I can learn more about you or your organization. Point me to some MLM scheme or a site that teaches me how to generate 10,000 Twitter followers in a few days and you’re gone.

You are sociable. You don’t have to be a great conversationalist. Use the tools to make contributions to the conversation, whatever it may be. Share your opinions, point us to resources we might not know about, ask questions, reach out to others who share your interests.

You are honest. If your end game is to sell me something, don’t try to hide it. If you’re making money off links in your posts, don’t hide that, either. We all have to make a living. Deception is a poor foundation for a social network and will ultimately bite you in the end, figuratively and literally.

These are just the basics as far as I’m concerned. Anything less is antisocial media. What do you think?

photo by Yandle

The ongoing conversation regarding social media reminds me of every previous conversation I’ve ever had concerning marketing and communications. Today the questions are:

“Should I be on Twitter?”

“Do I need to blog?”

“Should I set up a Facebook fan page for my organization?”

“Is it time to overhaul my website?”

In the old days (which ended just a few years ago), the conversation went like this:

Client: I think we need a newsletter

Me: You’re a moron.

OK, maybe it didn’t go exactly like that. Maybe that “moron” line was just in my head. The difference I see between then and now is that, for the moment, most people really don’t know what they should be doing in social media. Those same people had no problem telling me that they needed a newsletter. Or an ad campaign. A direct mail piece. A brochure. Etc. And I have no doubt that we’ll quickly reach the stage where clients again state, with confidence, exactly which social media tool they need.

My irritation lies in the fact that asking what tool you need is never the first question to ask. Try answering these questions first:

• What’s my goal? What am I trying to accomplish?
• Who am I trying to reach? Who are they, where are they, where’s the best place to reach them?
• What’s my message? What am I trying to communicate to my target audience(s)?
• What objectives will help me reach my goal?
• What are the potential barriers to achieving my objectives? For example, will I have the support of management?
• What’s a good strategy for pursuing my objectives?
• What resources (staff, money, volunteers) are available to me?

And finally, given the answers to all these questions, what tools make the most sense?

Anything short of answering these questions will result in an ill-formed communications initiative that, if not doomed to failure, will be nowhere near as effective as if you had taken the time to consider all these issues.

If you can answer these questions, then the answers to all your social media questions will become a bit easier to find.

Why is Gary Vaynerchuk the social media darling? Because he tells it like it is. No B.S., no pretense, he just cuts to the chase and puts it out there. Vaynerchuk lives what he preaches. Be real, be authentic, be straight in your communication, admit when you don’t know something … he really understands the new rules of marketing and practices them every day.

Here’s a great example of what I’m talking about. Personally I think it’s just good common sense, but you’d be surprised how many people are either too blind or too scared to step out from behind the traditional corporate PR way of doing things and just be real.

artwork by intersection consulting

This one is for all my marcomm pro friends and colleagues out there. I’ve looked for many of you on Facebook, on LinkedIn and on Twitter. Where are you? I know how busy you are with all the traditional channels, but one of these days your boss is going to come to you and ask what you know about social media. And you’re gonna be screwed.

Trust me, I feel your pain. I know what your workload is like because it looks like mine. But it’s past time to get your feet wet. Let’s connect. You don’t know what you’re missing.

If you are out there and I just haven’t found you, let me know. If you’re reading this, then you know where to find me.