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I’m no social media expert, let’s make that clear right now. The digital PR and social media landscape changes daily, so if anyone tells you they are the social media guru - run like the wind. Tip: these are the same folks who will tell you they can “make something go viral.”
The only thing I can say with absolute certainty about the ever-evolving social media landscape is that successful use of these communication tools isn’t hard unless you are lazy. The more I read up, the more I find social media best practices among those that are smart, active, succinct and sincere.
Folks always like a good acronym, so here’s one: be a SMART ASS.
Smart: By “smart” I mean don’t be dumb. What’s dumb? Spamming people is dumb. Only following folks back on Twitter so you can direct message (DM) them with a link to your get-rich-quick scheme or blog is dumb. Calling yourself an expert in something that not even its creators have a true mastery of is dumb. You are not dumb, so you understand.
Active: No Twitter account or Facebook fan/group/cause page, LinkedIn Group, blog or website will yield a return on your man-hour investment if you never use or update it. You’ve gotta engage. It is social media, after all :) If you want a lot of followers, you’ve got to Tweet. You’ve got to follow strangers and let strangers follow you. You’ve got to respond to an @ message; reply to a relevant DM. If you don’t want to actively engage you should have started a blog, not a Twitter account.
Succinct: My favorite thing about Twitter is the 140 character limit. I wish a word limit was applied to blog posts and emails, too. It’s why I try to keep my FlackRabbit and Her Nashville posts short (except for this one, oops). I’m a tiny person, so phrases like “short and sweet” and “brevity is the soul of wit” are close to my heart. It’s a fast-paced world we live in, say what you need to say and peace out.
Sincere: This one is the kicker. PR flacks take a lot of heat for being spin masters - another way to describe insincerity. You’ve got to be a sincere participant in the social media community if you want folks to take you seriously - same goes for your clients. Otherwise, you’re just vomiting out information on the interwebs. Oh, sure people read it. But they’re not impressed.
So there you have it: my smart ass theory. It ain’t anything new, but it was fun to type.
Do you agree? Have I left something out? Leave a little somethin’ in the comments, por favor!
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Comments
01.27.09
Totally agree. And is it just me, or are we suddenly seeing less and less sincere Tweets? In fact, as I saw on Mashable, you can even hire a Tweet freelancer now: www.twit4hire.com. You know, because banging out a tweet takes sooooooo much work.
01.27.09
Wow. I was unaware of the Twit4Hire folks. (sigh) It makes me sad, really. And you are right -- Twittering is REALLY HARD.
01.28.09
I like it. You always get out what you put into something. Well done, fellow Nashvillian!
01.28.09
Hey, thanks Ben! Always fun to see Nashvillians on here :)
03.04.09
Nice. I think Active is the key.
And not just with your real world clique. Get around, and I don't mean that in a dirty way. ;).
And if your into the lighter side of Social Networking...
Social Media + Smart Assness = Tactical Diversion
http://tacticaldiversion.com
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