Most social media networks have become like commuting to work, and that is not a good thing. Everyone is in it for themselves, and to hell with anyone that dare get in their way. What was designed as a free flowing network of interconnected paths that can get you anywhere you want to go has become a morass of gridlock. Which one am I talking about? I don’t know, either.
The metaphor goes even further. The driver that drives me the most crazy in traffic (no pun intended) is the one that puts himself and his need to get to his destination ahead of yours and everyone else’s. You know the type. I am not saying you should sit there and wave everyone in front of you, but I do think your behavior should be mindful of others and be of a give and take nature. That is how these social networks should be viewed, as well, not as one way devices for you to pound home your message. Hey, if you are using some medium where people opted to hear your message, like email, pound away. But on things like Twitter and Facebook, people are not necessarily opting in to your message, so keep other people in mind, and don’t be a spammer. Again, you know what I mean.
Futher still with the metaphor. When we drive a car, we are responsible for our actions. It is up to us to be attentive, follow the rules of the road as closely as possible, and not kill anyone. As we embrace social media to further our businesses, all I am saying is think of the other people. You can do whatever you want with your twitter account, that is part of the fun. So, I am not trying to be the cops here, giving you a ticket. I have made plenty of these mistakes, and I may well be the least successful social media marketer you will ever encounter. I am not trying to chastise you, I am trying to save you from making the same mistakes I did.
There is no end to the stream of tweets about using twitter to market your brand, and more and more obvious companies follow me everyday. Is anyone marketing a brand successfully? i would like to see some examples.
