What being a shitty boyfriend has taught me about social media

How much further can one go to get people to read his blog? Actually, I probably can but let’s just hope it won’t get that far.   While I am not necessarily a shitty boyfriend, however, there are some definite similarities between the two. Once again, you can learn from my failures and become better at social media because of it.

Listen first

This is probably the biggest lesson and my biggest shortcoming. Don’t buy your girlfriend a cat when she told you three times that she’s allergic to cats.  Before you dive into any social media marketing ventures, listen to the conversations already out there. Learn from what people are saying and doing, analyze, and then decide what you’re going to do.  Even if, as a company, you never start playing in the world of social media; it’s important that you listen. Listen to what people are saying about your company and category on Twitter, join related Facebook groups and set-up some rss searches for your company’s and competitors’ names.

Be yourself

I  never bought a girlfriend a cat, especially not one allergic to cats. And this point is something I actually tend to do well with. Being yourself is important, both in relationships and social media. That doesn’t mean you should stop showering nor can having your girlfriend watch you play computer games ever be considered a date. But if you love playing computer games then it’s probably important that your girlfriend has a tolerance for geeky stuff. And you probably shouldn’t sell yourself as an avid salsa dancer either.

How does that play out in the world of social media? Let's take a look at Dell. They're a direct to consumer marketer who has built their business on selling good computers for low prices. They've achieved this by a) being efficient and b) selling direct to consumers. So when Dell entered the social media sphere, they didn't do so by starting a YouTube channel where people could upload cool stuff created by their Dell computers. Dell started a Twitter channel (#DellOutlet) where every day they post special deals and discounts for their followers. So far this tactic and has generated well over $2 million in revenue. This success doesn't surprise me as Dell is staying true to what made them successful before anyone ever talked about social media.

Take a hard look at your company, figure out why and how you're successful, and then evaluate if it can translate into the world of social media. Then go do it.

Perfection is overrated

Nobody is perfect. There, I said it.
And if you attempt to be perfect, you’ll never be great. Great relationships aren’t born over night, nor are social media successes. You need to start somewhere (and if you think you start at perfect, then you’re clearly fooling yourself), and then work your way towards greatness. In a relationship,  I like the idea of writing a nice card (think hallmark)  from time to time. There’s so much to be thankful for, and writing a card is a quick and easy way to be thoughtful about such. Now, I have a big box of cards that I bought at some point and my girlfriend(s) will always get the same card. True it would be thoughtful to buy a different card every time, or better yet, it would be great to make my own card.  But the problem is that if I had to make my own card, I would never write a card to anyone. It’s too much work, and considering I have two left hands, I might actually offend people.
It’s the same in social media. I promise you there are companies out there right now still trying to build their own social network (for their customers), notification or content management system. And then there are companies who’re using existing technology (Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress) as best as they can. They’re building an audience, they’re learning, and they will be very successful in the long run.

Go with the latter.

And let me know if you ever find an easy way to design and mass-produce your own hallmark cards.

Picture Credit Goes To Captain Giona (who is not a shitty boyfriend)