Social Media – What Do You Bring to the Party?

By Guy Mastrion

Open your Web browser¢‚Ǩ¬¶tweet your tweets, post to Facebook, flick on Flickr, show yourself on YouTube, link up on LinkedIn, and blog away¢‚Ǩ¬¶ wow, there are a whole lot of things to do!

But whats your point? Do you even have one? Are you simply interested in sharing your life (although that’s probably not very simple)? Perhaps its because you hope to stay in touch with friends and family and to meet other like-minded people?

As a marketer using these tools, what do you hope to achieve? Is there a theme to your use of the media? Do you have a strategy or an original thought you’d like to explore? Is there a relevant learning experience that may help others? Or are you just a tattler?

Do you use other people’s content to help bolster your own position without adding your own voice or opinion to help move the dialogue? Perhaps yours is a strategy of borrowed equity. In this case, would you rather be a Hollywood rag or would you prefer to be associated with the likes of the BBC or the New York Times?

So much of what I am experiencing, particularly in social media in the business realm, is just a rebroadcast of information. I am certain that The New York Times and other publications and news sources really appreciate our help with growing their franchise and authority by re-tweeting¢‚Ǩ”essentially, rebroadcasting their hard work. I guess it’s a helpful practice to some, but to me it just adds to the clutter and the noise. If the news is that important to me, I’ll follow the original source daily and check it out. If I personally use a news link or other resource in a post, its because I want to build on it or use it to build on something I’ve shared to add a new perspective.

Before I write a post or tweet, I try to answer this simple question: What’s my point? In general, I’m hoping to help, to extend a point of view, or relate an experience that a marketer might find useful in the course of his or her work; or raise a question that I need help answering.

I am setting rules for myself that make my use of the media comfortable and manageable for me and hopefully engaging and helpful to those who choose to follow my posts. How about you?

Are you using social media just because everyone else seems to be doing it? How can you hope to define yourself or your brand if you are getting lost in the noise and clutter because you lack a meaningful strategy?

Often times, the most difficult step is getting started in an effective manner. And one good way to start formulating a meaningful approach is to listen.

Start listening today and see what opportunities present themselves for you and your brand to add a distinctive voice to the world of social media.

One thing is certain, if you don’t create a positioning for your brand the market will do it for you, especially in social media. And that position may be off the field.

How are you using the resources available to you to spread your message? What do you bring to the party?