I just came across this short but very pertinent comment on LinkedIn (courtesy of Wouter Verhoog – how’s that for a great name but don’t ask me how to pronounce it) and thought it summed it the current state of social media perfectly. So I hope he doesn’t mind if I share his lessons with you.
The best lessons I’ve learned about social media
1. Don’t sell your product through social media, sell your values.
2. Don’t make it all about your company: shine that spotlight on your (potential) customers
3. Entertain! Behind every company logo sits a team of real, living people. They like to laugh.
4. Educate! People love to learn short, sweet facts – even if it doesn’t have that much to do with your company or product at first sight.
5. Engage in conversations, don’t hide behind your corporate identity. We all like to deal with real people with real names with real feelings, instead of a big logo and employees acting like a robot.
Social media is all about ‘slow branding’: making sure your name is out there, visible and ready for action and engagement.