This is a question that is on the minds of many these days. You can’t turn on the television or radio, open a newspaper or talk to a colleague, friend or family member without *someone* talking about “social media” – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
Not surprisingly, these discussions lead to thoughts of: “Am I missing out?” “Is my business missing out? Well, maybe. But…it’s somewhat of a “chicken and egg” conundrum. Should you establish a presence in social media and attempt to entice your audience to follow or befriend you? Or, should you look to see if your audience is already “out there” and find ways you might connect with them?
There’s probably no “right” or “wrong” way to go about it. I suspect, though, that there are a lot of people in the business world with a nagging fear that they may be “missing out” on something important. I further suspect that the answer is, at least at this point in time, “no, they’re not really missing out.”
The reports on the adoption of social media are conflicting. While some indicate that if you’re not engage in social media you’re falling behind, others suggest that social media is a phenomenon that many try and then abandon.
There can certainly be great, legitimate, personal and business reasons for becoming engaged in the social media world. I’ve found LinkedIn to be a great source of referrals and sources for articles I’m working on and a good way to connect with like-minded individuals on a variety of subjects through the many groups that are out there. I’ve found Facebook to be an “interesting” way to keep up with what friends and former colleagues are up to. I’ve barely dabbled in Twitter, but from interviews I’ve done with avid users, I can see some value, kind of…
On the other hand, as I’ve noted previously, I’ve also found a significant gap between the people who are and are not using these tools. Many of the “usual suspects” in various industries and organizations – the people “at the top” – really aren’t out there. They don’t have time. They haven’t yet seen value. They may be feeling a little “left out,” but they haven’t yet reached the point where the perceived “gain” of getting involved seems greater than the “pain” of making the effort.
My personal belief is that it’s important to always be monitoring the environment to remain aware of new communication tools that can help connect with various audiences. But awareness shouldn’t necessarily lead to adoption. I’m sure that the majority of consultants I work with are *aware* of television. But, I’m also pretty confident that they’re not using television as a communication medium to connect with prospects or customers.
The answer, as always, when dealing with a question of whether or not to use a particular communication tool or tactic is – “it depends.” The question, in fact, should not really be: “Should I be on Twitter?,” but “Who am I trying to connect with and what tools will be most effective in making that connection?” Having a varied list of options to select among is good – just using an option because it’s the “latest thing” isn’t.
So, if you’re not yet an active participant in social media, don’t feel bad. You’re not alone. (On the other hand, if you’ve never *heard* of Twitter, you may be falling behind…)
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I do believe that social media is a great tool to connect and to be seen. Agree with you that you should ask – who am I trying to connect with and what tools will be most effective in making that connection. Thanks for sharing.