“Social Media is more about sociology and psychology more than technology”

As you probably know, I’m an avid follower of Brian Solis.

Back in 2007 in this blog post, he wrote “Social Media is about sociology and psychology more than technology”.

 

And he’s absolutely, 100% true.

When we are engaging with our clients and customers online, we may think we are communicating computer to computer, when in fact, we are communicating person to person.

As I continue to educate myself in what works and what doesn’t work, I realize more and more the importance of Social Media from a holistic, strategic perspective.

Often, we think “I must be on Social Media”, so we start a Facebook page and hope that people will flock to it.

Or we create a LinkedIn presence and think we’ve created a presence, and the phone will start to ring.

But what when we do this, we aren’t thinking about WHY.

• Why should I be on THIS Social Media site?
• Is my audience connecting online there?
• Why will they LIKE my page or connect with me?

People are more likely to engage and connect with people and brands they KNOW.

They won’t refer business to you unless they TRUST you.

And to gain trust, you have to prove it to them.

Not once. Not twice. You have to prove it every day. Consistently.

Social Media is, as it’s showcased in the Socionomics video “Word of Mouth on digital steroids”

Yes, you can extend the reach of your brand – IF you get people talking about your business.

And to stand out in this information-based era where there is a TON of noise, is more challenging than ever.

As I wrote in a previous blog post, Prof. Jonah Berger’s book Contagious has some amazing key factors (or STEPPS) that will help to get your brand noticed.

Seth Godin writes that you have to be remarkable – like a purple cow.

So where to you start?

Go back to basics.

Think about your unique value proposition.

What makes you and your business different from everyone else out there?

Can you amplify this?

How can you ensure this aligns with your business strategy and extend the WHY you do what you do to your marketing strategy.

How can you connect emotionally with your clients?

How can you empower them to spread the word about your business?

What can you do that is “over the top” so they can’t wait to gush about your great product or service?

It’s the technology of computers and cellphones that allow us connect.

Tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn etc, are the sites and communities where we gather online to connect.

But it’s the PEOPLE at the other side of the computer that we have to convert into sales.

NOT the computers.