You may be familiar with the ABC “Wipeout” series, where people compete in an extreme obstacle course for the title of “Wipeout Champion” and a chance to win $50,000. My family and I enjoy watching it from time to time, though I cringe when people are catapulted 50 feet into their air into a pool of water, or are hit in the head with a swinging pendulum.
Isn't social media sort of like that? We're thrown into deep water without a net, and forced to sift through a sea of “how to” information to figure out what works best for us. To be sure, there's a lot of great information out there, but avoiding social media wipeout boils down to doing three simple things:
- Seek and listen. Effective leadership of your business, with or without social media, requires constant seeking out of, and listening to, your customers and clients. Who are they? Where are they? What are they talking about? What are their needs and problems? How can you enhance their lives? These are urgent issues, and social media makes it easier than ever to constantly assess the lay of the land before jumping into the obstacle course.
Tune into your customers's needs and they will tune into you. If your products are as good as you say they are, both you and your customers will avoid wipeout!
- Make it about others. The fastest way to assure social media wipeout is to constantly discuss how fabulous you are. If you want to promote your products or services, do that by connecting that greatness to how it helps others achieve their goals and dreams.
- Systematize it. I'm not talking about auto-posting a dozen Tweets a day here!! (Gag and double gag!) I'm talking about structuring your workday so that your social media outreach is organized; so it's predictable enough for you to make it happen without getting sucked in and wiped out.
My post about my Daily Productivity Flow may be helpful here.
Showing up on FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn and all the rest when the mood strikes you is the fastest way to ensure wipeout. Take measured steps. Schedule specific times of day to reach out about specific things you'd like to share, and include time to respond to others as well.
Social media is “social.” It's not just about pumping out information. It's about interacting with others around information you and everyone else shares, so you create an ecosystem in which you and others can simultaneously thrive, grow and have a good time.
Of course there's a lot more to productive use of social media and you'll find tons of tips in my Social Media Category. But no matter what social media tool you are using, or what kind of business you have, be sure to seek and listen, make it about others and systematize, and you will avoid wipeout, have a ton of fun and grow your business all at the same time.
Question: How do you avoid social media wipeout?
