Social media is alive and kicking!

SMMW13 Networking at the NAT!

During his keynote session at the recently concluded Social Media Marketing World, Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner, asked the question “Is social media dead?” With forty social media celebrities and over a thousand enthusiasts in attendance, Michael answered his own question by pointing out that social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have only been around for less than ten years. Not exactly what you would call a lifetime! Social media is young and growing. To say that the event itself was kind of a modern-day Woodstock for social media would not be unreasonable! Here is some food for thought from the conference.

Are you rolling with the times?

Alexa Rank Comparison - Huff Post vs. CNN

We are living in a world where Huffington Post, a blog started in 2005, is rated on par with the mighty CNN, as per Alexa the web traffic measurement site. Traditional channels for news media are rapidly being overshadowed by blogs, aggregation services, and social media platforms like Twitter. The postal service is in disarray due to customers choosing near real-time communication options like email and text. The role of the salesperson as a middleman is increasingly being marginalized with the proliferation of online information resources.  The success of podcasts has come at the expense of traditional radio. Newer model cars are being delivered with on-demand information radio and podcast integration. BMW‘s recent announcement of the integration of Stitcher into its audio system is a perfect example of the signs of things to come.

Are you connected?

The ability to connect is the most powerful skill in the world! The power of connections goes beyond business; it applies to friends, family, and even children. Unlike perception, it is often about giving rather than receiving. People will forget what you said or did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.  Larry Benet’s repertoire of engaging social acronyms included, ABC – Always Be Connecting; GSD – Get Stuff Done, and PFU – Poor Follow-Up!

What is your Dunbar Number?

Networking at SMMW13

According to British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, the number of people with whom a normal human being can maintain a stable social relationship falls within the range of 100 – 230. So, if you have five hundred friends on Facebook, you probably are only engaged with a small subset of that group. No, you don’t need to start dropping friends to get back to 200! Groups will evolve as people drop in and out of your core group. As per Ric Dragon, the author of Social Marketology, people tend to learn more from their weak ties than the strong ones because strong ties are often known quantities!

Does size matter?

The question about the size of a person’s following comes up in many a social media conversation. Guy Kawasaki, author and entrepreneur, was clear about the importance of a large following or friends circle for social reach. Everyone who uses social media for business is there to build a large following; if they say otherwise they may not be being truthful. He may have used the words lying! If you plan on being active on social media, you should know the five” P”s that pertain to the popular social media platforms: Facebook is for people; Twitter is for perceptions; Google + is for passion – like photography; Pinterest is for pinning and LinkedIn is for pimping – like pimping yourself for a job!

Do you still think that Facebook is for baby pictures?

Facebook as a marketing tool is not top of mind for the average user. Content like baby pictures, cute cats, and funny videos engage people. Facebook for business would follow the same principle. The content, be it text, pictures or video needs to be relevant, timely, and compelling. The affable Mari Smith, co-author of Facebook Marketing – An Hour a Day pointed out that while “content is king, engagement is queen, and she rules the house!”  Managing the timing and frequency of your posts, and ensuring responsiveness to fan posts and comments are keys to the success of a Facebook strategy.

Generally speaking, people consume social media content for entertainment, education, or empowerment. So, what kind of social or digital content engages you the most?

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7 Comments

  1. […] Social media is alive and kicking! from Dax Nair […]

    • Thanks Mike!

      I agree that it was a great event. Never ceases to amaze me how much more people know than I do…I will certainly check out your post.

  2. Hi Dax, what a thoughtful discussion of SMMW13. It was terrific getting to make your acquaintance – and I hope we can further the discussion we started.

    By the way – there is a great deal of wonderful confusion around the Dunbar Number. What Dunbar said is that the number limited the size of a “stable social network,” which he described as a group in which all members understand everyone’s relationship to the other members. You could imagine, we really would have limits on keeping all that in mind. We can, however, have a larger network. And with the assistance of social media, we can even make some headway into being able to have insight into one another’s relationships.

    • Hey Ric, It was great meeting you. I really enjoyed your session. I certainly look forward to future engagements. Thanks for the clarification on the Dunbar Number. Interesting concept…

  3. Interesting post Dax. Recruiting is another area that has changed considerably because of Social media. Sure job portals have been around for a while but today reaching the “passive candidate”, the guy who is not necessarily looking, via Facebook is a powerful recruiting tool. Suddenly we now have a pool of talent who get attracted to a job or a company because their friends work there and are obviously happy or they would not post the job. Fascinating how society and the way we work is evolving.

    • Hmm, I had not looked at Facebook as a recruiting tool. LinkedIn comes to mind first. I do see your point. If a bunch of employees appear super happy about their employer, it is bound to influence their peers. I wonder if HR departments are cluing in yet…

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