You have something to say to the world. Go to the most populated intersection in your city, or better yet, come to Times Square in New York City. Now… Now start speaking!
How many people will hear you? How many will stop and listen?
Welcome to Social Media.
Opportunists abound who will try and prove that they are social media experts. Their criteria revolves around the number of followers they have. But if the number of “Likes” and “Follows” are the mark of social media expertise, then you should hire Ashton Kutcher and/or Lady Gaga to manage your clients’ campaigns.
Solve the street-speaking dilemma, and you’ve solved your social media one as well.
If your answer is: “Online is different than P2P” my response is: “Stop thinking in the past. Think now.”
You’re standing on a street corner and selling. No one is listening.
Get a taller soapbox and get above the fray.
Use a megaphone.
Or strip down to your undies and call yourself the “Naked Cowboy” (sex always sells).
In New York, people often trade stories about “the guy who plays the violin at the Herald Square station” or “the doo-wop group at 59th an Lex.”
These guys are tireless. They are on the platform every day performing. Persistence. Presence.
How often do you tweet? Update your company Facebook page?
But if the musician stinks (many do), how likely is anyone to buy their music?
Likewise, you may be a prolific tweeter, but is it useful information?
If you’ve ever been to NYC, you will undoubtedly come across the Andean musicians. I am sure they appear in many different cities as well… even South Park made fun of them. They always find the most acoustically rich place to play. The sounds echo off buildings like some other-worldly music. They know how to exploit their surroundings!
And people buy the CD expecting the same energy.
Rigging the system to get followers is like setting up barriers to funnel people past your soapbox. But no one listens. However, making sure your message resonates with people will get them to listen. Tap into popular culture. Tie your message into what’s trending. But above all keep talking, louder and more persistently. Only then will people listen.
It’s not new. It’s not mysterious. The tried and true methods have worked and continue to work. And the social media experts you should be talking to are the Andean Musicians; the Naked Cowboy; and those creepy and irritating “living statues” that seem to be in every tourist spot.