There Are No Rules for Social Media

(Photo credit: kalhusoru)

It's at least a few times a week I see another "10 Social Media Rules" article on LinkedIn, collecting comments and thumbs up from the marketing industry professionals who act like Moses just handed out another batch of the Ten Commandments. I'm not a self proclaimed marketing guru ninja rock star expert, but I'm pretty certain that giving such gravitas to guidelines for successful social media campaigns is just silly.

It is also giving people a false sense of control. Look, here's the reality of the matter: Different companies are going to do well with different types of social media outreach. A company like Moosejaw can get away with being goofy and weird and it works very well for them. But they're an outdoor gear company whose tagline is "Love the Madness" and whose customer demographic is a little bit different from the average person. But if IBM started making posts like "First person to correctly guess what color socks I am wearing for 532 reward points" on Facebook, the reaction from their user base would be mostly confusion. So, the idea that there are hard and fast rules rules for what exactly companies should be doing to develop and cultivate customer relationships is just plain wrong.

It goes without saying, I hope, that your marketing person shouldn't be tweeting out negative content or that attention to grammar and spelling is important. But you don't need rules. The great part about this wide open world of new marketing is that you're free to make up the rules for your own company and your own brand! No one else operates just like you do. No one owns your brand like you do.

But here are three suggestions:

1. Don't be boring.
If your Twitter feed is a never-ending stream of blather about this new product and that new product and the white paper your company just published, it will have about as much appeal as watching C-SPAN. Give your followers something to get excited about. Ask yourself: If this was the media content of another business, would I be excited to pay attention?

2. Have a human voice.
As humans, we respond to humans much more personally than we do to corporations. So many small businesses try to present themselves online as big, impersonal companies, presumably because think that potential customers will be attracted to their impressiveness. But, customers want real people, not generic contact forms and automated phone trees. Likewise, they want to hear from real people, not faceless social media voices.

3. Don't just shout. Listen.
As I've looked at the Twitter feeds of companies I'm considering applying to, I'm constantly shaking my head at the number of businesses that just talk, talk, talk and never engage with anyone else on Twitter. Contribute to a conversation. Make it relevant. Make it helpful. If you don't interact with your customers via social media, then why are you even on there?

There are just some suggestions. Not rules. Merely suggestions! Just like your mom suggesting that you bring a jacket when going out as a teenager in case the weather got chilly. Sure, you're going to be just fine if you go without one and get a little chilled. But think of these three tips as ideas for making your marketing efforts a tad be more comfortable.

3 Lessons I Learned from Lemmings (the game)

I always hated the Lemmings computer game: 1) Because it frequently made my computer freeze as a child, and 2) it felt like managing a team of mindless, needy people in a series of life-preserving missions. But I did learn a few things from the game, lessons I've seen repeated in every day life and in various jobs I've held.

1) You need a variety of skill sets for an effective team.
It would be absolutely frustrating to attempt to dig through a wall with only builder lemmings. Granted, the builder lemmings are still useful in many of the missions, but since they can't adapt to taking on a new task, they are useless in forging through walls to reach the lemming home. Like, your company may have the most creative, brilliant minds throwing ideas zinging around the room at every meeting, but if you don't have a writer to create your copy or a designer to make your content look pretty in a new marketing campaign, your great ideas will be building bricks when you really need it to break through a wall.

2. You don't need everyone for every project.
You know those meetings where everyone in the office gathers to discuss something that only two people will actually work on? Yeah, this is a case where you are pulling together a builder, a digger, a blocker, and an exploding lemming when all you need is to build a bridge from one ledge to another. Sure, people from other departments and in different specialties might have great ideas to contribute, but sometimes, a simple email will do. No need to interrupt the lives of all your lemmings.

3. Train your lemmings well, especially after a round of layoffs.
Who wants to be the lemming that has to explode to get through the wall when there are no digger lemmings available because your company just laid off the digger lemming? Don't lay off people you need and think that someone else is going to be able to adapt without some training. Teach your exploding lemming how to be a digger lemming so when there's a wall you need to get through, you don't end up with a burned out employee, trying to complete a task they're not properly trained in.

They're pretty basic lessons, but you and I and the three other people who will read this post know, sometimes companies forget them. So, if you are starting a company and you are organizing a group of lemmings employees, think about all the skill sets you will need.

Will you succeed with ten programmers or will you need people in marketing, customer service, and copy writing as well? Don't overuse your resources and waste their precious time and energy. And train your employees in a variety of tasks, not just the ones they'll primarily be doing. People get sick, take vacations, and sometimes even quit. Your business can't wait when that happens.

If you have thoughts on this subject, please opine below in the comments section. Your voice is welcome here.

P.S. If you want to play the game for old time's sake, you can find it here for free.