Three Things my Mother Taught me About Social Media

Happy New Year, all! Coming off of the holidays, I’ve been thinking about how fortunate I am to have such an amazing family. And so, today’s entry is a brief one inspired by my mom.

My mom is an incredible lady. Not only did she birth six children, but raised them all to be successful contributions to society. Several of her “motherisms” have, for one reason or another, stuck with me over the years. Each one has taught me an important lesson in my social media work.

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

Plain and simple: don’t shit-talk your competitors. Further to this point, do not (I repeat, DO NOT) troll your competitors’ social channels to watch for complaints only to swoop in like a vulture and suggest that those customers come do business with you instead. Preying on unhappy customers is not a solid long-term strategy, is underhanded and is tacky. Be a better brand than that.

Don’t talk about yourself.

Imagine this: you’re at a cocktail party and you’re cornered by a sweaty close-talker who won’t shut up about his social media “expertise” and legendary Batman action figure collection. You’re bored and want to put a bullet in your head right? In fact, chances are, you’ve completely tuned him out and have one eye wandering the room shooting silent pleas to the other guests to come and rescue you. No one likes to be around someone who only talks about him or herself. Same is true in social media. Consumers don’t give a rat’s ass about your latest press release or improvements to your widget. They care about what you have to say ONLY insofar as it benefits them. So, center the conversation around them. I’ve said it before – stop talking AT them and start talking WITH them.

Be yourself.

Authenticity is king in social media and people can spot a bullshitter a mile away. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Nancy Myrland has an excellent write-up on finding your social media voice and being authentic.

Thanks Mom!