Let’s face it: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn squandered their potential. Instead of becoming knowledge or trade hubs, they’re essentially virtual singles bars. All 3 of these networks are so choked with ads, scams, and come-ons that companies trying to turn a legitimate buck have turned to so-called opinion or “thought” leaders (anyone from Ashton Kutcher to Robert Scoble) in order to cut through the chatter. Fair enough, but lawyers still aren’t going to buy a product because it’s being pushed by an actor (even if it’s a dream-boat like Ashton). And as the authors of this piece in Social Media Today point out, professionals get online for reasons not common to the average user, including:
- engaging with others in their discipline
- collaborating on their projects or cases
- learning about innovations in their field
- sharing and discussing their experiences
- reinforcing their referral relationships
- accessing and sharing hard to find info
So why is there such a yawning gap between what professionals want in social networks and what the networks deliver? And to make matters worse, most social media campaigns are basically re-packaged website or blog content grafted onto the flavor of the month; an approach which is transparent and ineffective.
Why don’t social networks and advertisers observe the same rules that we professionals observe among ourselves, i.e.
- trust is built by giving freely
- one good turn deserves another
- value speaks for itself – no BS
- be patient – teach don’t preach
- respect my time and intelligence
If social networks and marketers respect these principals will they gain traction with professionals? How should I know? But I’m sure that if they ignore these points I’ll be gone before they can sell me anything.
