My high school drivers education teacher was passionate about safe driving. I'm sure he would be pleased to know that over 30 years later I cannot drive through an intersection without thinking about him. Why?
Because his number one rule was that you NEVER change lanes at an intersection. Better to stay in your lane and make changes later.
There is activity and therefore distractions at intersections. As a result, adding to that only increases the likelihood of an accident. And looking back on the automobile accidents I've been involved in, and have been fortunate to survive, I can say with certainty that his advice was spot on.
If you take a look around the social media landscape, you will discover we are at an intersection right now. Facebook is trying to replace Google. Foursquare is trying to be Facebook. Twitter is quietly working their magic. And even Microsoft is aggressively working to once again be a player in this game.
And the game is social search.
Stay in Your Lane
The reason I suggest we are at an intersection is that something big is getting ready to happen, but we don't really know what that is. All of the major players are buying up emerging companies, making changes in leadership and technology, and otherwise building a position of readiness for the next big thing.
This is exactly why you should be focused on what is working for you now. If you shifted your focus to Facebook 6 months ago, as many were suggesting, you would have squarely experienced several social media accidents. We've covered most of them in detail already, so I won't go there – other than to say that you need a social media hub that gives you control.
Watch Your Balance
The rankings of the top websites just came out, and nobody is surprised that Facebook is the top destination. However, it may be surprising to know that Twitter and LinkedIn are both in the top 50 or so. We knew Twitter was a player, but LinkedIn is showing some surprising resilience as it begins to morph into something new by borrowing the best features of both Facebook and Twitter.
It is the equivalent of social media suicide to place your bets on one network. Better to have a solid presence with all of the major players – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and your blog. This ensures that you will be well represented on multiple search engines, any one of which has the potential to make a difference in the future success of your small business.
Play The Game
The game is search, more specifically social search. Your success in this game is to understand that the old rules of mechanical optimization are dead. The key now is to understand that people are driving this social Web. They want information now – in real time. And they want to know what is going on locally – where they work and live
If I were just starting to build a social media presence today, I would get extraordinarily clear about who the people are that can benefit from what I do well, what they most need, and how I can best deliver that value for them.
Then I would consider who my best partner is for accomplishing that. And I would place a high value on trusting them.
You build trust through your actions. I trust the people here at TypePad where I maintain my blog. And LinkedIn is showing that they can be trusted too. I've had some scary situations with all of the others, but I will say that while some patience is necessary, Twitter has shown me some a little love too.
You have to decide for yourself what is best for you and your business.
My only suggestion for now is understanding that the social networks are positioning for a major shift in how this social Web works for your small business.
Stay in your lane
Watch your balance
Play the game well …. and you will be fine.
If you have enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to the RSS feed or via email. You can also leave a comment to share your thoughts, or share this post with your community of friends with the LIKE or ShareThis buttons.
Follow Us!