Marcin Balcerzak
One of the challenges many companies face when they adopt social media is figuring out what to do once they have established a presence on Twitter, Facebook, a blog, Flickr or YouTube.
It's like setting everything up for a party, and then trying to figure out whether you should talk to other guests, eat hors d'oeuvres, dance or wander over to the bar for a drink.
The key to building a strong foothold and becoming a good citizen is remembering that social media is as much about giving as it is about taking.
While it is perfectly acceptable to promote your own services, products, events or news, your social media activity will resonate with customers and potential customers if you are also providing them with information that is not about your company and the wonderful things it is doing.
Some examples of "giving" include providing links to interesting newspaper or magazine articles or blog posts. It could be recommendations about new online services, or simply putting the spotlight on new trends, issues or developments.
By providing a healthy mix of corporate and non-corporate updates, tweets, posts, photos and videos, your social media activity avoids being seen as strictly promotional or self-serving.
At the same time, it provides value – be it entertainment, education or information – to people looking for reliable online sources.
One of things you might be saying is "Why should I provide people with information and links to Web sites that aren't about my company?"
While it may seem like going against the grain, presenting people with opportunities to visit other Web sites is a good way to make them come back to you on a regular basis.
By providing people with other kinds of information, you build goodwill and establish yourself as a solid online citizen. People will start to regard you as a trusted resource. This, hopefully, will lead to repeat visits and perhaps more sales.
Another benefit is that giving makes it easier to take when needed. For example, you could use Twitter to ask questions or solicit feedback. If people see you as a good-standing member of the social media community, they will be more inclined to help.
In my business, I have used Twitter as a way to get recommendation about technology issues, the best places to buy products and services, and resources on the best places online to find good corporate tools.
As much as social media can be a "me, me, me" platform, it works best when there is a healthy balance between giving and taking.
Special to the Globe and Mail
Mark Evans is a principal with ME Consulting, a content and social media strategic and tactical consultancy that creates and delivers 'stories' for companies looking to capture the attention of customers, bloggers, the media, business partners, employees and investors. Mark has worked with three start-ups – Blanketware, b5Media and PlanetEye – so he understands how they operate and what they need to do to be successful. He was a technology reporter for more than a decade with The Globe and Mail, Bloomberg News and the Financial Post. Mark is also one of the co-organizers of the mesh, meshUniversity and meshmarketing conferences .