Social Media is for real, if…

Succeeding in a social media strategy is a complex affair because you need to pit the temptation of short term gain against the long term build.  But, here are, what I believe to be, the three golden tips.

How to win at the social media game?

1. Get realistic

Getting a social media strategy to “work” means first establishing a specific objective and then allocating the right resources (including the right profile of people).  Being realistic in your objectives implies understanding the playing field, which is not the easiest thing to do when there is still so much room for innovation.  By the same token, being realistic means not expecting social media to fix all the problems that existed before you decided to launch yourself.

2. Get real

This a throw-away line in a bad sitcom: get real.  Why is this absolutely true though?  Because, in order to be real, you first need to know who you are.  A brand needs to stand for something — which becomes the backbone of the social media editorial line.  Secondly, being real means that you don’t need to spend time and energy inventing yourself — it flows naturally.  FinallProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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2C being real is what the customer is looking for, even for those inspirational luxury brands.  Customers want real value for money — at all levels.  As Robin Sharma says, make sure that your video is aligned with your audio.

3. Get real time

The third notion sounds similar, but is deceptively different: get real time.  As David Meerman Scott wrote in his 2007 book “Real Time Marketing & PR“, the need is to seize the opportunity in real time.  On the one hand, you are talking about beating your competitors to the punch.  But, more intensely, you are taking advantage of a fleeting moment whose merit lies in the speed of the action.  It takes an eagle eye and great agility to operate in real time.

Give without expecting in return

A give without expecting in return.  It is not a stretch to reinterpret the expression: invest so you can expect a return [on investment].  The more authentic the message, the more relevant the gift and the easier the ability to share, the better the chances are that the karma will come back in a positive (sales) way.   In all my years at L’Oreal, working with hairdressers, I heard the refrain: “I don’t like to sell, I’m an artist.”  Well, there are many people who don’t feel comfortable “selling” themselves.  Not that I advocate stopping sales and closing deals, but in social media, if you want to garner longer term trust and wider resonance in the {social} media, then you must learn to trust the strength of your message.

The common point about all three REAL points above is the mindset.  It takes a certain myndset to be real, act in real time and to give without expecting in return.