I got the Game in a Choke hold

What does being socially aware mean?

I am on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace… all of that!  Everyone knows about my product/blog.  What do you mean I need to be more socially aware?  I am on more networking sites than you are!

I came across an interesting post on a blog I frequent.  In this particular post Tamar, the blog author, mentioned something that really stuck with me.  Tamar states,

“it’s best to understand your surroundings: the communities, the blogs, the people, and to do this proactively.”

I am going to start with a story about a great guy I know.  I worked with this guy for about 2 years and we really got to know each other.  Work requirements caused us to go our separate ways, and like any other friends that like to stay in touch, we exchanged email addresses.

I didn’t have much contact with this guy in the years after I changed locations, until one day I get an email from him stating that he had moved with his family and they were doing well, etc.  At the end of this email, was a link to his Facebook page.  There was also some blurb about these weird weight loss products that he tested, but I didn’t pay much attention to that.

I should have.

Right after I added him on Facebook, I added him on a lot of other networking sites as well.  Almost immediately, I was bombarded with several notes and messages about products and web ventures that this guy was a part of.  Links after links.  Tips after tips.  I was being flood-spammed by someone I knew personally!  Even when I replied and tried to exchange normal conversation, he would reply back with a small trace of the guy I knew, and then the rest would be some marketing spill.

This guy is not socially aware.  Not because he doesn’t care, but solely because he doesn’t practice getting to know his target audience.  A lot of marketers go for sheer numbers.  “The more people I reach the better.”  With the recent attention that the media has given certain sites like twitter and Facebook, I wonder if this is the image that is portrayed to outsiders that want to get “in”.

Amplifying on Tamar’s quote above, involvement is the key.  These days, especially since the media has broadly focused on social networks, so many experts and “marketers” flood the social networking scene that it is easy to get drowned out.  This starts the race for followers/fans, when integrating with the community would benefit far more in the long run.

Understanding the community you are trying to market in is very important.  Would you try to sell surfboards in a retirement community?  Probably not.  With that same mind frame, getting to know your followers is the key to success.  It wouldn’t hurt to let them know that a human is behind all of that promotion.

A GREAT example of successful promotion that I was a part of (victim), was done by a fellow blogger named Geoff Livingston.  I got to know Geoff on twitter and pownce (sigh) over the course of a few months.  During this time, Geoff actively shared personal activities, links, and even his own blog.  I clicked on a great deal of what Geoff shared, for the simple fact that I “knew” him.

Geoff wrote a book.  While waiting on publishing, Geoff actively promoted this book in the mist of his normal sharing routine.  In a sense, he made me feel like part of the process, because I knew a little about what was going on with him during the course of his release.  When his book finally released, I purchased it.  Geoff was so involved and proactive with promotion, that I couldn’t help but buy it.  It really didn’t even apply to me, but because I wasn’t spammed or auto-messaged, I took the time out to actually check out what he had to offer and got interested.

I wish I could end with some sort of wise piece that will stick, but it can only be said in so many ways, being proactive in a social network is the first step to a more successful YOU.