Is it time to cut back on social media?
Nowadays we hear of new social networks, new social tools and new apps being used in the work place and people often have to adapt and acquire new skills to keep up with this fast paced technology. Here’s a good question to reflect on: are people spending too much time trying to learn the quirks of the new technology they are asked to use at work? Could this time be spent more efficiently?
A few useful insights given by Alexandra Samuel, vice president of social media at Vision Critical include thoughts about how we should pick our platform based on the services and outcomes we expect from choosing a certain social media network or an app. The platform we chose should solve a particular problem for us, and allows us to achieve something we otherwise couldn’t have been able to without that tool. For example, if Google+ is going to allow me to keep up with 98 co-workers, and direct messages in a fashion I won’t be able to with twitter, then Google+ should be my chosen network.
“It’s time to cut back on social media” claims Dorie Clark, a strategy consultant and blogger at HBR. Her thoughts are in alignment with Alexandra Samuel. People need to think about which platforms best speak to their strengths. For a company promoting visual products, Pinterest or Instagram might be a better choice than Twitter, but people who share ideas and thoughts as part of their job might fare better with Twitter or blogging.
I believe that we should really think about our audience, and how we can spend more focused time on a social media that will achieve the desired objectives for the company we work for. Spreading ourselves thin and trying to be effective on every social network out there might be a bit of a struggle, and inefficient. I say, chose your platform wisely. Thoughts?
Article reference: http://blogs.hbr.org/ideacast/2012/12/boost-your-productivity-with-s.html
I think there is some truth in what you explain in your blog. If companies try to place their messages across all types of social media, the messages may begin to dim…I think of it like the advertisements displayed in Time Square. All of the information and blinking lights cause me not to focus on a particular advertisement, but instead to ignore most it. If customers/viewers begin to see a message everywhere, it may become annoying and may be de-valued. Instead, if a company focuses its efforts on utilizing one media in an optimal way, the message may be more meaningful and “taken to heart”.
However, awareness does help convince an audience of a particular point. So while certain mediums may not be the most effective in getting a point across, at least its presence is registered by the audience. Just something to think about..
Nice post. I agree (somewhat) with the thought that we need to cut back on various platforms, but I sense we’re still in the “wild west’ of social media where there are all sorts of tools with all sorts of features which will eventually get narrowed down to a few players (or a common set of standards that allow them to interoperate). Most likely, we’ll get a few huge data providers (e.g. FB) with a whole ecosystem of apps that allow you to use that data. Narrowing in too soon, however, might lead you to choose a platform or application that doesn’t pan out. You wouldn’t have wanted to settle on MySpace or Friendster after all!
Thank you for your comments.
Ashley, I like your analogy, too much of something doesn’t always mean its good, and can be distracting from sending a true message, yet ironically companies pay ridiculous amounts of money to be on the billboards of Time Square! So maybe, it does payoff somehow.
Professor, you are right. Maybe cutting back too soon might backfire at some point because we might miss opportunities. I still think jumping on the social media bandwagon (hence the picture) might not be a smart business decision, and I speak mainly from the perspective of time spent on the effort on keeping up with a social media that isn’t creating ROI for the company. I hope your predictions about huge data providers come soon enough so we won’t have to spend unnecessary time on social media that will take our businesses nowhere.
Nice post, Joud! I agree it is important to choice your social media wisely and that different applications have different purposes. Personally, I frequently use Facebook for keeping in touch with friends, twitter for following the news and events, and Linked in for professional networking. While I rarely use them, I also have Pinterest and Instagram accounts. There is something to be said for trial and error, and in the interest of not being “left out,” I sign up for most social media platforms. After at least experiencing them, I then feel better positioned to decide which are best suited for me and which to disregard.
Joud, this was a really spot-on first post. I think that this is something that marketers are dealing with right now. How to choose social platforms – that have some ROI – among a sea of super similar ones. How should this be done, though? Really thoughtful post.