Beware of the gigantic social media time vortex.
15 tweets, 6 updates and 8 status messages later, you realize your whole day has disappeared! The lure of social media is hard to resist. Instant gratification and constant validation make the channel irresistible. It’s also so easy! So you can understand why many entrepreneurs, even without a product or customer turn to social media first.
The irony is that clients come from trust and relationships, not necessarily “twoots and tweets”. More reliable business comes from opt-in email subscribers who honestly love your business and your value proposition. Of course, don’t ignore social media, but spamming groups asking for likes with irrelevant content doesn’t make a sustainable business. Random fans, likers and followers who are not truly committed your brand will waste your time, and result in low engagement levels. And to spend so much time building a base on a third-party network can be dangerous as you can be a victim to their policies and fate.
Nurture your fans instead of aiming for large numbers. And (we’ve all been guilty of this), no need to post when there is nothing useful to say! In the long run you’ll have more time to dedicate quality to those real customers who love your work.
Kriti Vichare is a marketer, entrepreneur, and cartoonist. She is the illustrator and co-founder of #entrepreneurfail: A Humorous Look at Finding Success, a comic about the ironies of starting a company. Sign up at http://www.entrepreneurfail.com to get exclusive never-before-published comics. Kriti is also the founder of IdeaKube, a company that facilitates brainstorming and networking through ‘ideation parties’. Kriti was a former marketer at PepsiCo and Kraft Foods. She holds an MBA from NYU Stern, and a BS and MS from Carnegie Mellon University. You can connect with her at http://about.me/kritivichare.
