photo by surfinpops
Cue in mission impossible music here.
When it comes to social media sites, everyone says listen, watch people. But it’s hard when you don’t know how to use the tools. That’s like being dropped blindfolded in the woods with a compass that doesn’t have north, south, east or west but four symbols that you’ve never seen before.
Let’s think: what would a spy do? Now, I don’t know any spies (if I told you, I might disappear), but I’ve seen plenty of movies - which we all know is pretty much the same. Those trenchcoat wearing, people following, baby saving people can really teach us a thing or two about approaching social media.
Here are nine things I learned from my TV spies:
1. Learn the basics of the language. If you need content and desire to know what the locals are talking about, you have to learn the lingo. Take some time to understand what phrases, abbreviations and symbols mean. It can save you time and lots of confusion.
2. Learn to read lips. This doesn’t translate as well, but it’s great to learn the online body language. Examples: : ) : o ) : x and so on. It may seem straight forward to some, but not everyone tilts their head 90 degrees. 
3. Know how and when to use your gadgets. My Twitter experince completely changed when I started using tools like Tweetdeck. These tools will enhance your experince. When you learn and understand your gagets, it gives you the freedom to see the various ways that you can use your social media for conversation, promotion and further engagement.
4. Learn habits. That’s right, just like the private eye scoping people out. If you want to see what your audience is talking about you need to follow them and listen to what they are saying. Get to know where they head with the good, bad and ugly. This way you can see where you can go to listen.
5. Train yourself. It’s all about personal investment. Many people say that social media is time consuming, but it’s really part of learning how to appropriately redistribute content. Yes, you still need to engage your followers and blog comment-ers, but once you learn, you can get into a rhythm. Soon you won’t be spending 2 or 3 hours on a post.
6. Keep it fresh – aka, alter your routine. You can get burned out and so can your followers and readers. Take some fresh air walks and see what other sites, networks and blogs are doing. Getting tunnel vision can be blinding. Gaining fresh perspective it can give you ample opportunity for engagement later.
7. Listen. Listen. Listen. Comment. Listen. Can’t you see the guy sitting in the breakfast joint at 4 am next to a group of party goers? He’s sitting there listening to the table next to him and suddenly asks a question just to see how they’ll respond. That’s how social media can work. Listen to your audience over and over, throw something out there, see how it works and repeat.
8. Know your territory. Yes, your surroundings are important. For instance, what you post on someone’s facebook is different compared to LinkedIn. It’s all about knowing your audience, but also the setting. The territory could be formal and if you are using ‘u’ for ‘you’ then your audience could be lost and confused. Do u rly want 2 lk like an idiot?
9. Research. Research. Practical applications. Research. When you can have some references and case studies you can get an idea on what to expect. Also, through reseach you can gather ideas for practical applications. Just like a spy that researches various ways to deactivate a bomb, it’s a great trade to have but until you have to use it, you don’t know if it’ll work. Fortuntely, no one should die when you learn how to tweet or make a fan page.
Overall it’s about doing your research, studying, observing and applying. Yup, it’s that simple. Oh, and trying something new can be fun.
What analogies help you or another better understand or appy social media? How do you illustrate a social networking site?
Kristina Proctor: Kristina is based in the Twin Cities and eats and breathes social media. Her love for technology’s influence on culture can be found here.
http://www.socialmediamarketing.com/blog
About KristinaProctor
