Social Media Traction

Remember when your school yearbook came out and you finally got to see it.  What was the first thing you did?  You looked for YOURSELF!  

I went to the grade I was in and searched for Mark Bortz.  And the next thing I did was flip through every page looking for my picture or my name.  I went to the school music section and looked for Mark Bortz, I searched the theatre pictures, journalism club, and the co-op marketing team… looking for Mark Bortz.  I’d even scan the general hallway shots, always searching for the face of Mark Bortz or my name, Mark Bortz in any of the captions.  Then I took that book home to show my mother and when my father came home he got the same treatment.

The day I was interviewed at the local IGA grocery store about the severe weather and it’s affect on customers buying milk and bread… I couldn’t wait to get home to watch the WLNS six o’clock news to see myself.  I even called several friends and told them to watch.

What does this teach us?

First, it teaches us that we LOVE to see and hear about ourselves.  and we’re not alone.  All humans, of all ages  thrive on finding themselves, anywhere they might appear.

Secondly, it teaches us that we LOVE to spread the word and have others see and hear us.

Online social networking amplifies these two LOVES.  And as marketers we can use them to our advantage.  The prescription is simple, use as many names and links as possible when you generate content.  And, make your content easy to share.  If you follow these 2 simple rules each time you generate content, you’ll certainly add two important elements that help content become viral.  And that gets your content noticed and makes your content more valuable.