Best Practices In Social Media - Generosity

Adrian tagged me at the end of last week on a blog meme around best practices in social media.  Lots of good stuff covered already, including the need to listen, to earn influence, be consistent and be human to name but a few.

What I guess I will add to the conversation, and it's something I've talked about before, is the need for brands to stop being so narcissistic and to start being generous.  This means:

Having a point of view on the world, not just your product or category

Offer a gift to people - of an idea, of conversation, of something unique - to reward people for choosing to invest time with you

Accept that what you do is not the end but the start - it's what people do to what you do that matters and is important

Don't think that social media is the silver bullet - you need to be a social brand, not a brand that 'uses' or 'buys' social media

That's my two cents on the subject.  As these meme things dictate, I'll nominate Paul Isakson, Mark Earls, Mark Lewis, Richard Huntington and Kevin Rothermel to weigh in. 

Comments

[David Krupp]

I agree. I work for MySpace Australia and have seen the best and worst of campaigns. The best I have seen have been the ones who ingrain themselves in the media. The ones that offer a personality to their brand. This takes them from the shelf to the home in a way only social media can. Check out my blog at www.kruppyrants.blogspot.com.

[Lindsay]

I am student and I have been reading through Discovery-Based Retail. Along with social media, this book highlights topics that are in the same vein, like retail and marketing. I recommend!
www.discoverdbr.com

[Viagra Canada]

sorry sweety that narcissism will never end: there's so much greed around.