How Big is Your…
…following?
Is it more important to have a lot of people following you on Facebook or Twitter, or a smaller group with whom you interact more frequently? This seems to be the new debate of the social media world. With a lot of interest in Social Media as a potential source of business, some really traditional behavior has entered this untraditional venue.
People that used to assemble huge mailing lists now assemble huge numbers of followers using different techniques or APIs rather than building relationships. Auto DMs on Twitter that say “Thanks for following I look forward to exchanging much valuable information” seems to have taken the place of actually seeing if you have something in common with the people in your community.
On Facebook, you have people asking to be your friend that have nothing in common with you, or whom you have no relationship to. And then sending you information on their services and products in a space that is really not designed for that. Twitter has numerous APIs that offer to find people to follow you, and social media gurus who suggest manipulating the Twitter system to increase the number of people in your distribution chain.
Me, I find that offensive and I have lately been terminating the relationship if it seems to be completely commercial. I want the social network to be social. I want to choose my trusted advisors rather than have them thrust information on me at their convenience.
Are You All Hat and No Cattle?
We have all heard that you need to “sell the sizzle not the steak”, but are you all sizzle and no steak? Do you have lots and lots of followers and very little dialogue? Is there anything in your interaction that brings value to your community?
If the effective part of social networking is gaining the trust of your community so that they are predisposed to do business with you when they are ready, then the size of your following should be substantially less important than the quality of your interaction and the focus of the community’s needs.
If you contribute to the conversation, provide content and information for your community members, and become an influencer in that community, I would submit that you have a more effective grasp of the benefits of social media than the person who has a huge number of people following them that don’t react to their posts and tweets.
Grow Organically
We see large important social media influencers with large groups of followers and confuse the form with the substance. The audience came because they were important, they didn’t become important because they got an audience.
They got that huge audience because they had things to share that people wanted to hear. They had knowledge about topics that people wanted to learn about. They generated interest because of the way they spoke or the way they wrote, or who they were in real life.
So connect with the people you know, or the community where you live, and particpate in the conversations they are interested in. You need to overwhelm them with what you know not who you know.
teresa boardman
March 25, 2009 at 7:15 am
when it comes to camera lenses size really does matter.
This is a wonderful post Bill. I won’t say ‘great job’ but I am thinking it.
Paula Henry
March 25, 2009 at 9:52 am
Bill – I have been on Twitter less lately and really do despise the auto generated respnses, especially from people I already know through other sites. It’s impersonal!
I prefer a small group of people and am including more local people into my sphere of online friends.
Kelly
March 25, 2009 at 12:14 pm
ha ha @Paula, I agree the auto responses that my friends have when I follow that say, “thanks and make sure to check out my site” make me mad. I don’t think you should follow me if you don’t have the time to visit my site beforehand and ask a question about my website or have some type of feedback. Same goes for me, if I’m interested in following you, I should send you a dm or @ to tell you why you’re interesting to me.
Bill Lublin
March 25, 2009 at 3:45 pm
@T Thanks so much
@Paula This is a DM from my robot- but thanks
@Kelly You are the community that you want to be – and I appreciate your being part of this one.
Danilo Bogdanovic
March 25, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Social media reminds me a lot of high school.
Some kids kept to themselves and had a small core of really good, loyal and quality friends that stuck with them and were there for them through thick and thin.
Other kids were “popular” and “friends” with everyone. But, when $^&! hit the fan, they found themselves fending for themselves while their “friends” were nowhere to be found.
Elaine Reese
March 25, 2009 at 7:36 pm
I’ve only been on Twitter maybe 3 wks. I prefer to keep it a small select group. I do really like it for the local & nat’l news feeds.
I do the same with LinkedIN, preferring to link with former corporate friends and clients.
Matthew Rathbun
March 25, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Bill,
I long for the early days of twitter when it seemed we all had less than 50 friends or so. A matter of fact, if you recall early on we gave each other sub-titles like “e-Twit” if you reached 100 followers?
Gone are those days and I miss them.
There’s a benefit to large networks. When I ask for help with a project or advice, all I had to do it twitter it and without fail there are plenty of folks to help…
Having said that i remember a few years ago at church, while greeting and welcoming a “new” couple; having them turn around and say “We’ve been coming here a year thank you..” That is when I realized that bigger is not always better. But that large church can certainly do much more than a small one, because of the enormous resources available to it – it all comes down to where you want to be.
Kathy Stilwell
March 25, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Thank you for your post. I completely agree with you and this statement..
“You need to overwhelm them with what you know not who you know.”
I believe in the quality over quantity theory
Developing the relationships is what matters.
Bill Lublin
March 26, 2009 at 3:11 am
@Danilo I agree with you that in life our acqualntances are not always the friends we title them as –
Your analogy is really apt – When I first got on twitter I was watching @sarahstelmock, @bryanpenman and @drewfristoe talk on twitter while they were in a class – I tweeted “so twitter is liking passing notes in class” and got the response “twitter is totally liking passing notes in class!”
Bill Lublin
March 26, 2009 at 3:13 am
@Elaine I think you find the size that works for you- I like to get my twitter news too! 😉
@Matthew – I agree that quantity and quality do not need to be mutually exclusive – I just think we shouldn;t sacrafice one for the other!
@Kathy Thank Yew veddy much – You must be really smart – you agree with me
😉
Jim Gatos
March 26, 2009 at 6:34 am
Bill, size DOES matter. Don’t you watch the late night informercials? LOL, I do!
Just kidding… however, I’ve gone through my Twitter and Facebook and ended my relationships with so many.. I don’t need THAT many friends!
Jim
Charles McDonald
March 26, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Excellent and a good reminder for all of us. I agree with the above… SM reminds me of High School…
you have made me rethink the value of these different medias…
thank you
Marilyn Urso
March 26, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I too agree with your comments. I have only been on Twitter for about a month, more learning & listening and not Tweeting very much yet.
I am very involved with GREEN – the NAR designation, Certified EcoBroker and all other forms of it, so I have been following a lot of GREEN participants and learning from what they post.
There is so much content here, learning how to use it and become an active participant adding value, not just another advertiser, is the key.
Missy Caulk
March 26, 2009 at 8:53 pm
yea Twitter has gotten “noisy”…I still like it. I had to set up a folder in Mail with a rule to deal with the emails.
I try and follow interesting people but it has gotten out of hand, now I am more selective.
In the Tipping Point, Malcolm says acquaintances are important and I agree. They can turn into friends and make good Connectors.
Ken Jansen
March 27, 2009 at 10:12 am
Excellent post. Thank you. Very insightful and well presented. I like the all hat not cattle phrase.
I agree on the camera lenses comment too. hah.
Thanks again!
Ken Jansen Realtor Overland Park KS
George Hitz
April 1, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Bill, like all new forms of communication, it takes time before it becomes an effective tool. Think of a newborn baby. They make a lot of noise but very little useful back and forth ideas. Perhaps in the not too distant future this form of chatter will become a valuable source. In the meantime, its just noise
Linsey
April 20, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I have different feelings about different platforms.
I really want to know the people that I’m friends with in Facebook. I hate to say – I’ve ignored a few friend requests there. In that specific medium, I think that less is more in terms of friends. I can interact much more easily with my friends because I really do know them. The fan pages may be the place to fill that gap.
Twitter is a little different. But I will say if someone I am following feels too spammy and there’s no authentic interaction – I cut them off.
Do I seem a little cold hearted?