There’s been a lot of buzz lately on the effects of social media burnout.
Shel Holtz posted a great read on his predictions and how social media will eventually integrate.
“Today, the fear seems to be the sheer number of social media channels and how they will occupy all of our time, keep us from seeing the sun, shield us from face-to-face contact.
What will happen. Same as before: We’ll get used to it and figure out how to use it.”
Valeria Maltoni of Conversation Agent mentions, “What about the work it takes to update all these networks? I have a hard enough time updating my LinkedIn! Has anyone thought about integrating?”
And C.C. Chapman over at Managing the Gray (TM) posted a podcast on the debate and how he manages his social media tools. He believes it’s important “to be on every social network out there to make it impossible for people to miss you.”
These tools help you build the brand of you. Each social media tool (Myspace, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pownce, etc.) is a separate channel that requires you to post new content on a regular basis just to keep it alive. Just signing up for a social network doesn’t make it work – it’s all about engaging your audience.
Getting the Most of Social Media Channels
I think burnout comes with the pressure to be on every social media outlet in the universe – and then compounded with the sometimes daunting task of constantly updating it. So how do you get the most out of your social media channels?
Consider a direct mail campaign. If you have a limited budget (in the case of social media we have a limited budget of time), you’re better off narrowing your distribution and sending multiple times to the same people. This will lead to recognition and your response rate will be higher. If you spend your entire budget on one mailing to a larger audience, your response will be lower.
I think this is similar to social media. I think it’s smart to try out as many different channels as possible to see which ones you like and which ones serve your purpose. However, with the limited budget of time, you’ll be better off focusing on a few channels that really serve you instead of trying to spread yourself too thin and not keeping up with any of it.
What do you think? Is it important to be on every social network? Or more strategic to pick a select few and ensure they are updated with constant content? Which social media tools are worth your investment of time and energy?
This is sure to be a hot debate that won’t go away any time soon. If you’ll be in the DC area on Friday, there are still a few seats left for the New Media Nouveaux Conference. We’ll be debating this issue (and more), Geoff will be giving the opening keynote, and I’ll be moderating the “specialists” panel explaining exactly how to use new media in your marketing strategy. Hope to see you there.
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