Social vs. Personal... and Connection vs. Clutter

Recently, I read a story from Media Post’s “Engage: Teens” newsletter that inspired some thought beyond what the story intended. The article was headlined, “Friends endure, acquaintances are forgotten,” and essentially warned companies about the hazards of sending frequent and irrelevant brand messages through the various social media platforms.

There’s a reason why my thinking went beyond the gist of the story. In November, the Washington Post ran a story announcing that Oxford University Press had named their 2009 “word of the year,” selected from the various new additions to be found in future additions of the dictionary.

And the winner is: Unfriend.

Social media has grown at a dizzying pace. Whether you’re a fan of Facebook, a tweeter on Twitter, a connection on LinkedIn, or among friends on MySpace… you’ve likely spent the past year or two gathering “friends.” The problem is, many of those connections think of your “friendship” as a license to spam you about every little thing, from the latte you just bought, the latest personality test they’d like you to take, the change they just made to their status or profile, or the newest goofy “hug” or “quote of the day” they feel compelled to send you. So many of us are doing what we do when someone abuses the relationship: We’re firing friends. Whether by out-right disconnecting online (I hope nobody does that to me), or by blocking messages from various senders from being displayed, we’re using our digital defenses to stop the overload of social media spam.

Implications: Social media is like mass media in this way: Being given access to an audience (acquaintance) does not guarantee you will generate a deeper or more meaningful relationship (friendship) with that audience. In fact, having access to an audience doesn’t even mean you will receive the attention of that audience. The message must be relevant, timely, and presented in the context of what’s important to the recipient(s) with whom you are communicating.

Digital marketing tools—from email blasts to websites to social media—can be powerful, cost-efficient weapons and should absolutely be considered. But proceed with caution, and get help from folks who are familiar with how to use those tools effectively. Not just in technical terms, but in the way a message should engage the consumer. (Don't drown the recipient with what matters to you; express your offer based on what's important to them.)

I haven’t looked it up in the new Oxford Dictionary yet, but I’m guessing “Unfriend” could be defined as lasting a long, long time.

Mike Anderson