12 Nov Social Media is a Cocktail Party: Sneak Peek #1
Posted at 14:27h
in Lifestyle
To continue to build excitement of our launch of the book “Social Media is a Cocktail Party: Why You Already Know the Rules of Social Media Marketing” on November 20th, we thought we’d give you some sneak peek excerpts.
Below is a list of 5 of the “(More than) 10 Cocktail Party Rules of Social Media” covered in Chapter One of the book. They are as follows:
- The party goes on with or without you. When I talk with a new client prospect, the marketing officer frequently starts with, “We’re thinking about getting into social media.” The fact is, your brand is already in it. You may not be hearing the conversations that are happening at thousands of online cocktail parties, where people are discussing your brand, your category, or your competitors, but they are happening.
- When you get to the party, listen and mingle before you talk. Picture being invited to a party where the vast majority of people in attendance are strangers to you. You wouldn’t throw open the door and loudly announce your presence. You’d say hi to the host, grab a drink, and ease into conversations by listening for a while.
- Keep the conversational thread going naturally. Cocktail conversation follows a thread of interconnected topics. The topic evolves as people respond to one another, gradually bringing up related anecdotes. The person who brusquely changes the subject can come across as rude.
- The setting matters. Not all cocktail parties are the same, and different behaviors are expected. The command performance at your boss’ country club calls for one level of behavior, while having a beer and wine with a group of old friends on the deck calls for another. (I for one, would rather be on the deck.) Different online social forums have different rules of etiquette, too, and the best way to figure out what they are is to hang out for a while.
- It’s not all about you. Do you know that guy at the party? The one where everything you say comes back to how great he is. What do you do then? Begin looking for the fastest excuse to step away.
Have any you’d like to add? They might be in the book. Let’s see if yours match ours. Comment below.
