Once You Start, You Can't Stop

I've had several borderline arguments with marketing directors and traditional advertisers about the need to stay involved in social media once the process is underway. Some of these more traditional communications professionals think that social media can serve as just another venue to share press releases, which means deliver a message and then disappear until the next release.

I tell them that social media can't work in that way. Social media by nature is social. It is about conversations, relationships, building rapport and trust between two parties. That relationship and trust that you've built with your audience becomes null and void if you suddenly drop of the social media map. Not only do you have to start over the next time you want to use social media, but the inability to remain connected may ultimately detract from your company or brand's respect.

You can liken this to meeting somebody at a party. Imagine you hit it off with a person, friend or otherwise, had a great conversation and decided to exchange numbers to hang out again. Lets give you the benefit of the doubt and say you hung out together again about a week later, had another really good time and said you would call them to do it again. All of the sudden you don't call for a couple of months, but you try calling after that two-month break. What kind of response do you think you would get from the person on the other side of the relationship? I can bet that 9 times out of 10 you would something like "Where have you been? Why are you calling me now? No that's okay, I don't think I want to hang out with you anymore."

The point is that if you're going to begin to build a social media presence for yourself or your brand, you have to continue it. Your social media activity can't be started and stopped based on your promotional needs.