Why are you on social media sites?

Chris Brogan wrote an intriguing post about social media and engagement on twitter, noting that for some people, engagement isn’t as important as getting and sending information. He makes a good point, in his post, that people define a site’s use by what is important to them. So some people don’t necessarily feel that engagement is as important as sending information streams, and of course some people will think that advertising is more important than either sending information or engagement.

I agree with his point, and I find that it’s worth the effort to ask yourself why you are on a given social media site. And the answer, “To get business” isn’t sufficient as it’s a rather vague answer. Of course many people aren’t on social media to get business, in any case, but to network, or converse with friends, or do research. And those reasons are just as valid, but often ignored by the people who are on social media to get business.

So my next question is: Why are the people you follow on social media? What do they want to get out of social media? And I believe the answer to these questions can and should cause you to think carefully about the answer to the first question, because it will tell you if you are reaching your audience or if you are in the wrong venue.

I can tell you that my followers seem to be on social media sites to do research, network (i.e. develop relationships) with friends and fellow professionals and exchange information about what’s going on in their industry. And not surprisingly these are my reasons for being on social media sites. Consequently, while I certainly welcome the opportunity to “get business” and would admit that it is another reason to be on social media, it’s not my primary reason. And to explore this reason of getting business, I would say explicitly, I am on social media to establish my reputation as a credible commentator on my industry and, to help people solve problems and develop strategies for their social media, as well as being on there for the reasons I mentioned previously.

So what about you? Why are you on social media, and why do you think the people you follow are on social media?

Categories: business, Social Media
Tags: Social Media, social networking, social strategy, Taylor Ellwood