Social Media: Switch to the On Position

Last night while watching baseball, it hit me. The idea for my column, not the ball. I’m so spontaneous I just then decided to write about my spontaneity. Like how I recently moved across the country. I purchased the tickets on a Monday, arrived the next day 2,300 miles West. I had been living in the same apartment for seven years. But right before I moved, something wonderful happened. I reached to flick on the bedroom light switch and it was gone. Not from the wall, but from my memory.

My subconscious chose to delete that bit of information from my RAM to make room as it would soon be as obsolete as a floppy disk with Netscape Navigator. And that was the first of my cerebral cleansing with no juicing required. Each day I purged more and more from the mailman’s name to — well see? I already forgot what else I forgot.

Social media marketers strive to flip that light switch on permanently so they are always top of mind. Better, strive to get your posts out right after your readers and followers purge information they deem useless. What are those best times in business to reach our customers, fans and followers? There is software that will track your best times to post. But always use your discretion. I just tweeted at a trade show, but I did it right before the exhibition floor opened. And the again at lunch.

Minor points can have major effects. Or even Major League effects. Like that great Word Series going on now. Rather than who will win, ask who will be the first to shave those ridiculous beards. And why aren’t Gillette and Schick the only sponsors?

Flipping the switch on is easier said than done, but not impossible. You can’t control customers minds with a flick of the switch, but you can prevent your messages being the ones that switch it off. Ask yourself: “Would I remember this tweet? Is now the best time to post or am I just meeting a schedule? Has anyone offered a different point of view to an over-exposed topic?”
Remember this about posting. Make it:

• relevant
• timely
• engaging

Now if I could only remember where I put my razor…