Selling Yourself Can Be Dangerous To Your Friendships
November 4th, 2008 by Leo WurschmidtI read an article a few days ago by my new favorite blogger, John who writes over at human3rror.com. In the article John talked about a new service called Magpie. Magpie pays Twitter users to use their account as an advertising platform. Magpie regularly sends out advertisements through those individual’s Twitter accounts. In return the individuals earn a few extras dollars a month.
Used Car Dealership
What really caught my eye in John’s blog article was his last sentence: “Do as you please. [But] if I do see an advertisement, expect the email [letting you know I stopped following you on Twitter]. Expect it.” Do you think John is the only person who feels this way? Nope.
I have heard this saying a lot: “social media communities (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) are remarkably skilled at ratting out advertisers and inauthentic participation, so this approach is likely to backfire and cause harm to a brand and the user. (Paraphrased from the free ebook The New Rules of Viral Marketing by David Meerman Scott)
The lesson here is simple: the quickest way to lose friends and alienate yourself amongst the social-side of the web is to just go out and sell, sell, sell. This warning goes for people who just want to earn a little cash on the side by tweeting advertisements. It also goes out to people who only use blogs, Facebook, Digg, etc. to sell themselves.
Rather, go out and participate in social media sites. Your passion should shine through your honesty and transparency when participating. If you write a business blog then publish content that is helpful, useful, or fun for readers and avoid the temptation to simply use it as a giant, wordy billboard. Be passionate about what you write and how you participate, but please, please, please leave the constant sales pitches to your local used car dealership.
Photo courtesy of SqueakyMarmot
Tags: social media, twitter, web marketing
November 4th, 2008 at 09:09
sweeeeeeeeeeeet thoughts. i think the “sell” motif applies to A LOT of industries… and even the church. the billboard-type-engagement, as you’ve mentioned, is FTL.
November 4th, 2008 at 09:11
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November 4th, 2008 at 09:23
John, too true!
November 4th, 2008 at 14:55
Leo, Great Blog, very helpful! I was not aware of some of this… We talk about it the other day and it help me understand a little better… Thank.
November 4th, 2008 at 15:02
John Paul,
Thanks, man. I appreciate it. I am glad this helps explain things for you. There is definitely a fine line between participation and exposure, and solely getting involved to push your services.
Talk with you soon.
March 28th, 2009 at 20:03
Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo
March 30th, 2009 at 15:35
Thanks for the comment. I am glad you found the information useful. All the best!
April 7th, 2009 at 20:02
Hello !
I am Piter Kokoniz. Just want to tell, that I like your blog very much!
And want to ask you: will you continue to post in this blog in future?
Sorry for my bad english:)
Tnx!
Piter Kokoniz, from Latvia