The Actual Role of Social Media

Too many brands do not understand the real role of social media.

They confuse followers with loyalty.

They confuse likes with real engagement.

In this new episode of One Minute Wednesday, we scratch beneath the surface.

Social Media is the Digital Equivalent of a Drug

You get your first “taste.”

Then, after that first “buzz” (meaning a few followers, a few likes, a few shares), it’s kind of addictive.

OK, VERY addictive.

All of a sudden, you need some more to get “that high” that you got from those first ones.

The key detail most of us miss is that “social media is just a channel” of communication.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

But we have all become entranced when someone, or some group, has transformed some “everyday channel” into something amazing.

The Beatles were an amazing example transforming radio airwaves into a cultural phenomenon that generations have witnessed in awe.

TV was another channel of communication that we all flocked toward.

The fax machine was another. The Internet is another.

YouTube is yet another.

The smartphone was another. Then along comes someone like Gary Vaynerchuk who builds a media empire with that “little mobile device.”

Here’s what I have to say in today’s new episode of One Minute Wednesday:

How can you apply this to your brand and your social media channels?