Today I went nearly one hour without an email and I was ready to throw my computer out the window thinking it was broken. We are so used to being “on” all the time that when we have a brief respite in our day from electronic overload, instead of using it to catch up, we imagine the worst – which to many of us is being out of “virtual” contact. From whale fail to missing info on free social networks, we assume no news means a technology issue.
Consider that same paranoia (for lack of a better term) on your members’ sides. If they’re not hearing from you they may assume your technology isn’t working. So make sure you touch base often.
But staying in touch is not enough if the ways in which you are doing so are spotty and mediocre in their effectiveness. Don’t fall prey to an over-zealous attempt of doing it all in social media. Multiple scattered web presences/profiles detract from your overall message. It makes sense to have a private, online community and using one of the larger free social networks as a bridge to that community can be a smart use of resources that requires little unique effort. Most importantly if you choose to manage multiple profiles, your social media efforts should be interconnected and updated so that your potential members never meet a stopping point of information and/or content.
Don’t feel like you have to do it all. If your talents involve writing, a blog is great. If you have a hard time thinking of unique witticisms and don’t like to be in on the constant conversation(s) micro-blogging may not be your forte. Know your strengths and/or where your audience is and give some thought as to what method of reaching your audience is most effective. If your presence on a larger community like Facebook tempts you to spend your time cruising that site instead of cultivating a community, it might not be a good fit. And that’s okay. (Even brilliant Seth Godin concentrates his efforts on his blog, while ignoring other platforms.) Find what social media offerings suit you and make them the best they can be. The nice thing about YourMembership.com’s software is that no matter what you are good at, there’s a place/feature with which you can showcase your skills.
