Several times a year we hit the road, usually to head to North Carolina to visit my in-laws. Each of these trips is generally preceded by a visit to both Google Maps and MapQuest. Last week as I was navigating through a portion of N.C. when both sets of maps failed me miserably. Roads and exits that didn’t exist. And yes, I got lost, so I had to stop and ask for directions.
But along the way, I was able to use the experience to learn 5 social media lessons.
There is no formula – When I use a map service to plan my trip, I always need to change things. I sometimes know more about the route than they do, based on experience. Same with social media. What works for one client might not work for another. Each one needs to be tweaked just right to get the best results.
A computer is no substitute for the human touch – This is a corollary of the above statement. I have no idea what goes into the Google Maps or MapQuest algorithms, but even short local trips seem to take round about paths. I always use the map redraw feature. Just slapping a business page on Facebook, or automating your tweets won’t cut it. People see through that, and it’s no way to build community. People want to know a real person is on the other end, just like when I used to have my map TripTiks drawn out by a real person at AAA.
Things change – The map services failed to recognize a new section of highway and therefore routed me on a bit of a wild goose chase. You know: a real “you can’t get there from here” scenario. We need to take into account that online communities change. Customers change. Opinions change. Today’s trending topic is tomorrow’s “huh?”. Stay involved in your communities and you’ll realize how fickle they can be sometimes.
Do Your Homework! – I really don’t know where these map services get their info. But when that new section of highway is really not new, but several years old…well, seems to me a person on the ground might have been able to help them out. Pay attention to your community. Listen to them and you’ll have a better sense of the direction you should take.
A tool is a tool is a tool – Yeah, I can hear the jokes now. But remember, online tools, including mapping software, are only as good as the people who are using them. You need to feed them correct information and work with them and along side them. Social networking platforms are tools. YOU need to make them do what you want them to do.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Google Maps and MapQuest, and will continue to use their services. But I doubt I’ll ever trust them enough to to blindly put my life (or trips) completely in their hands.
What are your thoughts? How do you approach social media?
