Humans love to imitate and as technology advancements happen....we have an even greater ability to imitate! (Listen to The Knock Off Economy to hear about the copyright issues).
Copyright law never seems far from a blog post and yet sometimes I think we tend to see all copyright as bad - copying can be good and here's why..
- Human's are an evolution of their genetics...we have copying built into our DNA. It is part of our 'humanness'. Therefore social media and social marketing are playing to genetic make up - copy and share.
- I always love the quote - "Be yourself, everyone else is taken" Yes, we need to be unique BUT in order to improve why not imitate the person you want to be remembered for being? Many people try to imitate business leaders...but they fail because they are...and can never be...Steve Jobs or Richard Branson. Instead, write your legacy now and grow towards it.....the more you imitate the person you want to be, the closer you grow towards being that person.
- People talk about elevator pitches...I must say that I don't do those!....they always sound so manufactured to me. However, try and develop a style that is repeatable, that shouts your personal brand..that people can hear and automatically link to you. Bob over on the left of this post is my little signature..if you see Bob then you know it is me writing or presenting.
- Social is about sharing and so if people are not sharing...then either you are not connecting with the right people (who share your values) or your content marketing does not have that "shareability factor". You see people will pass on little snippets in day to day life, they will copy an accent, they will sing catchy tunes...when you are producing content you need to create and then build in the catchyness!
Humans can be complex to work with.....however remember they are simple in so many ways...they
- Love to be recognised...so thank them. (I give away a goodie bag each week to someone who shares about The Engaging Brand Podcast.
- Love to be the one in the know - so give them something to share.
- Love to be needed - so show appreciation.
- Love to learn - so help them.
- Love things that make their life easier - so simplify for them.
Social doesn't have to be complicated...just like humans.
I often think it is us that makes both social media and human relationships complicated...how? ...by over-thinking and by preventing our pure 'humanness' to abound.
