They are using social media as a platform to yell, blast and spam out their goods and services.  At no time do they explain what they are about, who they help, or how they work.  While the goal of using social media is awareness, the best way to get there is by encouraging people to talk, write, and converse online and off.

We live in a world where there are so many people/businesses/things screaming for our attention.  Sometimes the noise level is painful.

Encouraging people to get into the conversation, by sharing things that are of interest, peek curiosity, and simply being nice is a far better use of Social Media tools.

For example, Real estate agents typically post about an open house or a new listing in their Facebook status or Twitter stream.   Does this spark interest or encourage conversation?  No.  It’s flat-out boring.   Talk to me about the trek in the snow you made while showing the property, share tips on making the house show ready, talk about the goings on in the neighborhood, and upload a photo of something cool you saw on the property… these things create curiosity and encourage interaction.

Quick ideas:

• Post up on other people’s pages
• Ask questions
• Be interesting
• Take an interest in others
• Be informative
• Be helpful

It’s never been about the tools, it’s always been about the outreach.  Get the methods of outreach down and you can succeed in any platform you chose to use.

Make a promise to yourself and your connections in 2011 to do social media right.  Put others’ needs in front of your own and make an effort to be helpful… that’s the key!