• Home
  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Social Media News
  • Privacy & Terms
  • Thunderbolt Social Media
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Dangerous Cupcake Lifestyle

  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Food & Wine
    • Wine
    • Cupcakes
  • Disney & Marvel
    • Disney
    • Marvel
  • Crafts, Cars & Cool Things
    • Crafts
    • Cars
    • Dogs
    • Cool Things
    • Technology
  • Home & Life
You are here: Home / Social Media / Don’t Forget That Social Media is a Two-Way Street

Don’t Forget That Social Media is a Two-Way Street

September 17, 2013 By Donna Biroczky 10 Comments

Tweet
Share24
Pin
24 Shares

Whenever I talk to a client about social media, one of the first things I tell them is this: social media is a two-way street.

arrows

I’ve always been a two-way kind of person – I like my relationships to be give-and-take and I like conversations to be back-and-forth. (And I obviously like words with dashes.)

So, it’s no surprise that I expect the same in social media. Shouldn’t we all?

Social media works solely on the basis of interaction.

If a person stands at a podium to give a speech and the three people there aren’t looking at him, don’t applaud, ask questions or say thank you, did the speaker change anything? Teach anything? Gain anything?

Maybe, maybe not. Maybe they were looking at their phones, listening to their iPod or talking amongst each other. Either way, if they don’t acknowledge his speech at all, he’s never going to know, and who wants to spend time talking to others if you never know if they’re listening or that it matters?

I’ve written about this before. It’s something I strongly believe in. I believe in social media being the new way of marketing, an additional way of communicating and a healthy way to build relationships, if it’s used properly and in conjunction with traditional face-to-face discussions.

A friend of mine who is building a new blog asked me recently how she should build traffic. My best advice? Create good content, design a clean site and get out there amongst people. That doesn’t mean just plugging your blog wherever you can, but being part of it all. In three words: build your community.

Too many people overlook this anymore. Likes and followers and shares, those are all good, but if you build a true, real community, everyone wins. Preaching to the choir isn’t making a difference in the world (though it may be what I’m doing now?). You need to face the rest of the people. You need to smile at them, shake your head when they talk, acknowledge that they’re talking. Facial expressions, body cues, your stance – it all matters, and since you can’t convey those on the computer, you have to use your keyboard.

Too many people focus on the numbers. They want to get to their goal of <arbitrary number> Likes and <arbitrary number> Followers. While those are important, I’d rather have 50 engaged members of my community than 500 Likes. Sure, maybe a brand considering me for a campaign won’t be as impressed but if someone has me review a product solely because I have 500 Likes, without considering to see if those 500 people are even visiting my blog/page, have they helped themselves at all? Out of those 500 people, I may have seven that will see my review, but if I have focused on building a rapport, building relationships with people, than I have those 50 people who saw the review, and 50 people who will take what I say much more assuredly than the seven who barely know me.

To build your community, you have to become a part of others’ communities. If someone comes to your page and Likes something, respond. Don’t take it for granted and move on. It doesn’t matter if it’s your friend, your neighbor, your grandma or a co-worker who you’ll never speak to again. Acknowledge them. (And if they are someone that helped you build your own blog? Definitely acknowledge. Don’t forget the ‘little people’ that helped you get where you are today.)

If someone follows you, consider following them back. Ratios do matter but I still follow a good number of people who don’t follow me back. Seriously, like Guy Fieri cares about my cupcakes or closet organization? We’re all going to have people like that on our lists, and I’d miss out on some great tweets if I didn’t keep them on my list. Don’t want to follow someone? Thank them for the follow at least. I’m not nearly as diligent on this as I could be, but as I was handling something for a client recently, I realized that it was on my radar, as seen from the other side, and that got me thinking that I need to make it a priority.

Just as important – thank those who RT your stuff, especially if it’s organic, not something via an amplification program like Triberr.

Let your followers, your fans, your friends, your Likers and your sharers know you appreciate them. And I think if most people think about it, they’ll admit that there’s been a time when they’ve Liked someone’s page or responded and been ignored and been a little resentful. Or you see them respond to others’ comments and not their own, as though they don’t matter. Think your ‘regulars’ will still be there while you only welcome newbies? I wouldn’t bet the farm on that.

On a personal Facebook page, it’s okay to unfriend those who you don’t want interacting on your wall. That prevents you from having to deal with those you no longer wish to talk to or read about, but if you’re building a business, you have to interact with people regardless of whether or not they’re your friend, and unless they’re abusive or disruptive or outright nasty (including profanity) you likely won’t want to block them. You’ll still need to engage – otherwise, you’re sending the wrong message. “Visit me, click my links, read my stuff, help me pay my mortgage…but don’t expect anything in return.”

I’ll be honest – I routinely Like quite a few Facebook pages or reply to blogs and get nothing in return, and it can make you sting sometimes, mainly because I know it’s avoidable. Yes, if someone’s got five zillion responses to a post, they aren’t going to be able to acknowledge everyone. There are a lot of busy bloggers out there who truly can’t do it, there’s just no time or way. However, those people typically mention their followers or their Likers in a blanket statement and remember that if it wasn’t for those followers, fans or Likers, they’d not be able to sell those ads or bring in any money. If you’re not doing it, ask yourself why? If it’s an oversight, there’s time to fix it. If you’re unsure it’s important, I’m here telling you it is.

If you were a cashier and someone bought a product in your store, you’d thank them, right? Is money the only thing that makes a thank you required? I’d argue a hearty no.

Don’t just assume it’s okay to crank out content and plug your page/blog and forget the underpinnings of it all. It’s still your page and your blog, but interaction matters. Being on the same playing field with those who you want to follow or like you matters. It helps you to be relatable, to be real, and to be kind. And that matters.

A lot.

Don’t be a one-way Facebooker. Don’t use your wall as a bully pulpit, a place to vent, share how bad your day is even, or sell a product and then walk away when people respond. It really isn’t all about you…it’s about everyone. It’s a community. Would you have a party, yell your news, then ignore everyone? No. (But I’d pay to go to a party like that and watch happens!)  Give back. Interact. Engage. Retweet others’ tweets. Respond to them. Follow them. Want traffic to your blog post? Give traffic…maybe even pay it forward. Make your conversations two-way. When I run into a client that wants to turn off the option to comment on their threads, my first question is why? If they don’t want the negative feedback they may get, I ask them to reconsider their product/service then and then decide if they really want representation, as social media isn’t going to be successful if they don’t allow people to respond. If it’s because they don’t have time or want to respond, I tell them that maybe they should stick to a different medium. I believe in it that strongly.

Social media isn’t flat. It’s multi-dimensional. You don’t need to be everywhere to be good at it, but you have to be good at it everywhere you are.

Social media – it’s not “social” if it’s not, well, social.

Tweet
Share24
Pin
24 Shares

Filed Under: Social Media

Previous Post: « What Does a Social Media Manager Do?
Next Post: Getting a Great Hair Style and Cut Makes You Feel Like a New Person »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christy Garrett @ Uplifting Families

    September 17, 2013 at 10:07 pm

    Yes, most people don’t realize that they have to do more than self promote. I love social media and helping others. 😉

    Reply
    • Dee

      September 18, 2013 at 12:27 pm

      I totally agree, I think it gets put aside because they either are unaware of the importance or they have to cut corners and that’s what gets cut. I can’t imagine not doing it, it’s some of the best parts of blogging — meeting people!

      Reply
  2. Jamie

    September 17, 2013 at 10:32 pm

    This is a great post and I’m glad you wrote it. I’m realizing more and more how important the community involvement is. And the most successful pages are the ones that have that two way communication happening. The ones that are engaged.

    I’m always so impressed with a brand notices when you visit their venue and they took the time to interact with you. To me, that is rare, but when it happens, I always remember it.

    Reply
    • Dee

      September 18, 2013 at 1:49 pm

      Thanks, Jamie! It’s been sitting in the back of my head for a little while now yesterday but it really bugged me yesterday when I was doing some work-related stuff and saw how several people I interacted with (more than once) still weren’t following. I get it, yet I don’t?

      It’s a shame — it ought to be so commonplace that brands respond that those that don’t stand out in our head, not those that do! A few weeks ago, I was tweeting about our appliance issues. I mentioned three brands. (It was a mess here before we bought new ones.) One responded and we talked. The other two? Both non-responders, and one of them is a HUGE corp with a lot of SM presence, so much that it’s talked about. I’m not a Twitter-ranter so it wasn’t like I’d said anything so bad they couldn’t answer; my tweets were nice, so I was even more surprised that there wasn’t even a “sorry to hear that.” Oh well? Live and learn.

      I need macarons!

      Reply
  3. Ashley B.

    September 18, 2013 at 10:40 am

    Great post, and everything you wrote rings true. Community involvement in social media is epically important. It is something I try to work on a little more each day. It can be difficult for me at times, because I work a very full time job in addition to running my blogs and freelance writing for other sites. I feel like I am always placing community involvement last because I have so many other things on my plate that need getting done- there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

    This post reminds me to just keep trying, keep plugging along, and really focus on engaging with my readers.

    Reply
    • Dee

      September 19, 2013 at 2:49 pm

      I getcha! It IS difficult. I have to really work to practice what I preach..I’ve gone through phases where the only way I’ll get one more thing done is to sleep less than 6 hours. Work, house, kids, clients, it never ends for us moms, but I guess I wouldn’t have it any other way? My priority is definitely content over responding, so I’m guilty of it myself…I just aim to be more cognizant 24/7 so when I do have a few minutes, it’s where I spend my time, as long as my other commitments are met. Always something!

      Reply
  4. Ann

    September 18, 2013 at 12:03 pm

    The one thing I think people forget, is that we are all part of a bigger picture; self-promotion is fine. But you’re so right about engaging with others–even if we’re short on time. Everyone is busy. And everyone (at least everyone I know) really appreciates it when someone reaches out and personally (email, phone calls, even just a smile & a nod) acknowledges them.
    Great post!

    Reply
    • Dee

      September 19, 2013 at 2:50 pm

      Thanks, Ann! It’s a tough balance – I want my site to rock on PR (which it isn’t right now, a peeve of mine I’m working on, I’m aiming for a 4-5 at least and I’m not there yet, darn pesky backlink requirements) and engagement helps but yet content is more important but…you know how it is, it’s an art, not a science! 🙂

      Reply
  5. TerriAnn @ Cookies & Clogs

    September 19, 2013 at 12:58 am

    I’m sorry to say that I’ve been very ‘one-way’ lately. These are definitely great points with very solid fixes. It think you do a fabulous job but have a TON to work on on my end. Thanks bringing out such sensible reasons for actually putting the ‘social’ back into blogging 🙂

    Reply
    • Dee

      September 19, 2013 at 2:51 pm

      I think we all go through those phases — life gets busy sometimes! We can only do what we can do. I am trying to focus each day on doing better than the day before, and while I don’t always achieve it, I’m hoping maybe that along the way, I’m learning what’s not important so I can cut it out/back and learn to do other things faster? Good in theory, we’ll see if it flies in practice. 😉

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

dangerous cupcake lifestyle club 33 profile
I’m Donna, and I’m not a mommy blogger.
I’m a Marvel geek and creator of Dangerous Cupcake, a Southern California lifestyle blog dedicated to life after the kids grow up. As my four kids enter different stages of their lives, I get to do the same, having fun, loving Disney, watching Marvel, and not letting my age define anything. Phase 2 of life is pretty amazing, and midlife isn’t a bad word. Join me in changing focus and enjoying life during our next adventure, without totally starting over. However you do it, life is short, live a little dangerously.
Donna@DangerousCupcakeLifestyle.com

We are an Amazon affiliate, which means some Amazon links you click may be our affiliate links. In that case, we may make some money IF you purchase using those links or other affiliate links.
We appreciate you!

STUFF WE WRITE ABOUT

Footer

dangerouscupcakelifestyle

Gen X mom breaking the mold of midlife.
Travel. Entertainment. Food. Fun things. NASCAR.
Rancho Cucamonga | DM for collab

Donna | Southern California Lifestyle Blogger
Disneyland Paris is celebrating its 30th anniversa Disneyland Paris is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and walking through the gates for our first visit was amazing. Also amazing: the Phantom Mansion. It has a lot of similarities to our Haunted Mansion here in California, but with a scarier spin. And for those who frequent the HM here in Anaheim, you know how often it stops mid-ride. This one didn’t stop once! It also creeped me out, and I LOVED it. The outside has shades of the Bates Motel and doesn’t have the cute factor of Disneyland California. Newer and more cleanly laid out, this whole park is pretty amazing. More info coming here and on the blog soon. Still gathering photos and putting away/distributing souvenirs. 

@disneylandparis #disneylandparis #disneyparis #disneylandparis30 #paris #parisfrance #paristravel #disneyfrance #phantommansion #hauntedmansion #disneylandparisresort #disneylandrides #genxblogger #genx #paristravel #paristrip #disneymoms #disneymom #disneylandparis2023 #france #francetravel #francedisneyland #disneytravel #travelblogger #travelblog #disneyblog #disneylandparis30thanniversary
A day in the French countryside is the stuff dream A day in the French countryside is the stuff dream vacations are made of. We drove two hours to Chablis, with new friends from Austin (private tour groups are the best!) and visited several wineries. Full confession: we tapped out early. ALL of us. So much wine. I should be embarrassed by that…maybe…but I’m not. We had an amazing French cuisine me lunch mid-day, where we enjoyed more wine. I’ll share lunch photos later. 

You save and plan so much for international travel, you need to try and relax and enjoy it. Not always easy, especially if your tour guide is sleepy or there are protests blocking the airport entry the day before you leave, but this pic kind of exemplifies our adventure. Go as far as you can. Do things you love. Be silly. And appreciate your partner’s goofy photo poses. 😆 Most of all, have fun. And drink wine. 

@jeanmarcbrocard #chablis #france #paris #parisvacation #paristrip #paristravel #midlife #midlifeblogger #winetasting #winelover #winetravel #chabliswine #chablisfrance #francetravel #francetravels #winetrip #frenchwine #frenchwineries #frenchwinery #chabliswinetour #winetourism #winetours #winetouring #francewine #jeanmarcbrocard #vineyard #frenchvineyard #vineyardviews #frenchchablis #blogger
That time, not long ago, that I spent my birthday That time, not long ago, that I spent my birthday feeding the giraffes. Bucket list ✅

Do the things you dream of. Wear the silly ears. Giggle like a kid. 

Life is way too short. There are only so many days to do all those things you’ve wanted to do. Make those memories. 

And feed the giraffes. This event is a private add-on when you visit the park. Reservations are required in advance. Worth every single penny….and I can’t wait to do it again.

#giraffes #feedthegiraffes #sandiegowildanimalpark #wildanimal #wildanimalpark #sandiego #visitsandiego #sandiegotravel #travelblogger #travelblog #midlifeblogger #midlifebloggers #midlife #californiatravel #sandiegotravel #giraffelover #giraffeears @sdzsafaripark #sandiegozoosafaripark #zoosafari #zoosafaripark #sandiegosafaripark
Shuri was out on a walk with Dad, but for Lady Sif Shuri was out on a walk with Dad, but for Lady Sif, patience is a work in progress. This is how our goofy but lovable big girl waited for her turn.

And yes, kids grow up so we dote on the pups now. Why not? Lots of rescues available out there waiting for forever homes! 

#labrador #labradorretriever #labradorpuppy #labradorretrieverpuppy #labpuppy #ladysif #twomarvelousdogs #shuri #marvel #dogtraining #sillydog #dogvideo #dogsofinsta #dogsofinstagram #blep #derpy #dogtongue #puppytongue #midlife #midlifewomen #midlifeblogger #dog #dogvideo #dogreel #instadog
The recipe for that deliciousness is below! After The recipe for that deliciousness is below! After an overindulgent holiday season…and a whole lot of excuses…I’ve finally been working on adding more protein into my diet to drop a few pounds before we head to Paris next week. One of my favorite meals — or meal replacement, call it what you will — is a protein shake. They can be made in so many ways, all depending on what basics you have on hand. I try to keep mine simple, using whatever fruit I have in the drawer. Right now, thanks to Melissa’s Produce, I have Ojai Pixie tangerines to enjoy, so I decided to craft a super easy protein smoothie. I feel full, it gives me a protein boost and I only have to clean out the blender. Easy peasy.

Ojai Pixie Protein Smoothie

1 frozen banana
1/2 cup ice
1 scoop of protein powder
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup almond milk 
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Ojai Pixies tangerines, peeled and sectioned

Blend in a powerful blender and serve with a fatty straw. If you don’t puree it, you’ll have some little chunks of citrus that will clog a regular straw, but for me, that makes it even better. 

Thick, cold, chunky, tangy citrus perfection. Grab some Ojai Pixie Tangerines soon! They’re only available through early June! 

@melissasproduce #melissasproduce #ojaipixietangerines #ojaipixies #tangerine #tangerines #tangerinerecipe #proteinshake #proteinsmoothie #proteinrecipes #proteinfood #proteinrecipe #mealreplacement #mealreplacementshake #breakfastrecipe @ninjakitchen #ninjablender #blender #blendershake #proteinpowder #citrus #citrusrecipes
So you may have heard about a little storm that hi So you may have heard about a little storm that hit Southern California this past week. For the first time in the ten years in our house here in the foothills of the Inland Empire, our grass was covered in big, fat white chunks of snow. And it was amazing. As you can see, Lady Sif loved it. She was trying to catch the, uhm, flakes…she rolled around and kept staring at the sky. I mean, who wasn’t? This was crazy. 

It posed a few problems. People here can barely drive in the rain. Our roads aren’t built for this much wet, and potholes were popping up everywhere. One drop of rain and people slow down, but snow was a beautiful distraction…so you see where I’m going. 

We may start to dry out after today. It’s sunny and there’s this blue in the sky that I’ve forgotten about, it’s been so long. But, it was hailing an hour ago and my backyard is still a mini-pond which the dogs will do anything to avoid when they have to go potty…which they put off as long as they can.

We’re from NY, so we’re not new to snow. We’re just acclimated to a climate that has us much more prepared for 100+ degree weather, not this constant low 40s. The layers of clothes, the hot showers and the extra blankets are getting old. Here’s to spring.

#snow #fontana #socal #california #inlandempire #fontanasnow #californiasnow #inlandempiresnow #labrador #labpuppy #ladysif #twomarvelousdogs #labradorretriever #labradorpuppy #doginsnow #doginsnowfun #puppysnow #puppysnowday #snowflakes❄️ #labradorretrieverpuppy #socalsnow #californiaweather #californiastorm
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Life is short, so it should never be boring. Dangerous Cupcake Lifestyle is all about enjoying life, specifically midlife, finding yourself after your kids grow up and above all, keeping it real. Live dangerously. We'd love to hear from you -- let's work together!

Copyright © 2023 Dangerous Cupcake and Thunderbolt Social Media

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT