But on the backdrop to the latest resurrection of the 'blogging is dead' meme, there's this; Google just announced that they will be jumping into the operating system business, launching an OS for computers based on their Chrome browser.
And how did Google alert the world to what Andy Sernovitz calls the biggest tech news of the year? Via a blog post.
Why did Google go with a supposedly 'dying' medium to make argubly their biggest announcement of the year?
Because what's 'dying' to the bleeding edge isn't what's 'dying' to companies. Oh and BTW, some people on the bleeding edge like to say things like 'blogs are dying' cause they know that everyone will link to them when they do. Shocking, but yeah, it sometimes happens.
But the bottom line is this; early adopters most likely use social media in a completely different way that your company, or your customers will. So if you are looking at how the 'influential' people in this space use social media as a potential blueprint for your own efforts, you are missing the boat. Look at how your CUSTOMERS use social media. They are the ones you need to be focusing on. It's great that GaryVee spends 18 hours a day on social media sites. He does this because that's how HE stays in contact with HIS customers. But if you do the same thing, and your customers are NOT on those same social media sites, how many hours a day are you wasting?
Whenever I talk to companies about their using social media, they always ask 'well how much time do YOU spend with social media each day?' And I have to point out that that's like asking me how much time I spend with my business each day. I am an outlier, my usage is NOT the norm, and it's not what you should be trying to emulate.
Companies, take your social media cues from your customers, not your favorite blogger/Twitterer.