Premium belongs to leaders. Economics rules tell us that when you're in difficult competition, with markets, products, etc, you need to be the example, create the path, set the pace. You need to set the standards and the best practices. Being a leader is not easy...in the lights, under pressure, driven to success or failure, but always setting the standard. For those who are, have been, or will be, it's a demanding job.
Remember this basic economic rule: "a corporation that is a leader in its market or product must show the way and be the reference, label and trace the path" By achieving these goals, those market leading firms receive favorable publicity, financial success, and top of mind position with future consumers, those who already are, or those who will be.
But at the same time, competitors will look to exploit weaknesses, in customer service, quality of product, whatever. They will look for chinks in your armor. Something you didn't foresee. And like the famous horse of Troy, competitors, through creativity, will begin to make inroads.
And the margin of leadership begins to decrease, (tip : leaders are often handicapped by their huge size, and ability to respond quickly...). Suddenly, RIP. Then the effect of "losing the premium fee" starts to show...Because "you lose more than you win"...You lose sales, value, customers...and innovation--the things that made you the leader in the first place. And like a fallen movie or music star, sunset is coming...
The same cycle applies to social media leaders.
Some lead the way, some turn around, others play with it, but sometimes it seems be more a race for information owning and spreading (to nowhere ?) than the result of genuine demand. Who can remain a social media leader without any audience anymore? Is there any kind of scale in losing audience (ie just like premium fee losing for corps), with a wrong step? What could drive a leader to such a no way road?
We all follow some of these social media leaders, and in our most secret thoughts, dream of becoming one don't we ?
Well,
in my opinion, developing a social life is quite easy, when no accident
comes. And it must be; listening and studying, sharing on phase two, then
becoming someone that others listen to. We grow step by step as we attract a greater audience.
I admit that sometimes even leaders are boring and sometimes too noisy, invading our space. But we have power to stop following them, to break away, and to "opt out" as well as "opt-in. " That's the hard reality of social media. And threats exist for social leaders too; others who come along with more and faster information, more credible, trustable, actual. It's maybe the "long tail" too we see everywhere about the web democracy; one says "we can't be and have been". I'm afraid this rule applies to social media too, but anyway, there's no prize, no award to come, just a collaborative people think tank, with "white meanings"...For awesome times, awesome people.