The Key to Social Media Success: the Direction Your Chopsticks Are Facing

Craig and Marc Kielburger are world-changers. With a simple motto and the actions to go along with it, they have impacted the lives of literally millions of people around the world. Craig, the younger of the two brothers, was named a “Global Leader of Tomorrow” at the World Economic Forum in 1998. He was 15 at the time.

I was reading their book “Me to We” for the second time when I stumbled upon this Japanese fable at the beginning of Chapter 6:

“In hell, people are given very long chopsticks, longer than their arms, with which to eat.  As they pick up food with the chopsticks, turning it toward their mouths, the food remains beyond reach.  And although there is an abundance of food, everyone is starving.  In heaven, on the other hand, people have the same long chopsticks, but everyone is full and content.  The difference between hell and heaven is that in heaven, people don’t try and feed themselves with the long chopsticks; they feed each other.”

We will get into the specifics of what this means for social media success in the coming weeks. But for today, I want you to consider that the difference between those who use social media successfully and those who use it unsuccessfully is this Me to We mindset. In particular, think about the answers to a few simple questions:

1. Is your Web site (the core of any social media program) used only to promote yourself, or do you provide a valuable service to your customers and prospects?
2. Is your email marketing merely a repurposing of your company newsletter, or does it contain information useful to your customers’ business?  NOTE: information about your products, company picnic, the $1,000 donation you made or your new hires don’t qualify as “useful”.
3. Do you use social media channels solely as a way to communicate your messages, or do you use it to actually start a conversation?

Your answers should tell you which direction your chopsticks are pointed. A “Me” mentality in this social age will lead to mediocrity at best. A “We” mentality will lead to a passionate community around yourself and your company – ultimately giving you the insight to transform your company in ways you’ve never imagined. Each step along the way your community (the people who buy from you) will be telling you exactly what to do in order to win.  It’s ironic that a “We” mentality is the powerful and ruthless strategic move you can make in 2010.

I invite you to keep tuning in to this blog to find out how to apply that mindset, and the tools that come along with it, to your entire business.

In the meantime – which direction are your chopsticks pointing?

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