In the course of my talks and presentations, one of the questions that keeps coming back from marketers and nay-sayers alike, is ‘if social media is one more fad which will die away in a matter of time’?

And I say, ‘no’. It will not.

Orkut could be a fad, Myspace could be a fad, hey Twitter could also be a fad, and so also Facebook. The brands can be popular today and gone tomorrow. But the fundamental ‘Social Media’ itself is here to stay. And the reason I am convinced is because Social Media gives us a release to do what we anyway want to do as humans. It enables us to be our natural selves!

It is natural for example, to want to make new friends. Or to stay in touch with older friends. Or to want to be creative. Or to express exhibitionism. Or to be altruistic. Or to pay it forward. Or to seek validation from peers. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Such natural instincts were there before the advent of Social Media. All of us may identify with some of the above as being a part of our nature. Some of the above will appeal to nearly all human beings. And because Social Media allows all of these to happen, almost everyone will find something or the other to capture her interest. Which then, explains the large scale adoption and growth of Social Media.

On the other hand, it was NOT natural to get up in the morning, and flick your fingers all over the Rubik’s cube. It was not natural for racking your brains to find the digits in the squares in a Sudoku puzzle. Which is why, Rubik’s cube or Sudoku were fads while they lasted, but they do not capture the attention of people, to that extent, anymore!

So to repeat, since the technologies are available and will not go into reverse gear, Social Media, in one form or another, with one brand name or another, is here to stay!

Some more examples of how Social Media is similar to society and life, in general:

1. Think of getting into a Social Media community as being similar to getting admitted to an exclusive club. If you get admitted to a club that is very selective of its membership, and then on day one, as you enter the place and see people gathered around, if you go and thrust your hand forward, pull out your business cards, and suggest to them that they buy their insurance from you, there will be a review of your admission to the club, in double quick time.

Same is the case with a Social Media community. And yet I see this rule being violated so often. In a very closed community of alumni of our college, where there are such engaging conversations, I saw an out-of-the-blue email from a silent member – one who has NEVER posted till date – to offer his services. No hello, no hi, just the URL of his service. Can it get more self-defeating?? And yet, we see these instances all too often.

Sure, business happens in those exclusive clubs, and on the golf ranges, and it will certainly happen in Social Media communities too. But you have to bide your time, get to know the people, generate the relationships, and then when a certain comfort is established, sure enough, exploit the synergies, for win-win business opportunities!

Unfortunately, marketers plunging into Social Media often look at it, as one more sales channel, and with targets hovering in their heads, want to rush things here too!!

2. But marketers often have a different explanation to such issues. That is the explanation given for telemarketing. Even as most of us complain and curse the intruding telemarketing calls, the calls keep happening. Simply because the larger ROI on these, is attractive to the brand. That few people are disturbed and curse does not matter to them. The end results matter to them, and which are attractive by and large.

So will these marketers also justify then, the quick push of the business card, soon after joining a Social Media community? And only worry about the percentages?? If they do attempt that, their strategy will be a dismal failure on Social Media, even if they have managed to get away on telemarketing:

a. You can actually un-follow / block people on social media, unlike on the phone,

b. You can condemn a brand quickly, on a magnified scale, on social media; when you get irritated on phone with a telemarketer, your ire is not easily broadcast,

c. On Social Media, people will remember longer. You could have ruined your prospects for long!

3. That brings to the fore, another parallel. How best to utilize the social network, to work a business around it? In the offline world, for long, MLM successes like Amway have shown the way to use, with discretion, with subtlety, your network, to generate a business opportunity. Yes, there are MLM haters and I certainly am no MLM person, but when a model has worked for long, and with a lot of commercial success, it is undeniable. Not all MLM-ers have got it right, but those who have, have done with the right strategy, I am sure.

In quite the same manner, will emerge the subtle strategies on using your online social network or community to position your business goals, without being intrusive, without being obnoxious. And when you master that, you would have got Social Media marketing working for you!!

Do you see other parallels between Social Media and life? Share those. Makes for interesting understanding of this phenomenon that is happening in front of our eyes!!