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How Obama, Letterman and a Heart-Shaped Potato Can Help Your Social Media Policy

Wed, 09/23/2009 - 00:23 — cynthia

Barack Obama appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday night – and he did things right. He didn’t walk in there with the health care guns blazing and start talking about the economy, although, that was probably his goal. Instead, the first thing he talked about was a woman in the audience with a heart-shaped potato (a reference from earlier in the show). It was a totally random thing, but also typical Letterman humor - a bit of sarcasm, a bit of silly humor. He had listened and knew what was going on so he knew how to connect with the audience. And he interacted with her. He didn’t talk about her, but he talked with her. Was it a risk? Of course – she could have said anything, insulted him or berated his policies. But she just smiled graciously and it was a funny moment. After that, he talked about his daughters, showed photos of his dog. Eventually, he got around to the economy and then to a pitch for his health care ideas and by then, I was settled in, paying attention, ready to listen.

 Here’s what you can adapt from this interview for your own social media policy:
 
-          Listen to what people are already talking about and get into the conversation, don’t push your own agenda from the start.
-          Don’t be afraid of interaction. People will say a lot of good things about you, so let them. If they say bad things, respond courteously, solve their problems (if you can) and move on.
-          Be real. Talk about who you are as a person – be human so that people can identify with you.
-          Know your audience and how they operate. Talking about a potato wouldn’t work as an opening on Meet the Press or the Newshour with Jim Lehrer.
-          After doing all that, its ok to make your pitch, ask for the sale. If you’ve done it right, people will like you and generally want to do business with you.
 
As Chris Brogan and Greg Cangialosi point out in the latest social media must-read, Trust Agents, its about engaging with people so that you are there before the sale. Think about your company on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. Who are you interacting with - is it Letterman or Lehrer? How can you join the conversation with relevance?
 
Do you have other examples of effective interaction? Please share so that we can all learn from them!