My mom’s thoughts on social media.
To ring in the New Year, I bring you just a little bit of laughter at the expense of my own mother. See, my mom is what we like to call “behind the times” when it comes to anything technology related. This is a woman who originally thought turning on her laptop meant pushing “O” and “N” and then “enter.” Unfortunately, I cannot make this stuff up. But it is our job to take someone like my mom and any other less knowledgeable prospect and help them because we never know where we get our next client. Now, “technology” is a vast topic, so I want to keep this to the department of social media. Over the holidays, I spoke with her to get a better understanding of what she finds confusing about social media and how someone could help build her own brand more effectively. The conversation below ensued:
Me: Alright, mom, what is your favorite social media tool and why?
Mom: Are you eating enough? Do you need me to send some things?
Me: Mom, I’m fine, please focus.
Mom: Ok, Ok. I like Facebook the most because I get to see pictures of my kids and grandchild. You notice I said “grandchild” in the singular sense…
Me: If you we’re going to market your company on Facebook, how would you do it?
Mom: I would add photos of my brand with some captions.
Me: That’s all?
Mom: Is there something else I should be doing?
Me: Have you ever heard of creating a Facebook page?
Mom: I never thought of creating a Facebook page for a business because the site has never offered me the option.
Me: So, when you’re on Facebook, have you ever been asked to like a page?
Mom: Yes, but I never understood the purpose of the “like” because there is no transaction involved.
Me: Well, liking a product page is a measurement of a product’s viewing scope. What is your opinion on Linkedin?
Mom: I think Linkedin is a high level professional business site that can be self-promoting as well as informative of other people’s professional endeavors. By the way, change your profile picture; you look like your still in college.
Me: Did you copy and paste that response from Wikipedia?
Mom: I have two questions. Who is Wikipedia and how do you cut and paste?
Me: What do you think of Twitter? Do you ever tweet?
Mom: I think you’re talking about that tool with the bird logo. If you are the answer is no, I do not tweet because no one tells me how many letters and words I can use in each thought.
Me: What do you find most confusing about social media and how could an expert help you or the over-75 crowd navigate?
Mom: I’ve always thought the Facebook and Twitter’s of the world should have built two sets of directions. One of the most frustrating things about using social media for people who are approaching becoming octogenarians is that all of these tools assume everyone knows the strengths and weaknesses of each site.
Me: Final question, how would you like to be pitched by someone offering you social media consultation?
Mom: I would like an email explaining how their services are going to make my life easier and assuring a simple explanation on the use of social media sites. I don’t care to hear how many followers you can get me. I just want to know how my sales can increase.
Mom: So now that I’ve done this interview for you, can you accept my friend request?
What this conversation shows is two things: My mother thinks I’m actually going to one day accept her Facebook friend request and simplicity with social media may just be a winning formula for a large number of potential clients.
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