Relevant or Annoying?
This guy is clearly annoyed.
There is a fine line between staying relevant and getting annoying.
For example, #followfriday used to be relevant and was a great tool for finding new, interesting people. Now, #followfriday is annoying. It has become Twitter’s greatest form of spam. Proponents of Twitter say spam is not possible because you choose which users to follow, but #followfriday changes that theory. Some of the most interesting people on Twitter have become the most effective spammers as soon as the clock strikes 12:01 on Fridays. Another route some have taken is to simply throw every trending topic into a spam tweet. Annoying, but it can be dealt with.
So, how does one become relevant while embracing the idea of Follow Friday? Insert @ArikHanson and @DannyBrown (I’m sure others are doing this too, but as far as I know, these were two of the first). Arik now records a video containing the few people he believes deserve to be highlighted as the best people to follow. He takes a few seconds to explain why each person deserves the mention and he posts the video on his blog – Communication Conversations. Danny does much the same at his blog, but he writes out individual descriptions of each person he highlights rather than filming a video. They have both created categories so viewers can easily distinguish what the person does and why they should be followed. It is a very personal touch and it gives back to readers. I don’t get the sense they are listing names for their own well-being or for the approval of those they are mentioning.
What’s the lesson to be learned here? It is annoying to simply go through the motions. Stop and consider the motive behind actions and you may discover that you can do it better. I was talking to a friend in medical school the other day and she mentioned that many doctors simply go through the motions and it causes a lot of angst in patients. The doctor has seen a million patients with the exact same problem, so they do the standard tests without explanation. It is necessary to consider the motive behind the tests and pass along the knowledge because it is probably the patient’s first time. The information is relevant to the patient.
I have heard graphic designers often run into similar problems with logos. After working on a logo for days or even weeks, the designer sees the final product and quickly tires of it. To them, the logo is old. They have seen it a million times. To them, it is annoying. They must remember that the audience has only seen the new logo a few times. Consumers find constant design changes annoying because they never know what to look for. In this case, you can stay relevant by staying the same.
Relevancy can be achieved by change or consistency. Either way, it comes down to recognizing the motive. Next time you start a project or jump on a bandwagon, consider the reason you are doing such. Consider your unique goals and try to avoid doing something just because that’s how it has been done in the past.
There have been a lot of campaigns lately that have recieved mixed reviews about whether they are relevant or annoying. What are some the recent campaigns you have seen that are relevant and what are some that are simply annoying?
Interesting post, Scott. What’s really at stake here is critical thinking skills. The examples you allude to above are perfect illustrations of folks who are not excersing those skills (but they definitely could). If most folks just took a few minutes, took a step back and thought about the big picture and what they’re really trying to do, they might be surprised what they come up with. That’s really all I try to do. No real science behind it.
By the way, I’d love to see Danny move to the video Follow Friday recommendation format. C’mon Danny–now I’m begging!
@arikhanson
That’s a great call on the critical thinking comment, Arik. I think people often get too busy in their own mind to critically examine commonly accepted actions. One of the great aspects of social media I’m seeing is that, in general, the people involved are willing to consider and test alternatives to basically everything – its a wonderful sense of curiosity. All of the posts circulating about SM ROI come down to a very similar idea – if you understand what you are trying to achieve, you can build strategy around established goals. To achieve desired results, it may take some critical thinking to stay relevant.
I’d also love to see Danny put together some video followfriday recs. What do you say Danny? Will we be seeing your mug on the silver(…) screen soon?
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts, Arik
-Scott
Is the Twitterverse ready for my mug on a video??
It’s a dangerous thing, complacency. Sure, you do a job so many times you could do it with your eyes shut. But is that the way to improve? Shouldn’t you be looking for the new approach that no-one else has done and really stand out, both for you and those you represent?
It’s never too late to go back to basics and discover why you started doing something a particular way in the first place, and see what you can change. Even something as simple as starting off with a different foot can make all the difference.
Great questions to be asking, Scott, and ones that more should begin to ask of themselves.