Comparing Social Networks to Golf Club

Twitter is a social network. Facebook is a social network. Your website is a social network. YouTube is a social network. LinkedIn is a social network. Are you starting to see a trend here? All of these popular social networking sites are all the rage right now, and each one of them can be used to increase traffic to your website and to increase leads. These sites are also all a part of your online brand, one that you must be aware of and one that you must protect by the information that you push.

While I was at the 2011 PGA Merchandise Show, I had several meetings with AMF Golf Management members. Most of these guys are using these tools, but have no idea how to generate an ROI from their efforts. Some of these members don’t even know what to post. A common question is, “What do I have to say that my audience cares about?” The answer is simple. Everything.

Remember, content is the easy part.

So let’s get back to the individual networks. I am going to use some "golf lingo" here, but stay with me. Let’s take a look at your website.

Your website is like your driver.

Let’s take a look at Facebook. Not everyone is using Facebook, but for sake of argument let’s assume that you are. Whether you are using it for personal reasons or for business purposes, let’s assume you are an active Facebook user.

Facebook is like your 5 iron.

Twitter is a whole new ballgame when it comes to social media. Twitter is short, simple, and offers up status updates with a limit of 140 characters. You can share pictures videos, and more with Twitter, but the idea is instant gratification with your brand message.

Twitter is like your sand wedge.

A lot of people out there are using YouTube, and the lazier people get the more video is going to become a major player online. So if you are using video, or even if you watch video online, let’s take a look at streaming media.

YouTube is like your putter.

Let’s take a look at what we have here. We have, on one hand, several social media solutions. On the other hand, we have several golf clubs.

Would you use a putter off the tee? Would you hit a driver from 180 yards out? Would you use a sand wedge on the putting surface? No, of course not.

My point is, you need to keep these social media sites separate. Treat these social media solutions the same as the clubs in your golf bag.

Facebook is not to be used the same as Twitter. Your website is not to be used the same as your YouTube campaign. It’s okay to post content on Facebook and not post the same thing on Twitter. That’s the whole idea. It really comes down to how you want to run your campaign.

Take my advice when running a social media campaign… care about your message, and take the time to share your message with the appropriate audience. I won’t be teeing off with a putter anytime soon. You won’t see me treating my Facebook and Twitter campaign the same anytime soon either.