Five Ways Social Media is Like Working Out
So recently I’ve been thinking about this issue and came to the conclusion that Social Media is a lot like working out. Now before you judge that comment look at my top 5 reasons why. I’m eager to hear your feedback 🙂
1) When you do it consistently and over time it will yield great results. You don’t have to be in the gym all day to be effective. Doing 15 minutes of quality exercise is better than being at the gym for six hours messing around and not getting a lot accomplished. We all have busy lives, but if you are willing to invest time into social media & building your online presence it can lead to more clients, even celebrities use Social Zinger to gain more popularity online.
2) It’s always good to “spot or support” others. You’ll have better relationships with those in the gym and in the social media realm if you show your support. In the gym this could be spotting someone as he does a tough excersise…In the social media realm it can be as simple as commenting on someone’s blog, writing on someones wall, or replying to someone’s tweet. Anything that shows the person who initiated the conversation that you are listening and care about what they are saying.
3) Having a Membership isn’t enough. What you do at the gym is more important than the fact that you have a membership. The same is true with social media. You can be a member of every social networking site on earth, have a blog and twitter account but if you don’t actually use them there’s no point. Content is king and what you do at the gym and on social media sites is what really creates value.
4) Sometimes working out can make your sore. That friend who is spotting you on on the bench press can sometimes push you a bit too hard. Just like you may go out with a friend(s) drinking and they push you to have more shots or more drinks…then the next day you have a bunch of drunk tweets and photos all over facebook and flickr. Always know your limits and watch what you do, because your actions could easily be broadcasted to the world in today’s digital age. In addition to this there are always going to be people at the gym who don’t like you. They think your a show off, or just don’t like the way you handle yourself. They could talk bad about you to the cute girl at the gym, or post something bad about you on a blog. Take this for what it’s worth, address it openly if needed, but don’t let it distract you from your work out or business objectives.
5) Be Honest & Transparent About your Accomplishments/Endeavors. If you say your going to the gym everyday and look like you’ve been sitting on the couch drinking beer and eating twinkies its apparent. Likewise don’t take steroids and pretend like your doing everything by the books. This is the same with social media. Don’t lie about yourself, your company or your accomplishments. Eventually what’s done in the dark will come to light. If you don’t disclose yourself properly eventually someone else will or it will be blatantly apparent.
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Great post! How about….
6- Hire a Personal Trainer — The personal trainer serves as a mentor who will guide you through the process of building those online muscles. They can provide you with expert advice on how to shape up your profile, image, and brand. 🙂
Everything that you said is just about “dead on!” You need to be consistent, work hard, and be true to yourself if you want to produce any type of positive result (both in the gym and with anything else you’re doing, in this case pushing your social media efforts to yield more results).
Nice post David. Very well thought out! Where did you get the inspiration?
Thanks for the comments everyone.
@Reem I def agree, especially if someone is “Out of Social Media Shape”, has lost their form or is new to the space, having a mentor/personal trainer is extremely helpful.
@Ricardo- I’m glad you see where I’m coming from. I def agree that these principles don’t just apply to the gym, but to anything really worth while in life.
@Joe- thanks. I don’t know where I got the inspiration for the post exactly, it just came to me. It’s probably from thinking that I should really do both more often than I do…lol Like I said we’re all busy, but I think doing working out is extremely important for everyone and being active in social media is essential especially in the industry we’re in.
@Reem: dang, how did I miss that? Great point!
And you know, blogging (writing) can be difficult at first…the best think you can do to get better at it is “just do it.” Write, write and write. Join a social network where that sense of community is going to help you and inspire you to get better and develop yourself.
Great post. Very clever analogy. All social media newbies should read it. David Meerman Scott
Thanks to David Meerman Scott’s TWITTER post – I found this. Good analogy David B. I’m linking to it from my blog, too.
-RV
Great comparison! I’ve made it my routine to work on Facebook and Twitter (adding people, commmenting, responding) first thing every morning.
PS I live down the street from IZEA! I met Ted at BlogWorld (didn’t see you until I saw his pics)
I thought of another one to add to the list…
Proper Nutrition: The quality of content you consume as a blogger no matter the form can fuel or energize you and your blog. If you live in a box, and are not keeping up on trends/engaging in conversations etc it can cancel out your “Social Media Workout” because what you have to say may not be adding much “nutritional value” to conversations or the social media realm as a whole.
@David Meerman Scott I’m glad you liked my post. Your book The New Rules of Marketing & PR was the best I’ve read so far on Social Media & marketing in a digital world. I got a lot out of it!
@Randy…Thanks for stopping by and giving me some link love 🙂
@Susan I think that’s a great habit to get into. It’s cool you live near IZEA, we’re alot of fun. You should definitely come to Wall St. for our next event
Awesome. Except now I feel bad about breaking two habits, routinely!
ACEdge
I think I see a book in the making – great insights and analogy here David! Thanks for sharing…
@Alan I hear you…That’s part of what inspired this post. I was thinking that I’m busy, but really need to be more consistent in both social media & the gym.
@Marla…One never knows what the future holds…If I ever do you’ll be the first to know 😉
Thanks for the great comments & feedback everyone!
Way to go Dave. Love, Mom
Thanks for yet another masterpiece. concise, precise and as well powerful. Gratias
This is exactly what is missing in most social media campains most people just want to take a pill and have mussles not actualy work out. and if they do, its fun for a couple of weeks then they loose intrest.
I know Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are great ways to help promote my company.
Share resources that your target audience would find of value. Think of your Facebook Fan Page like a forum.
you should visit Microsoft’s Office Live Students Facebook page, a place where job seekers can gather tips and advice on everything related to job applications.
I know Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are great ways to help promote my company, but I don’t have the time to learn them. How much would a marketing firm charge me to run my social media?
How can I incorporate social media into my small business marketing effort?
Hi today social media is very famous all is very lovely thanks fore great sharing.
Awesome. Except now I feel bad about breaking two habits, routinely!
Hi very nice post telling about Five Ways Social Media is Like Working all is very necessary thanks for great sharing i love this post.
Number 4 is great, in the digital age you can’t get away with anything, and man I still have problems with drunk text messaging.
A collection of social media research facts and stats, organized by date in which they were published. If you have a better idea for how to organize this, let us know.
I need to apply very soon and I am pretty set on a media production degree but a major factor for me is the social scene and the friendly environment.
The goal of a strong foundation is to create a platform that engages and empowers its customers with the opportunity to communicate with the organization.
Bring a pen and pad and write down a few sentences of each place we visit. You can then put this online via a blog or Facebook note ha ha ha 🙂
The objective of your strong foundation is always to produce a platform that engages and empowers its buyers using the chance to communicate while using organization.
Nice I have yet to see it put that way. Social Media can be straining but it is well worth the time and effort you put into it. You only get back what you put in!
Thanks to all those social media authorities and industry experts, we are able to reflect and give you the business value of these tools and even teach our customers how to use these tools effectively.
haha that is awesome!! I need to work out but i did all my working out a kid!! With gymnastics and cheerleading thats all i did was work out!
@Jim Thats good stuff
Hi i think Social Media is Like Working Out. but all is not true in my site looking some or feeling confusion but nice 😛
Social media is only works when your topic is hot!
Your blog is really excellent. It inspires the readers who has that great desire to lead a better and happier life. Thanks for sharing this information and hope to read more from you.
Nice way of putting that. Social media can be quite the beast to tame but once you get the hang of it, it can be really productive and help your business grow.
Awesome. Thank you.
I think doing working out is extremely important for everyone and being active in social media is essential especially in the industry we’re in.
Really great, practicly explained and useful tips.
This is such a funny article… very true
Ha, that? actually a Actually good suggestion. Thanks so Incredibly much for this!
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I absolutely agree. Social media is planning, executing on a daily basis. No an easy task, but with a quality content or topics its a great marketing weapon.
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