Rather. I’m sick of the term and the way professionals seek to use it. First of all, Facebook, Twitter et al. are channels, carrying only what’s fed into them. As such, they could be used as a marketing device, and in some cases they are. But like all marketing they need a strategy, the positioning of a product or service so that it is perceived to fill the need a consumer has. But these channels are also relationship builders, equivalent to what you do at Rotary, church, the neighborhood association and the club. They don’t seem to be because you can’t see whom youare addressing, and that’s a bit scary. But you wouldn’t walk up to an acquaintance at the church coffee hour and open a conversation  with “I’ve got a great listing; want to buy it?” Nor would you say “It’s cold outside and my dog is sick.” In the first case you’d be seen as pushy, and in the second as either inane or egotistical.

Yet we see “social media” filled with these or similar statements. They do nothing to advance your business. Relationship building is a gradual process in which you build trust with a potential customer and convince them that you can create value for them. Your “social media” strategy neesd to be based on this, and your image needs to be that of someone knowledgeable, serious, attractive and ultimately valuable to that legion of consumers who are out there watching you.