Over the last few days I've had two conversations with professionals about social media and their competition. Aside from the fact that both people are very aware of the competition in their industry and equally aware of the added level of information that can be provided to the competition via social media tools like Twitter, their perspectives are quite different.
Social Media Givers
On the one hand, I spoke to a professional who is very knowledgeable about social media and its benefits for her business. Upon talking to her, you can tell she's a giver. She'll give you feedback, advice, information, tips, encouragement, etc. She allows this to spill over to her social media presence. When she talks about the competition she doesn't do it in an "us verses them" kind of way. She takes the approach that even if her competition knows everything that she knows, they still don't have her. They don't have her personality, experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm. For that reason alone, she's not too concerned about the competition, so she shares away. She's aware of the competition but she's not worried about them. She knows the boundaries and benefits of wise sharing, and does so freely.
Social Media Guarders
On the other hand, I spoke to a professional who's just getting into social media and had some concerns about a leading competitor beginning to follow her on Twitter. Her natural inclination was to block the person to guard herself and her information. I advised against it for several reasons but ultimately because the competition doesn't matter and guarding doesn't play well in a social space.
Interestingly enough, this professional is also a giver when you meet her. Upon talking to her you get a sense that she'll do everything she can to help you out. She's passionate and well connected but what she's not used to, however, is being a giver without control. In social media, you don't always know who you're giving to, and that's why it feels strange if you're not used to it. If she will continue to use social media tools to connect with the right people, it won't matter what her competition may learn from her, they still won't have her. Clients choose her over the competition all the time. She is her best asset, and social media just lets her prove that to both the competition and potential clients.
Two Consequences From One Mistake
When you focus on the competition you're doing two things wrong.
- You're thinking about their business and rather than your own business.
- You're not focusing on your customer and potential customers.
In both cases you're distracted from what you should be doing. It's the same problem with double the consequences.
When you focus on the competition you're more likely to do things their way rather than your way. Who's to say that the people you want to work with will choose them over you? Don't give your competition too much credit. They're probably not giving it to you. Focus on being remarkable rather than just a little better than the competition.
In social media, you want to reach the right people for your business. Your competition isn't in the "right people" category, so don't focus on them. Provide valuable conversation and content to the people you need to reach so you earn their attention and ultimately earn their business. That's the true benefit to being a social media giver and all the reason in the world why it doesn't matter what the competition is doing.