‘Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating.’
One of my favorite movies is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. IMDB‘s summary of this movie says, “A couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.”
At one point in the film, the main characters (played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet) are discussing their communication (or lack thereof) with one another. Winslet claims she talks to him about everything and that he isn’t saying anything back. Carrey’s response is my favorite quote of the movie.
“Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating.”
When I heard this quote in college (where I was a journalism major, marketing and sociology minor), I was blown away.
Everything I was taught in marketing class was stopped dead in its tracks. They continuously pushed the need to always be talking to the consumer. “Don’t let them forget about you.”
But isn’t that the opposite of what we want to do?
Example:
Do you follow that Twitter account that tweets once every .6 seconds? Do you actually read the tweets? If so, how deeply do you pay attention? Chances are, you either don’t read the tweets, or you graze over them like you would reading your textbook in high school.
That’s because they’re not communicating with the people that are following (or potentially following) them. They will throw out link after link after link, but when does that become engaging?
It doesn’t.
Engaging in discussions as a marketing tool is of the utmost importance, but the discussion doesn’t just need to be shallow. You need to actually care about what people are discussing. It’s hard to fake a conversation.
Conversations are organic; you can’t force them.
This is one of the biggest problems within social media today. There is so much noise that it’s difficult to see/hear something that sticks with you.
The easiest way to get you or your brand to stick with the consumer is to have genuine interest in what they have to say. If you don’t, you will fail in your attempts at communication. It’s like any other conversation. If you have similar interests with the person you talk to, the conversation is almost endless, but if you don’t have anything in common, you have an awkward situation. It’s the same in social media.
Approach social media like a conversation you’re having with someone at a bar/restaurant/party. Don’t be the person that stands there and never shuts-up. Speak, listen and communicate your ideas and interests. If you do this, people will begin to take much more interest in you.
That’s when you stop talking and begin communicating.
