Social Information Overload: How to Cope
With Facebook approaching 1 Billion users, and Google+ at 20 million in such a short amount of time, it's clear that people are sharing information at an insane rate. Some have used the phrase "Sharepocalypse" to describe the barrage of information being shared over multiple social platforms, shared to the point of critical information overload. Many feel we've already hit that point. In my personal twitter stream, as I seek to engage with humans and find their actual thoughts I’m hit with a steady stream of links, photos and games. I have trouble finding the conversation.
What does that mean for the brand's place in social? It boils down to two things:
Decide where you want to be
Initially a brand must determine where to engage - do they need to be everywhere? Chances are they are being talked about in every platform by someone, but to what extent? Being in all places is a tall task and may not be the best use of resources. The same information shared in every platform in an effort to "spread the word" may be adding to the overload effect. As individuals find their niche, companies must explore whether key objectives are met in leveraging those niches via social.
Integrate your social platforms
Once a company has integrated themselves into the right platforms, they must find a way to weave those together to make sure they are on message and moving social in the right direction. Finding a digital agency that understands the nuances of both existing and emerging networks and how they work together to create a cohesive strategy is key to keeping engagement from becoming just more "noise". This is critical as ultimately your customer has to know where to look to find you and when they do they must have a reason to come back.
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