Spiderman, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, first appeared in the Amazing Fantasy #15, fifty years ago.
As an awkward teenager beneath his super hero costume, Spiderman epitomizes how many participants approach social media. In social media terms, Spiderman represents everyman’s aspirations to achieve something good in a world where connections are everything.
Here are seven of Spiderman’s social media lessons.
- “You don’t understand! I’m not an empty seat anymore. I’m different!” Spiderman’s words should resonate with every participant on social media and especially marketers. You should develop your presence on social media platforms. Don’t be an empty bot. [Here are some Twitter etiquette tips.] This means showing your social media brand with photographs, images, text and other content. Go one step further and engage with others in a human voice. Skip the corporate speak and promotion.
- “(trying to motivate himself) Strong focus on what I want.” Social media for marketers requires focusing on your prospect, customers and the public. Unlike other marketing media, social media is about the community. Social media isn’t about you or your organization.
- “You’ve stuck your webs into my business for the last time!” While social media enables us to share the details of our lives, the goal is to connect with others we care about and to maintain relationships. Social media isn’t about showing how cool we are or checking if we’re missing out. (To better understand, here’s research about the sins of social media.)
- “Intelligence is not a privilege, it’s a gift, to be used for the good of mankind.” On social media platforms, Dr. Otto Octavius’ words translate to paying it forward and helping others for the greater good. To this end, marketers shouldn’t use social media platforms to promote their products and services but rather to engage with prospects and customers and to supply content that educates and informs.
- “I believe there’s a hero in all of us that keeps us honest, noble and finally allows us to die with pride. Even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the things we want the most. Even our dreams.” At its best, social media platforms provide the means for people to help others, whether they’re family and friends or complete strangers. It provides a way for each of us to make the world a better place, even if all we do is reach out to one person a day. We can do this as individuals or as a collective. For example, there’s Khan’s Academy that grew out Sal’s videos to help his nephews learn.
- “Love should never be a secret. If you keep something as complicated as love stored up inside, it could make you sick.” Dr. Otto Octavius’ insights about love can be applied to all secrets. On social media, it’s important to be transparent and supportive. This doesn’t translate to divulging confidential information but rather to be open in how you treat your prospects, customers and the public. Remember with social media, every customer has his or her own media platform to let the world know how they’ve been treated.
- “Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: “With great power comes great responsibility.”” On social media, everyone has a responsibility to be human, respectful and sensitive to others. While there may be many trolls and bots across the social media landscape, never make assumptions about the real people behind the avatars. You never know what their perspectives are or how well they understand your language.
As a social media participant, take a lesson from Spiderman. It’s important to look deep within yourself to find the strength to be the best person you can be and to contribute to the greater good.
What’s your favorite Spiderman quote and what is its lesson for social media?
Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen
Here are some related articles you may find of interest.
- The 7 Step Social Media Strategy Every Marketer Needs (Note provides a structured plan.)
- Star Wars: 7 Social Media Lessons
- 5 Dr. Seuss Quotes and their social media lessons
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28122162@N04/3891253765/