Every time I go to a grocery store I see a kid crying out “Mom, I want that candy. Mom, please!” As you can imagine, mom is trying to keep the kid calm without giving into his demands “No, you can’t.” I look into the cart and I see toys, candies and a bunch of other stuff. He certainly doesn’t need any more. So why is he throwing a tantrum? Well, he is just being a kid but let’s relate this to the social web.
If you look around on different social platforms about 90% of people are asking if they can either get a click to the link, have someone buy their products or simply follow them on twitter. There is nothing wrong with asking, we all need help once in a while. The main factor that one needs to realize is how often do you ask and what you give back. Let’s go back to the mom and a kid at a grocery store scenario again. If a kid never asked for anything while at the grocery store and out of nowhere ended up asking something that one day, you bet the mom would give into his wishes. He seems to be so understanding and deserves a treat. But if the kid asks for something every time, mom sure as hell isn’t going to give in.
The key to utilizing social media is frequency of it all. Ask yourself a few question if you ever wonder why you aren’t getting back as much as you would like :
I think most of us fail to realize that social media is the same as offline world. There are few things, few tactics that needs to be applied but the key is to carry the offline etiquette online and stick with it. You don’t buy your kid a toy every time he asks for it, so why should anyone else give a damn about you every time you ask for it. It’s all about frequency, it’s all about participation, it’s all about asking for the candy when you need it. When there is a good cause behind it.
Be the kid that helps mom carry her grocery bag 5 times in a row and the sixth time ends up asking for a treat. She will end up buying more treats than usual. That’s how the social web works – it’s all about what you give and how often you ask. If you give enough, you will get candies without having to ask.
I feel like asking for comments but I haven’t given back enough through this blog yet to ask for one. I will wait till I bag a few groceries for you.
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Hi, My name is Ritu. I am a member of SMA (Social Media Anonymous) ;-) & help bloggers and businesses utilize the social web. 
I’d like to comment, but don’t feel i have that much to add to the conversation!
Its a tricky one, but I do agree.
As you said in your previous blog about marketing being more about engaging, any business that wants to start marketing itself using social media needs to start engaging with its industry, and not just spamming links and expect it to turn into sales.
Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your site and wanted to say
that I’ve really liked browsing your blog posts. Anyway
I’ll be subscribing to your blog and I hope you post again soon!
Exactly!
Thanks for stopping by Andy and sharing your views. I appreciate it.
I notice your giving, Ritu. Here’s a comment for you. (Of course it doesn’t actually SAY anything, haha…)
Now following you on Twitter, though – let’s see what you got.
@Nate : thanks for stopping by