Social Honeycomb

Your Engagement Needs a Goal

Back in January, I wrote a post discussing the various meanings of the word “engagement” on the heels of my two good friends, Jenna and Thomas, making the choice to get hitched. It’s time for the follow-up post, because I’m sitting here near Westons Mills, NY, getting ready to attend their wedding this afternoon.

So, what’s important to note here is that engagement, a word we hear so often, is not an end in itself. (Duh.) Engagement for engagement’s sake is useless unless there’s a goal and you move toward it. Here, this engagement involved my friends both moving toward the goal of being husband and wife, and here they are today ready to exchange vows.

In many cases when we hear about being engaged online, the love story comes from having a goal in mind and not mindlessly participating just to say you were there. Maybe your goal is to obtain information. Maybe it’s to contribute something meaningful. Maybe it’s to help someone and in the process make some money. Maybe it’s to build strong brand awareness. It could be anything, I guess. The times when people and organizations get involved and engaged online that work come when they’re not just taking up space or “doing this social media thing” because it’s shiny, but because it’s a meaningful way to reach a goal.

Now, a two-part call to action:

1) Have you seen instances where people or companies (most likely it’s companies) are trying new media tools, saying they’re engaged but really not actively working toward anything? Do you feel that your “engagement” on the Web is goal-oriented?

2) Do you have a message for Jenna and Thomas? Leave a comment for them and I’ll make sure they see your congratulations and warm wishes. [I’m sure I’ll have pictures up in a few days!]

Buzzing Bees, Events, Social Media |