Most People Are “Lurkers” in Social Media
By
Ted Rubin

Most people are “lurkers” in social media. They are consuming your content but not responding. You are still building a relationship with these people, and they do participate… it is just vicariously via those who do engage and interact.

There are many lurkers, searchers and readers who may never interact, or even post, but still have a great deal of value.

What is that value? Well, there are active users who dominate the conversation the way some dominate a cocktail party. Then there are those that don’t. Although, they tend to stand out in other ways, particularly in numbers. Lurkers account for a vast percentage of the average social audience.So you may feel inclined to ignore the value of anyone who isn’t participating in the conversation, but that can be shortsighted for several reasons. Your social brand is made up of a spectrum of followers, updates, messages, content, and re-tweets over time. It is not only possible, but probable, that those who just listen are often as valuable or more so than those who participate in the conversation. Why would you rob them—and yourself—of that potential connection and the sharing they do via other channels and places? Do not underestimate that value and influence.

Also remember that Twitter is becoming one of the most used and valued search engines for real-time information. A lot of people use Twitter Search for research on any number of topics. People who find your profile this way may not be active, but that doesn’t mean they’re not interested and being influenced by your content.

Embrace social lurkers… or you will most certainly be sweeping diamonds out with the dust!

 


Ted Rubin is the Chief Social Marketing Officer of Collective Bias, a Social Shopper Media Company that drives retail sales through the coordinated creation of social media stories. He is also the author of Return on Relationship: The New Measure of Success. Visit his web site at www.tedrubin.com for more information.

Originally posted at TedRubin.com.