The heart of effective social media is "WHY"

I have to say the first two weeks in my "Leadership and Media Strategies" class have been extremely inspiring and challenging.  Learning how great leaders inspire action and how to effectively diffuse innovations (communicating a new idea, behavior, or object through certain channels over time among members of society) in our technological world today is inspiring.  I am being challenged in many new ways as to how I can implement these principles in my life now as a stay-at-home mom and graduate student and also thinking ahead in a year when I am back in the corporate world after a thirteen-year hiatus.  Needless to say, I am on a mental high right now.

This week we have been learning about what defines an opinion leader through social networking and what makes them so effective in influencing a person's decision to adopt an innovation.  The heart of this success is a person's "why" and not "what" it is they are doing.  Let me start simply with where I am today in my life.  My "why" of being home for the past thirteen years is my three boys.  I never thought I would be a stay-at-home mom.  However, when I brought my first baby home my new "why" was so strong I took a 70% pay cut, trained someone to take my place, and I have not looked back since.  As a disclaimer, I am NOT saying this is the path for every mom.  I do not consider myself a great leader;  however, I absolutely see where being an opinion leader and using the diffusion of innovation model with social networking even applies to the basic principles of my life now.

My social network immediately grew to include many other stay-at-home moms.  Just as with any other "job", I wanted to learn to be the best that I could.  This also entailed learning to make money by couponing and running a business from home and I wanted to help other moms learn how they could stay home if it was their heart's desire but also encourage the working moms.  By talking about what I believed and wanting to inspire other moms, my social networks began growing and we became teams to facilitate the "what" we were doing.  One of the most meaningful examples is my Mom Time group (previously MOPS-Mothers of Preschoolers).  We all had (1) knowledge that we wanted to be the best moms we could, (2) we began to persuade other moms by providing tools for them such as relevant speakers and much needed down time, (3) we each made a decision to adopt the principles being taught, (4) we began to implement them into our lives, and we (5) receive confirmation every day that even though we are imperfect and make mistakes that having this support network of moms and continually learning to be better works!  Through Facebook, Twitter, and word of mouth we are able to spread our "why" exponentially so that it impacts so many more lives than the core group.  Ours is just one Mom Time group.  It is actually a nationally recognized organization that has taken these concepts from the Diffusion of Innovation theory and successfully grown.

A famous person in history with a clear, strong "why" was Martin Luther King.   He died for his cause but his cause still stands and people are using social media to organize events around his cause that "until all the laws of man line up with the laws of a higher authority we cannot live in a just world."  If Martin Luther King had 250,000 people at his speech basically because of word of mouth and a few mass social avenues, can you imagine if there had been social media networks like we have today? 

Having the ability to use social media to be an opinion leader and allow people to jump on board for your cause can be a tremendous asset as well as an ignominious loss of respect, power, and purpose.  Simon Sinek said that "if you talk about what you believe you will attract those who believe what you believe". I recently stepped down from my position as a Unit Director for BeautiControl.  At one time I managed 186 women and it was a true joy.  Why?  Because our team started out with one person whose "why" was to stay home with my children and earn a nice income with complete flexibility and it grew into a network of women with similar reasons for being a part of the company.  Each time I recruited someone, we sat down to discuss their "why" and what their life needs were.  From there they had a focus.  High quality spa and beauty products were simply the "what" that we loved and enjoyed.  It wasn't the leadership or the products that kept us growing.  It was the reason we were each there and we created a tremendous support network.
Taking advantage of the capabilities of what social networking can do has been something I have taken seriously in being an opinion leader for my team.  Each time I post, add a link, quote someone, etc. I take into consideration its effect on a mass scale and in the future.  A part of social media's effectiveness as an opinion leader involves being realistic and honest to where people can relate to you.  Therefore, I also make light of my learning experiences in business and my personal life whether they impede moving forward or propel me to greater things. 

Although I will always be a mom and my family will always be my priority, I am quickly realizing I get to develop a new "why" as my journey is going to be taking me back into the corporate world.  Social media is going to be taking on a completely different role for me.  The advantage is its ability spread an idea exponentially through a population.  One of the disadvantages is the reliability of the opinion leaders and the accuracy of the information they are spreading.  I hope to successfully use the knowledge I am gaining to help grow the institution with which I am affiliated.  One great business example of the successful use of the Diffusion of Innovation theory and having a clear "why" is Starbucks.  Starbucks wants their clients to have "experiences online that translate into rich offline experiences".  In July 2008 it launched MyStarbucksIdea.com as a "forum for consumers to make suggestions and ask questions".  It has grown to 180,000 users and they have 5.7 million Facebook fans and 775,000 Twitter followers.  Chris Bruzzo, VP-brand content and online, is now "looking for ways that consumers can connect with each other from inside the iPhone apps" they have launched.  People have connected to and are following their "why" and the what of delicious products is simply a fringe benefit.

Social media in the traditional and social realms is important in cultivating a cause and having people trust your opinion and why you are doing something.  Whether to one person or the masses, word of mouth as well as Facebook has its place.  Sinek said "what you do serves as the proof of what you believe."  What is your "WHY"?