Here’s a #blyDEA! Return the Favor, Return the Follow
When someone follows you – whether it be on Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin do you follow them back? This subject has been at the center of much discourse over the past few years, where the arguments for not following someone back seem to greatly outnumber the arguments of those that approve. Sure, there are great reasons on both sides, but it ultimately comes down to what’s best for you or your business at the time. Generally, providing a followback or at least socially connecting with your individual followers is good for social business and it shows that you care – even if you honestly don’t.
As the saying goes, ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine’ – a mantra that I think is very important when it comes to social media. Since social media is so dependent on the connections you make and the influencers you identify, there generally can come no harm in reciprocating social connections. That being said, you do not have to connect with, follow, or like everyone who comes across your path. In terms of twitter, as a rule of thumb, I generally do a followback to any follower that is in the same or related field. It’s important to do this because not only does it strengthen your social community, it allows you to remain connected to someone who you may need to exchange resources or services with.
It can be hard to determine which of your followers you should connect with, particularly if you have a huge network (i.e. @NetSuite). Nevertheless, you should never think at any time that your network is sufficient enough for you not to reciprocate the social love. It’s important to do so because the more you return the favor, the stronger our social communities can become.
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Speaking of Following People…
In light of the recent SCOTUS healthcare ruling that’s got everyone buzzing, here are the Top Ten Influencers to Follow in Healthcare
1. Kevin Pho: He rules the physician space. All hospitals and physicians with an interest in social media should be following him.
2. American Medical Association: AMA, an organization blazing the trail as advocates in healthcare social media through the promotion of best practices and guidelines for physicians.
3. Shawn Riley: A leader at Mayo Clinic. Makes sense since Mayo is a thought leader in #hcsm.
4. Brian Ahier: Represents the IT side of healthcare, and has a tremendous following in this niche.
5. E-Patient Dave: Dave deBronkart represents the patient voice in healthcare social media. An important aspect for us healthcare marketers.
6. Val Jones: Another physician presence, with a specific focus consumer healthcare.
7. Health Affairs: This is a peer-reviewed public policy journal; pretty standard.
8. Phil Baumann: Founder of the healthcare social media consulting firm, so you’ll find marketing-minded tweets with a medical background.
9. Jen McCabe: Founder of Seattle-based start-up that’s developing algorithms to provide personalized health recommendations. Honestly, this is the name I was least familiar with.
10. Dave Walker: A pharmacist and health technology enthusiast serving as a resource for health news.
For social media to be useful, I don’t think the act of “following” should be conditional. You should follow people/brands that you’re genuinely interested in. If you just “scratch someone’s back because they scratched yours,” you’ll find your Twitter/LinkedIn/G+ stream filling up with noise quickly. And I think noise diminishes the value of social media.
Mark, I do agree. I apologize for not making my point clearer – I think if a person is relevant to you in any way and you thus have a genuine interest in their discussions, it’s a good idea to follow them. You’re right when you say that no one should disingenuously follow someone, however upon a better understanding of the power of some connections, I think many people are apt to become more active in actually following and listening to their audience.