Imagine, you’ve just been invited to the best social media holiday party of the year in New York City.  You’ve been looking forward to the party for weeks, you’re dressed in new clothes and looking and feeling really alive.  As soon as you walk in, all of the “A-listers” are there.  You see the most important venture capital people in one corner. 

Standing over by the bar are all of the good looking gossip hounds that seem to know everyone in town.  These are the people with the most friends and connections to get you into even more great parties and introduce you to everyone.

Standing out on the balcony are some tech folks talking about their latest software project.  They are speaking in hushed tones but you just know in your gut that they are getting ready to break some great product that will have the venture capital people salivating, and the gossip hounds over at the bar chatting about this new social media invention for days, or if it’s good enough, maybe even weeks!

So here you are, you’ve gotten into the party.  What next?  You walk over to the venture capital folks and when they ask you what you do, your mind goes blank and you start talking about that pesky sore on the inside of your lip.  Backs turn and you’re standing there all alone again.  Strike 1.

Ok, you know you’ve pretty much blown it with the venture crowd, but you’re still feeling pretty good and you head over to the bar for a drink.  You are surrounded by people that are talking about all of the coolest things going on in social media.   So you order your first drink and with drink in hand, you turn around quickly but don’t notice the beauty standing to your right and spill your drink down her new dress.  Ugh!  Strike 2 and 3!

As quickly as you’ve arrived you are now asked to leave and you didn’t even get a chance to talk to the tech crew standing on the balcony.  And so it goes, you’ve blown your chance at the coolest social media party in town and may as well go home and change identities and start all over.

So how does this sad holiday tale relate to you and your business?  Remember, social media contains one very important word.  “Social”  Definition: the interaction of the individual and the group

The key take-away from this tragic scenario is that you must remember to always come to the table with a new, relevant and exciting conversation.  Take your social media strategy seriously because a bad first impression might be the only one you get.   And try not to spill any drinks this holiday season.