Social Media and “One-Upping”

So, I’m not a big one-upper. You all know the types I’m talking about…those people out there that make it more about themselves and being better and getting more than the others around them. The ones who rarely do what they do because they love it. The ones that talk about other people and put others down. The ones who think they’re pretty much better than most. Yeah, you know that person. When I’m around those types, I can literally feel my energy drain…as if a blood-sucking vampire has come to reel me in. I have to regroup. Refocus. Come to understand that it’s okay…I’m different from some people. Not all people, just some.

So, I was hanging out with my band’s attorney the other day and he asked me about using social media to gain insight on what other companies are doing and if I’ve ever written anything about it. Well, in a competitive world, this makes sense, right? But how can it be done in a way that isn’t causing you to become that dreaded vampire? How can you still keep tact while looking into your competition? (This post jumps a bit…bare with me.)

So, I love how the universe all works together in this way because Brass Tack Thinking JUST wrote this amazing post on offering or selling, yesterday:

Are you offering what you sell, or selling what you offer?
One is about relationships, the other transactions.
One is about pull, the other push.
One is about permission, the other interruption.
One is about engagement, the other broadcast.
One is about conviction, the other convincing.
One is about giving, the other taking….

Read the rest of it here, because it’s amazing.

So, here’s a bit of comparison in my music world…because my life is more than my business. I look at this in the same way I look at musicianship. When I hear a band, I don’t wonder how I can get better than them. I think more about ‘how can I make myself better in order to play WITH them?’

So, of course, let’s take for example, Girl In A Coma. I don’t know if you’ve heard of this band…or if you’ve been following my ridiculous fan-ness of them, but I think they’re one of the best bands I’ve heard in a LONG time. And even cooler is that my band, Neon Love Life, gets to share a stage with them (along with the amazing Sick of Sarah and Hacienda) in a couple of months (September 11 to be exact…if you want tickets, hop over to the Neon Love Life site.) It’s almost surreal. But as I was thinking about this yesterday, and after the amazing week we had at Girls Rock Indy, it made me think of how we taught our campers about camaraderie…not competition. Working together to create the best possible outcome…or in that case, music.

What if we all applied that to business? Business is tricky. Sure, there are accounts you may be hoping to get that could really “get you ahead,” if that’s how you view life. I just feel that business is abundant when it’s viewed that way…when there’s belief in oneself…when rocking someone’s world is a given because that’s the nature of what it’s about. Social media is a place to learn about all kinds of things…people, ideas, and new stuff. I imagine it’s only natural for some people to want to see what’s working for their competitors. Social is a great way to see this. I mean, could you imagine Chevy calling up Ford and saying, “Hey, GREAT job on your social media campaign. We learned tons from you and have been able to implement some of your strategy as ours. Keep up the good work!” or vice versa. Sure, that may be kind of extreme, but you get my drift.

I guess the whole point is that in the end…what really pays is to uplift. Not one-up. That’s when you’re able to offer, as Brass Tack Thinking describes. It opens you up to a whole new playground with whole new opportunities. I don’t know about you, but I like the sandbox…a lot. And I like to get dirty…I’d just rather get dirty with a group of people…not by myself. Thoughts?

Photo: Girl in a Coma (credit: adam stockstill)