Yesterday was my second ever Jiu Jitsu class in Burlington,Vermont — and I noticed some striking (no pun intended) similarities between the Brazilian martial art and social media.
Similarity #1: Act Fast or Get Beat
Jiu Jitsu fighters use their speed and agility to disable an opponent as fast as possible. Like they say, speed kills.
How quickly do you respond to mentions, notes, blog posts and other social media engagement on the social Web? If you’re an individual posting random tweets, the speed of your responses isn’t all that important. However, if you are a business — especially one focused on customer service — you better respond to people mighty quick or your butt is toast (by the way, three days is NOT fast response. Three hours, maybe).
Similarity #2: Size Doesn’t Matter
Would you believe the biggest guys in the room held no strategic advantage over the smaller, scrappier men? I witnessed a muscular person who was at least 6’2″ get taken down by a peer who was roughly 5’10″. The smaller fighter wasn’t afraid to get in the cut and attack.
You shouldn’t be intimidated by the big bad bloggers and Tweeters if you’re a smaller participant. It takes time to grow your audience, but if you focus on a specific goal, you’ll build your social media muscles.
Similarity #3: Practice Makes Perfect
Finally, you need to practice regularly if you expect to be any good. Try showing up for a Jiu Jitsu class once every three months and your fighting skills will be dull at best.
The same goes for social media. You need to establish a workable schedule for writing blog posts, updating your Twitter feeds, and sharing new content on Facebook Fan Pages on a regular basis. Consistency is a huge part of building a loyal following and stoking conversation.
Check out my recent audio tweet on Social Media Jiu Jitsu if you’d like to hear more.
Before you forget…make sure to Follow the Commando on Twitter