Social Media

Why It’s Not Good to Be Vanilla in Social Media

By Erica ⋅ October 15, 2007 ⋅  Email this post ⋅ Post a comment

The other day I was at Barnes and Noble chatting with my friend Geri - when he said something that struck me - “There are Billions of Vanilla People in the World”. It was one of those truisms that strike you right in the heart. And I knew in an instant that I would be writing this post.

I’m a Social Media Consultant. Part of my job here at Peanut Butter Media is to help companies create active Communities Online and Off. For some companies this is easier than others. And I think I know one reason why (here’s that aha moment I had with Geri): Some Companies are Vanilla. They are plain & nondescript. They might be Rich in Ideas or Funding or even Talent. From the outside - they are dependable, loyal, common & ordinary. Unfortunately - they aren’t memorable.

My friend John Moore gives a Great Talk on Ideals that Spark Ideas. One of his main tenets is to “Make The Common - Uncommon”. It’s impossible to make something “go viral” - but it’s easy to make something unique and different. And that’s where I start with Vanilla Companies in Social Media.

Of course one always prefers starting with something Pistachio flavored. YUM Pistachio…