Skip to main content

Three Lessons on Social Media From Dick Clark

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN APRIL, 2012. REST IN PEACE...

Three Lessons on Social Media From Dick Clark

 

Three Farmers and Two Geese

Dick Clark spent over 60 years in numerous memorable roles from radio to music to television. One of the roles that he is less noted for is entrepreneur; some of Clark's biggest marks on the industry were actually ones he created. Dick Clark was always the 'cool kid'. He wanted to be a part of what was new. In fact, he said that he wished he had been a little younger when the Internet takeover began. In an 1999 interview with James Moll, Clark was asked "How do you describe the start to your professional career?" Clark responded with a story of his first job in the mailroom of a radio station. In the mornings he would sit with disc jockey, Danny Fusco and give the weather forecast for the rural radio network, assuming that no one was listening. But when Clark started performing as if someone was listening, that was when his career began. That set him in motion to receive the DJ job in college that moved him to the next step. He did his best no matter who was listening - and eventually someone did listen.
"I suddenly realized one day that there's like three farmers and two geese listening somewhere and I got sweaty palms." - Dick Clark
Photo Courtesy of  Shazz

Speak to One

One of the most challenging things for a small business or nonprofit is to decide how much time or energy to spend on social media marketing. Building a community online is about relationships, making it a tedious process.  Recently at a meeting for a local nonprofit, someone said "We're not going to make money posting something up on our Facebook page each day." That is true. Sort of. But, you have to start somewhere. It doesn't matter how many followers you have if they aren't engaged or interacting with you.
"He had the ability to communicate to that one person that was listening," Clark said about Arthur Godfrey, whom he modeled after. Looking back on his American Band Stand interviews, he always made the audience feel as though he was having an intimate conversation with just that artist. Similar to live radio and television, social media is dependent on people feeling connected. If your message is always to the masses, you might start losing your crowd one by one. 

"There's only one person listening at a time...just be yourself" - Dick Clark

Have Fun

Dick Clark was known as the nation's oldest teenager, mostly for his youthful appearance. But, there was something else fresh and youthful about him: he enjoyed himself and tried new things. He acquired his own certitude within his career by being open to try new things. When the position opened up as the host of the American Bandstand he had been a DJ for an easy listening station.  Imagine his thoughts when he was asked to play this as his first record:



Clark didn't hesitate to learn a different type of music and a new kind of job. "I learned by the seat of my pants."  If you don't find some enjoyment in what you are doing, it will show. Speaking with business professionals, I have heard "I know I have to learn social media, but I really think it's a waste of time" or "I don't have time to play around online." My prescription? Do what you like. For instance, if you like organizing things into pretty little groups - you might be a great candidate for Pinterest. If you need to use Twitter, but you don't like it or understand it - think of your five favorite famous people and follow them. Chances are, you will find a new reason to log on. Once you get in the hang of tweeting for fun, doing it for work will be less of a nuisance. Social media isn't going anywhere - so why not enjoy it?


Rest in Peace, Dick Clark!

 © Leslie McGraw
Twitter: @LesGo4It
Facebook: facebook.com/LesGo4It
Stumble Upon: @LesGo4It

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How Monday Mornings Can Kill Business

Monday mornings come every week; they are just crazy like that. But, did you know that they can kill productivity for the entire week? I didn't know that either -- until I reached the end of my first year in business and realized much of my year had been just a string of bad Monday Mornings . Here are four things I learned over the course of my first year: It Was The Night Before Monday and All Through the House..  Whether you have 3 hours or 15 minutes, a little preparation on Sunday evening can help in big ways on Monday morning. For me, that is often just 15 minutes creating a to-do list or journaling. Laurita Thomas, who is the associate vice president and chief human resource officer at the University of Michigan, spent several hours each Sunday in her office, preparing for the week ahead for the first few years in her position. "I don't do that anymore" said Thomas, "but I do spend time each Sunday evening preparing for the week." Schedule

The Purpose of a Vision

A Full Moon, taken around midnight on August 1, 2012, several minutes after  it reached its fullest  phase. Have you ever witnessed something so breathtaking that you wanted to capture the image and share it with the world?  At the top of August, I was outside when the moon became Full. It took up the entire sky. Due to street lights and limitations with the photography (lacking proper equipment and skill), I was unable to capture the full glory of the moon. But, whenever I look back at this photograph, I am reminded not only of what I can see in the picture - but the memory of what I saw that night. Similarly, most entrepreneurs and businesses begin with a vision. But one of the key purposes of a vision, is being able to share it. If a business is unable to communicate that vision with stakeholders, prospects, and employees - the purpose is lost. Here are a few necessaries to capture that vision to share with others: Focus - In order to focus, you must be still. If you move

Good Morning Sunshine

In general, entrepreneurs and small business owners tend to practice healthier lifestyles. That may be because many entrepreneurs understand that losing time or illness can hurt business. Still, that healthy lifestyle is not the reality for many startups or female entrepreneurs who tend to have increased demands on time and unique challenges that can leave them depleted. Fresh and New Spring is a good time to think about beginning a new project or starting over , and Monday is a good time to begin a new project. But, most small business owners do not have a clean break between work and play, week and weekend. Friday is not the jubilant release and Monday morning does not always bring the refreshed promise that we see and hear around us.   However, each morning is actually a new opportunity to start again. Whether you practice yoga, journal, exercise on the treadmill, or just still -- find some time to rejuvenate this morning so that you can have enough of you left at the