Donuts: they're not just for breakfast anymore

Jerry Rackley

By Jerry Rackley

Thanks goes out to Douglas Wray, about whom little is known but who has attained social media cult hero status in my book. We have not been able to locate Mr. Wray, but a possible photograph of the elusive social media guru does exist:

Why heap such praise? It’s for posting a photo of a whiteboard on which someone, perhaps Mr. Wray himself, used a donut metaphor to demystify social media. Here are the contents of that whiteboard:

Social Media Explained

Twitter: “I’m eating a #donut”
Facebook: “I like donuts”
FourSquare: “This is where I eat donuts”
Instagram: “Here’s a vintage photo of my donut”
Youtube: “Here I am eating a donut”
LinkedIn: “My skills include donut eating”
Pinterest: “Here’s a donut recipe”
Last FM: “Now listening to ‘donuts’”
Google +: “I’m a Google employee who eats donuts”

You can’t help but smile and admire the elegance of this simple but powerful explanation of social media. While this metaphor helps us better understand the various social media channels, it’s not a social media strategy. Demand Metric has a set of 21 social media tools to help you put that together.

If you’re not sure where to start, check out the Social Media Opportunity Assessment to identify the potential benefits of social media engagement. Next, you can use the Social Media Channel Selection tool to help determine which channels best support your strategy. And if you’re still a little hazy about how to stick your toe in the social media pool, we’re happy to do a little hand holding to get you started. Just email, tweet, “Like” or post a discussion to our LinkedIn group.

P.S. A few years ago, some co-workers and I attempted to re-brand donuts as "Power Rings" in an attempt to support the delusion that they were a healthy breakfast alternative. Who's with me on this rebranding? Donut industry magnates, are you listening? :)