Social Media is sorting out the customer friendly companies from the "Just give us your money" ones.

If you are giving a speech, you can control the content, both visual and audible. You leave questions to the end and often seed these. You control the content.

In a conversation things are different. If you're not in tune with what the person wants they tune you out or move away. If you give them a long monologue they show signs of boredom. They want to have their say. They want to ask questions and fit you to their idea, not fit themselves to your offering. They'll take you off at a tangent.it can be very annoying if you want to get a point across.

But that's what social media is about. People don't go on Facebook to hear what you have to tell them. They go to find a solution to whatever is front of mind for them. They may give you a few seconds to prove it's you. But they're just as happy to listen to the person you says you're rubbish. You have to be funny, knowledgeable, interesting and not have too many detractors to succeed.

So what's your social media strategy?
Some companies have a top down, information on a need to know basis type of culture. They have a "Thou must not say the following" guide for all employees on social media. Their social media work thus comes across as guarded - as if they have something to hide. They'll fail to build empathy with customers.

Other companies are open and on the side of customers. They engage in customer designed product development, use feedback as a core part of their marketing strategy and build a tribe of people who think they're wonderful. They involve them in the next generation of products and have those pre-sold before they arrive - nothing makes somebody want something as much as thinking they had a part in it.

Most of us will be somewhere in the middle. But at which end of the spectrum?