Five Lessons Harry Potter Taught Us About Social Media

Harry Potter Generation

The Harry Potter saga is a magical adventure that takes us on a journey through a mystical world.  One of the main themes in the books that gets carried over into the films is the importance of community and how it can help us with the powerful forces in the world beyond our control.

For those of us who jumped into Harry Potter’s world, I wouldn’t be surprised if we learned that many of these fans have had their outlook on life influenced by J.K. Rowling’s series of magical stories. It’s truly impossible to ignore the enormous influence these best-seller novels have had on our society.

Is it so hard to imagine then that Harry Potter’s lessons have extended into the way we look at social media?

1. It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.

{ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire }

Who we are is not always dependent on our past. Social media offers us choices to reach out to people we might never have met if it weren’t for Twitter or Facebook groups. We have the opportunity to learn from the people we meet online as well connect to people who can pull us up higher into who we can grow to be.

2. What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally the whole school knows.

{ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone}

If you don’t want to share something with the world, don’t put it on social media. It’s really that simple. Social networks are a lot like Hogwart’s. If something happens and you put it out there, don’t be surprised when the whole school knows about it.

3. We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.

{ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire }

I partner all the time with other social media consultants. On paper, we look like we would be competition but when we work together, we become a stronger force to have on your side.

Use your social media community to build your strategic partners. Your company will only grow stronger by connecting with other people who can support your work rather than trying to do everything by yourself.

4. If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.

{ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire }

You can learn a lot about your competitors by monitoring their social media networks. Watch how they respond to comments or worse, the fact that they don’t respond. Are they ignoring someone’s comments in a blog post? Or do they encourage engagement in their Facebook fan page and reply to everyone?

So if you can learn a lot by looking at your competition’s social media programs, imagine the picture people can see when they look at your company’s social networks.

5. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

{ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone}

This famous quote from Dumbledore reminds us that having dreams is important, but focusing too much on your dreams doesn’t help you move forward.

The same goes with social media. It’s easy to get lost in reading tweets or scrolling through Instagram but spending too much time clicking around in the social world won’t help you cross the things off your to-do list.

Social media is meant to be enjoyable or else why would we log in every day? Just don’t let pinning to your dream house on Pinterest or reading one more Facebook post take you away from the important moments in your life.

PS Are you overwhelmed with social media and struggling to find time to keep up? I have the answers to your questions and probably even more than you realize you had with my new Strategy Builder workbook!

The best way to use the Strategy Builder workbook is to sign up for the FREE Social Media with a Strategy online class. As you work through each week, the Strategy Builder gives you a place to keep all your answers to the exercises in one place. Click here to download your copy of the Strategy Builder workbook! 

Photo credit: Potter II