When I was in university, we used to play a drinking game while watching a movie. Every time a character said a particular word, you had to drink some beer. It made for pretty interesting cinema.

If you played the same game during a social media or blogging conference using the words “conversation” and “engage”, you’d get drunk pretty quickly. They are the two catch-phrases when it comes to explaining not only why companies need to get into social media but what they need to do once they get there.

“You need to have conversations with your customers and engage with them” has become a social media mantra.

While it’s still early in the game, “conversation” and “engage” need to be retired. Plagued by overuse, they have become boring and ineffectual. Sure, having a conversation and engaging are important social media pillars but it’s time to move on.

Maybe we can start using words as “embrace” (as in embrace your customers), “build” (as in build relationships) and “drive” (as in drive new customer growth, sales and profits).

Any suggestions on an expanded social media vocabulary?