For the sake of your business and its long-term vitality, do not spend another dime on social media marketing, advertising, blogging until you understand the next few paragraphs.
BEWARE OF JOHNNY COME LATELY'S! Social Media is for most, an emerging industry, many business owners are just now trying to wrap their heads around it. The exception is for a relatively small few who have been in it in some capacity for years. Typically, early-adopters have been studying and/or participating in social media before the term existed for years. Watchout for those who are trying to cash in on the gold-rush. One sure sign of this is are statements like - "Man, social media is hot! It's awesome, it'll grow your business like crazy."
Social media is very powerful when used properly. Having said that, you can make serious mistakes - look for evidence of the self-proclaimed marketing "guru" thinking "TACTICALLY." Yesterday these folks were marketing experts and today their calling themselves "Social Media Strategists." Some are excellent, most are out for the quick buck talking about how you should "jump right in" and use facebook ads. If you think the only purpose for social media is marketing, advertising and business you're already potentially in real trouble. Social media is mostly about communication, conversation, rapport-building, transparency, honesty and openness. I call it the "Art of Marketing without Marketing."
Here's how you tell the difference when making your decision on who to trust. I want to build my business just like you AND you need to start by asking yourself one question. "Are you social media ready?" Are you ready to be brutally open and honest with your audience? Are you ready to be "patient" and build relationships? Can you for a minute have a conversation with someone and not pitch them? Are you ready for the commitment that social media takes? If you said, no to any of these questions then (in my opinion) you're not social media ready and I wouldn't agree to work with you, for your own good. There is case study after case study that suggests that these philosophical realities directly impact your marketing, business growth results. People who advocate tactics like starting a blog, facebook group, join this or that community, without having thought about the "Why?" question, the objectives behind such moves are directing you towards potential trouble.
Saying you're a strategist and having developed and delivered strategies for years for all levels and size of business are two entirely different things.
Background:
We've been studying, gathering intelligence and case studies on social media successes and failures prior to the term Web 2.0 being first used by Dale Dougherty and Tim O'Reilly in 2004. We continue to expand our database of knowledge daily. We've been delivering business growth strategies to tech companies and others since 2000. I've been working in the Internet space in a business capacity since 1998 and first began speaking about "Global Microbranding," a social media branding and marketing strategy framework since late 2006 early 2007 and we haven't looked back since. Our mantra is "social media education." Understanding online culture and strategic thinking well before the social media technologies themselves is where you need to start...build a plan that involves you learning, listening and identifying trends and opportunities. Then you can safely make "tactical" decisions more easily. Which means your budget will be better spent and the outcomes more closely determined...any other approach is putting your hard earned money at high-risk.
Social media is not the end-all-be-all silver bullet to your business marketing and growth needs and anyone who tells you different, run away from screaming at the top of your lungs...
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