The fact that I have to explain and articulate this drives me insane. However, a lot of companies, agencies and people are completely ignorant to what social media actually does/is. Therefore I felt that I needed to clarify the differences between social media and magic.
Social Media Will Not:
- Walk your dog.
- Make your inferior product better.
- Turn lead into gold.
Social Media Will:
- Make your company more human and transparent.
- Lead to crowdsourcing, better communication and rapid adoption of new tech.
- Be the New PR. Although the term will end up being "Social Relations" or "Relationship Management".
What inspired this? Companies using social media as a sales tool and not a solution/tool. "Social Media gets us in the door" is not the right way to approach a useful tool/platform.
The problem here is that people still view social media as the new tool, the gimmick or the shiny piece of tinfoil that they want to chase around the room. Not the factual, metric driven engagement experiences and community creating that produce tangible results.
To many people are obsessed with getting everyone to use social and then not having a fleshed out plan when they actually begin to do so. Guess what? Using the tools and understanding their purpose isn't enough if you aren't going to utilize them effectively.
If you can manage the expectations for the product effectively and articulate what social media is and isn't, you will save yourself lots of time and headaches.
Social isn't anything new. It's just something old wrapped in a new package with better technology to cut down on lead time. Keep this key concept in mind and try to maintain your sanity when working with recent adopters.
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tagged as jesus and social media, jesus is magic, marketing magic bullet, social media adoption, social media converts, social media early adopters, social media isn't magic, social media marketing
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great post! if only new businesses can understand the power of social media and how to harness it, their success potential is unlimited! Many new entrepreneurs i talk to only care about signing up for adwords, other ads without putting in the efforts on (free) social media to promote their startups…very unfortunate.
Great points, Stuart. Though I think that, while being social isn't new, social media allows for a scale and level of accessibility that is new and revolutionary.
Getting on social media won't necessarily change your business. But ignoring it will.
Good post for sure. Lots of people on either side that think it's either made of magic, or that it's pointless. You've articulated the facts of it really well.
This raises an important question, what if Jesus used social media?
But in all seriousness you're right on. I think most companies have that “aha” moment when they realize they “need” social media and then tell someone to do it, expecting immediate results. This doesn't allow anyone within the organization to take time to really learn social media, how to develop relationships and engage customers, and usually ends up being a mediocre or failed endeavor.
I always use the Field of Dreams analogy…Social media is NOT if you build it they will come. One of my new clients was surprised when I asked them what their goal was for social media. They wanted to be on everything…but didn't know what to do with the information they gathered from it! I just keep telling myself that this is new for some people and there is a learning curve. Which is fine with me…That's why they pay me-to teach them =)
Great post. Businesses, as well as individuals, need to realize that social media is not a replacement – it's an additional tool.
Good post. Social media is just another marketing tool, that can either be used effectively or not.
Good post. Social media is just another marketing tool, that can either be used effectively or not.
Good post. Social media is just another marketing tool, that can either be used effectively or not.
Good post. Social media is just another marketing tool, that can either be used effectively or not.
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