Note: The target audience of this post is for those who use social media within their business. It’s good food for thought. Enjoy!
Today, I wanted to share a little confession with you regarding the overload that social media has become for me and many other marketers out there. I have discovered a reality to all the hype out there on effectively using social media.
I fly solo. I do strategy, I do operations. I’m not complaining, I’m really not.
I merely have a unique perspective on social media like only so few have. I’ve seen great communities get built; I’ve seen great communities crushed. I’ve seen the influence of new media on traditional media; I’ve seen traditional media fail miserably at social media. I speak and make my decisions from concrete experience of what works — and what doesn’t.
I have grown a little jaded in using a one platform over another, sending a million status updates, shortening links, writing passionate blog entries. To be completely honest, doing all the so-called “best practices” in social media turns it into a job more than a real personal reflection. It’s no wonder why businesses don’t get it. Because of people like me, they become so mired in it, they can’t see tomorrow.
But the real answer to social media overload is to build a sensible, realistic and time-bound strategy. This way you can wake up everyday knowing what you’re out to accomplish and can pick from an array of social media ‘weapons’ in your arsenal to get the job done. Social media is not a campaign – it’s a strategy. Social media is not a product or a service — it’s a process.
Specifically, a strategy should include a vision, goals and a purpose. Having these will dictate the objectives and the intention of doing them. Not having a purpose, vision or goals, you’re really just wasting everyone’s time. At any moment, you should be able to strongly defend why you are doing in social media. If you can’t confidently defend it, it’s not worth doing.
My bottom line takeaway for today is this —
Do what feels right to you. Don’t get caught up in the mechanics of using social media– just do it. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes and empathize with how they interact with your content. Don’t feel it’s necessary to update 30 social networking sites at once (though Ping.fm kinda does that); just be yourself and it won’t be overwhelming.
Discuss.
