Three Rules for Successful Social Media
With all of the talk about social media and services like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, you are probably thinking about giving it a try—if you haven’t already. There is a big difference between just doing something and doing something right. I have three simple rules to follow in creating a successful social media campaign.
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There are no experts.
Be wary of anyone who approaches you claiming to be a social media expert and/or that they can magically increase your business using xxx (put you favorite site name here). This is a field that is constantly changing and though there are some downright brilliant consultants and advisors even they do not claim to be experts. The field changes too frequently for any one person to know absolutely everything and hence call themselves experts. Online marketing is not a magic bullet or quick fix. Anyone who promises unbelievable rewards for unbelievable fees probably is not worth the money.
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Social media is not free.
This is my favorite rule because it is just so obvious. Oh but I hear you muttering: Twitter doesn’t cost anything and my Facebook account is free. You are right, it does not cost a dime to create an account on most of these sites. What you are forgetting is the time costs involved. Think about how much time you put into posting 15 status updates per day or writing a single blog post. If you are like most business owners, that time is not free. In fact it is very valuable—do not discount the amount of time you must put into a campaign to make it successful.
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You can’t just show up.
I am amazed of how people think that the have achieved success simply because they created a Twitter account. Creating the account is the easiest step in a campaign (see rule number two re: time commitments). It is the interaction that happens after an account is created that ultimately determines your success or failure. Rather than focusing on creating accounts on every site that you hear about (talk about an exercise in futility) instead focus your efforts on one or two sites and do them really well. The keyword in Social Media is social. You can’t go into a crowded restaurant and just stand there expecting to be noticed. The same goes for online marketing. I recently read a great article on this topic by Michael Katz—it is funny and to the point.
These are my top 3 rules for social media. What are yours?
