by Jeff Lewis, Group M Cross-Media Marketing and Public Relations
Remember MySpace? It’s still around but it’s not even close to what it used to be. How about Orkut (recently shut down by Google)? Of course you don’t. What about Google+? Anyone using that? Even though Google is by far the most popular website ever in the history of recorded history?
We’re told constantly that social media sites, such as the ones mentioned above, are the end-all, be-all of the internet. If you’re not on this site or that one you’re destined be left behind. Do you BuzzFeed? Reddit? Digg? StumbleUpon? Corkboard? Xanga?
To some extent, it’s true: social media is an important part of the marketing mix (just as press releases are, as we discussed last time). Social media is a fluid beast and evolves and changes constantly. Not unlike…traditional media.
I’m not here to tell you what you must do with social media; there are lots of folks who will try to do that. I’m here to help guide you through what can be a perilous journey through treacherous surroundings, hopefully getting you through it with as little pain as possible. So with that, here is my list of the top five things we’re told is true about social media but really isn’t (and why did I pick five things? Because experts say that’s the perfect number of things to put in lists):
1- “I’m a Social Media Expert/Guru.” Do people tell you they are social media experts? Or gurus? Run. Run fast. We have no idea what is coming next. Check out this guy, the “expert” of his time (1995), predicting the internet was nothing. If the guy weren’t dead serious and confident in his prediction I’d say the article now reads more like irony. But he was serious.
People like to trumpet how much they know about the internet or social media or technology, and at best we’re all just shooting craps, hoping to get lucky (and yes, I realize I am cautioning you at how the experts out there are throwing darts and hoping for the best, like I’m some sort of expert). No one knows for sure what site will last or what the next greatest technology will be.
2- “We can make your video go viral.” No they can’t. Sure, you can pay for followers and boost your visibility via advertising, but when true “virality” (a word I just made up) punctuates reality, it’s lightning in a bottle that cannot easily be replicated. Did anyone predict “David after Dentist” or this? Can anyone promise you that the next post is the next “David?” Nope. We can post quality content on social media (just as you put out quality every day in your own business) and if you reach and get response from your target audience, that should be your goal.
3- “Social media is free and easy.” It can be free and it can be easy, but that’s only if you quit your actual job and just do social media all day. It doesn’t have to be that hard, and sometimes it makes sense to pay for things like a targeted ad on Facebook. Pick your spots, provide the right content and make sure your expectations don’t get out of control.
4- “Only kids are using social media. It’s a waste of time for my corporate goals.” No doubt the kids do social media a lot and they do it well. The most influential writers and leaders in industries large and small, including the printing and graphic arts industries, utilize social media and it cannot be ignored.
5- “Celebrities rule social media.” That’s true, until they don’t. Anthony Cumia, half of the former shock-jock satellite radio duo “Opie and Anthony” recently got fired from his Sirius XM radio gig. He frequently used Twitter to great effect with his legions of fans and followers…until one day he over-shared about an alleged incident and opinionated a bit too much, and it came back to bite him. Interestingly, before social media existed, O&A were once kings of old-fashioned terrestrial radio – that is until they wore out the welcome mat there. Celebrities may get lots of attention, both good and bad, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for your message to be heard.
So if what I’m saying makes sense, then I’ve hit the target. Don’t trust me because I tell you to trust me…trust me if you think what I say makes sense.
What’s great for some people or companies isn’t necessarily great for another. Just because everyone shops somewhere or eats in a particular restaurant doesn’t mean it’s the best place for you to be. Look at social media with an educated eye; get a feel for the sites that you think would make the most sense for you. Don’t just blindly accept what the “experts” tell you. And even if you need help, there’s always someone willling to lend a hand (see below).
Jeff Lewis is the vice president of Media Relations for Group M Cross-Media Marketing and Public Relations in New York. He is a former journalist who still carries with him a journalist’s mindset. His clients have “magically” appeared on websites, in technology publications, on cable news networks, and in newspapers of all sizes. You can find more helpful marketing nuggets by connecting with him on LinkedIn, following him on Twitter, or liking Group M’s Facebook page. When he is not securing placements for his clients he can be found skiing, gardening, or biking somewhere in search of a hill that he cannot climb. He has yet to find it).
