Social Media - The Filthy Truth

Social Media - The Filthy Truth 

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There are times I genuinely despair when I hear certain kinds of rhetoric or comments about social media. It is without doubt a social innovation of epic proportions but its relationship with business is not so clear-cut or obvious. There are avenues of thought on social media I can go along with and some that I think are myths and at the far end - people just taking advantage. This post is a reflection of how I feel about a few of these things. Feel free to disagree.

Gripe number 1 - customers.

Social networking should not be the primary method for reaching customers. Its "a" method but not the primary method. I get really fed up when people telling me that their business destiny is on-line and all their promotion is focused on social media. Its a massive false assumption that this will work long term.

"Human beings are social animals," said Keller, "and social influence has a much bigger impact on purchase decisions than marketers have realized." Adds Fay, "Our research proves that all forms of media and marketing motivate conversations and recommendations. It's a mistake to assume that social media is the best tool for implementing a social marketing strategy." - Ed Keller & Brad Frey

Gripe number 2 - Guru's.

Very tired of hearing people tell me they are a social media "guru". Guru is a word associated with religious enlightenment and teachings and is often misused. I hate it with a passion. Social media is not a religion and you are certainly not a guru.

Gripe number 3 - Activism.

There are far too many people who subscribe to the idea that activism over the internet works. It doesn't. Take the example of the London riots. Within moments social media networks were buzzing with talk about epic plans to clean-up the mess, with thousands promising help. However, when it came to the day, just a couple of hundred people with brooms turned up. Just because people say they will take action, doesn't mean they will in real life. 

I hear a lot of people talk about a "call to action" as if the person clicking or reading your social media will see it the same way. They don't and wont and I can prove it with the plethora of failed initiatives that cost millions of pounds and generated nothing.

Consider what a "like" or a "follow" actually means; it’s nothing more than a one-click temporary show of affection.

Gripe number 4 - Who owns this stuff? Certainly not you ...

LinkedIn and Facebook are public companies, they have shareholders. The fact is that investors are in control and dictating what the company does, calling the shots, focusing the executive management at profits.

Profit is broadly a good thing ... BUT ... it is their profits being maximised, not yours! How would you see it if it cost you money for each Friend or Like?

Never forget the reality is that they own the data, not you, so really you are building up the audience for them, not your business. The key is to protect yourself by bringing the data under your ownership and integrating the data into your systems, assuming you have one, which you should.

Gripe number 5 - The glass is not half full.

As much as social media brings a lot of positives and good it also exposes entrepreneurs and businesses to the not so good. I thought this was obvious but I still meet people who start with "I don't understand why someone would ..."

WAKE UP

Social networks provide four options that most humans don't have in a real world scenario.  

(a) No Guilt
(b) Mob Mentality
(c) Anonymity (relatively)

(d) No Accountability

What this all amounts to is the potential for extremely bad behaviour towards you or your business. If you don't like this potential outcome then stay offline. If you remain on-line then you need to by a small piece of 2x4 and strap it to your spine to stiffen it, this scenario at some point is going to happen to you. 

This list could go on for some time but I'm going to cap it there and ask you to consider 2 important questions:

(1) What are the compelling reasons for me to use social media in conjunction with my business?

(2) What are the risks associated with this?

It cannot be that you enter into social media gymnastics just because your competitors are. You will strive to perform more and more elaborately (as gymnasts do) to impress the judges (potential customers) but a mistake made could mean a fall that's critical - therefore you must judge the risks properly.

My final thought is this. In the internet age every business is a media company. Every Facebook post, every tweet, every image sent to Pintrest is an opportunity to tell a story and engage a potential customer. Consider the risks associated with social media and its inherent implications on your business and your sanity. Have a compelling reason for using it. All the best business brains know that risk taking is critical for business progression. The real trick is making a risk risk become a calculated risk. The it’s all about the calculated risks you take.