Survey says…

Social Media Takes Time, Resources and Patience

Mistakes may be common, but common sense isn’t. A survey conducted by R2Integrated (Internet marketing / social media service provider alert!) reported by eMarketer shows that people trying to get into the social media game are getting a crash course in ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch’ as they encounter such entry barriers as these:

 of Marketing Pilgrim states in “It’s The Social Media Time and Resources, Stupid!”:

Looking at those results I wonder if there is not enough time and / or resources to do the other things listed like overcome skepticism of ROI, decide what platform, get executive buy-in, getting started and then learning the tools. Forget how much time it takes after you accomplish these things!

Once the social media marketing wannbe has cleared the hurdles stated above a curious thing happens. They realize that they still don’t’ have enough time and resources to do the social media marketing game effectively.

He recommends a very serious assessment and an audit process, so Marketers can consider what they want to achieve and see exactly which strategies are working and which are not working. By “trimming the excess marketing fat you can free up existing time and resources that were being wasted on the wrong activities.”

Reasonable Assumptions Can Avoid Unproductive Effort

, one of the founders of the social publishing and content marketing platform exploreB2B, writes on Jeff Bullas’ blog about the 15 Common Mistakes in Social Media Marketing.

Listing them in order, the are…

  1. Content = Product Talk
  2.  Contacts = Business Connections
  3. Content = Product Talk
  4. Starting a Blog = Being Heard
  5. Shouting louder = Getting attention
  6. Contacts = Newsletter Subscribers
  7. Paying more = Getting More
  8. Numbers on Infographics = Real Statistics
  9. Statistics = Facts
  10. Followers = Audience
  11. Following People = Marketing
  12. Having Connections = Having Conversations
  13. Infographics = Social Media Strategy
  14. Cats = Content
  15. Engaging in Social Media = The Masses are Listening to Me
  16. Communication = Talking without Listening

Presenting The Top 5 Social Media Marketing Mistakes

In my perspective, the top 5 mistaken assumptions from that list are these:

1. Content Isn’t Product Talk:  According to Susanna, selling a product description is a marketing technique of the past. Instead, brands should take the time, energy and resources to establish a professional reputation, tell the company story, and engage the audience. Strong content is what gets shared and gets a reaction of interest. The content should of course relate to information about the company, products or services, and yet, the chief mission should be to educate and entertain.

2. Contacts Are Not Business Connections: A large group of uninterested “friends”, “contacts” or “fans” will not spread your content, so you need to generate a meaningful dialogue or  relationship by focusing on real connections and influencers. While following people will get more attention for your content, you need to connect to the right people to drive business – thought leaders from your industry. Marketing is an integrated array of different channels and content that connect and communicate to build relationships to potential customers.

3. Starting a Blog Doesn’t Get You Heard: To get attention to your blog takes work over time. It involves commenting on others’ blogs, writing guests posts on established outlets, connecting to industry leaders, and participating in networks relevant to your business.

4. Shouting louder Doesn’t Get Attention: Status updates get lost in the massive flood of updates, so, you need to be consistent and persistent with strong material by producing high quality content  that people will eventually notice. Related to this, do not rely on something trendy, such as infographics as your sole, social media strategy. While infographics are an engaging way to present complex information, a succinct, well conceived presentation can often be easier to read, share and use. Keep your content varied, using infographics as you would charts or illustrations – to supplement consistent, well presented content.

5. Communication Isn’t Talking without Listening: As Susanna puts it: “Sharing information without listening to the existing conversations of your audience – and partaking in these dialogues yourself – is social suicide. You must listen as much as you talk; you must communicate to connect. Start listening (and responding) and your social media channels will eventually get you the exposure and ROI you desire.”

Snap! principle of realistic social marketing assumptions:

Build it to cultivate communication and relationships, and expect to put in considerable time and effort.