That’s the beginning of a quote by Nobel prize-winning author, Jose Saramago. The quote, in its entirety, is “I can’t imagine myself outside any kind of social or political involvement.” He was speaking of advancing social and political change. But the quote is true of social media as well. Can you imagine a world without Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.? Well, you probably can. And you may even dream of such a Nirvana. But the truth is, it isn’t going to happen. Humans are social creatures. Andy Warhol (wow – two controversial figures quoted in one blog post!) once said, “I have Social Disease. I have to go out every night. If I stay home one night I start spreading rumors to my dogs.” While amusing, the truth is that we all need social interaction. (As someone who often works from home in semi-isolation, I can definitely attest to this!) In the times we live, your business is no different. It simply cannot thrive without some degree of “social.” Don’t believe me? I can prove it. Just answer this question honestly:
Do you hope that current clients tell others about your business?
You obviously answered the question “yes,” so I propose this follow-up question – what is “word of mouth” if not the original social marketing platform? “Social media” (as we think of it today) is simply technology enhancing something that’s been going on since man first developed the ability to communicate. I ran across this slide show today on a site called IT Business Edge. In fairness to this site (which often does contain some great information), this slideshow was put together by a marketing company. You can tell by slide #7: Social is a team sport. Social belongs in more than just communications, PR or marketing. If you want to go fast, travel alone, but if you want to go far travel together. It’s not just a proverb; it’s a fact in the social business landscape.
What?
This slideshow has some other “information” on why half of all social media initiatives fail. Let’s talk about the quality of this information. I’ve mixed up the order to suit my own needs.
#5 – Employees are a catalyst. They suggest ensuring that employees have access to social media such as Facebook and YouTube. Really? How does your employees watching The Evolution of Dance on YouTube or playing FarmVille on Facebook help your business exactly? According to harmon.ie, a social media software provider, social media distractions can cost your business big money. Even on their own time, employees can cost you. Remember the waitress who got fired for venting about customers? How would it affect your business if one of your employees talked about your business in a negative light? Especially if that employee happens to be funny. Technology has made it very easy for us to share one another’s stories with a lot of people very quickly. And funny stories get passed around. A lot.
Rather than making social media available to everyone, it is far more important to ensure that key employees, such as sales and marketing teams, have access to social media in the workplace. And it is just as important to make sure to educate all employees on the use of their personal social media accounts. It’s one thing if employees call their best friend and vent about their jobs. It’s another if they tell their 400 Facebook friends!
#10 – Social is a research tool first. I certainly agree that social media is a research tool. But “first” implies a sequence. One of the things I run into most often is that business owners simply have no idea where to begin. So, they never do. Or if they have taken the plunge, they’ve setup a Facebook page and simply let it sit there. How is that helping anyone? In fact, if I happened across a business’ page and it was far out of date or had no information at all, I would be less likely to purchase a product or service from that business – not because I am a snob who only buys from businesses actively engaged in social media, but because I would think, “they have no idea what they’re doing.” Implying that a business must mine the tons of digital data available before doing anything else is fueling the problem, not resolving it. Start anywhere. Just start!
#11 – Go beyond the big players. This slide is about moving beyond Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. And the example they give (a genital wart medication) makes sense. They posit that people will not “like” such an item on their Facebook profile. I certainly agree with them. But they go on to suggest using an upstart platform. How would this be any better? Some products just aren’t made to be marketed on Facebook. But they could certainly leverage the power of YouTube to talk about how their product works. Unless the platform is large enough or has a way of doing things that is completely unique, it makes very little sense to move away from where the consumers of your product are gathering. It’s a proven marketing law – it’s why there are no billboards on seldom-travelled country roads.
VS. 
Some of their ideas do hold water, so to speak, even if their reasoning is baffling to me. For instance:
#4 – Spending money is important. I could not agree more. Most businesses wouldn’t try to tackle a major legal problem on their own. They would hire an attorney. The same can be said for a plumbing problem. Most businesses even have an accountant. And yet I run into business owners everyday who have tried to tackle social media on their own. Just because you use social media platforms does not make you an expert on them. You drive a car. Does this make you a mechanic? Or even a race car driver? In order to get the most out of your social marketing initiatives, hire a company that understands social media and can, at the very least, help guide you to success. (Their take is that social media needs to be bolstered by traditional media. While this certainly helps, I know of several businesses who rely strictly on social media for their marketing. Could they have additional success by adding other forms of marketing? Certainly. Do they need to? Not at all.)
And I saved the best for last – #2: A self-proclaimed guru simply isn’t. First, I’m glad I chose Swami instead of Guru as my title. Second, they go on to say that the concept of “social media marketing is roughly 2 years old.” Really? Social media marketing is as old as the idea of business. (I love the Coleman commercials touting the campground as “the original social networking site.”) Modern day “social media” is just a technological version of the oldest (and probably best) marketing method – “word of mouth.” Concept, strategy, and execution is far more important than platform in today’s social media. If Google+ suddenly replaces Facebook as the most popular social media platform, it shouldn’t cause more than a ripple in a well-designed social media strategy. The platform is nothing more than a tool, and tools can be easily replaced. If nothing else, they did get this one right, though. Clearly, they’re no gurus.
