When you are getting started in social media it is important to think carefully about what you as a business are looking to achieve and drive your activities from this, from a business-led social media strategy. Jumping straight to tools and hoping they will work for you often causes problems.
A second consideration should be what is possible with different tools and how you can use them in a way that truly benefits you. Working with any social media tool, just as with any marketing or communications tool needs proper thought. And with social media people often think you can put things up and wait for consumers to start ‘engaging’ with you. This almost always won’t happen. It is one of the myths of social media. You need to work hard to get engagement going.
These are some harsh realities and the myths that often exist about social media and timely for everybody to consider:
- Nobody reads your blog unless the content is valuable and relevant, you have conversations and you build loyalty over time
- Your Twitterstream is boring unless you make it interesting with content that is relevant to your target audience and have the right mix of personality and conversation
- Your Facebook Fan Page will be empty unless you have valuable content, interaction and conversation there
- Your new social networking site will not be used unless you have valuable and relevant content, give people a reason to engage and build audience diligently with good community management
- Your great idea will not go viral unless your content is engaging and valuable and people really want to engage with you
- Users will not generate content unless you make it easy, ensure there is something in it for users who are generating the content and facilitate this with good community management
- Your employees will not help unless you enthuse, train, encourage and support them
Overall tools and technology are not the most important thing when any brand uses social media. Its your content and the people who manage and grow your activity who count!
