Social Media Isn't Sacred But It May Prove To Be Your Salvation . . . And It Darn Sure Is An Exceptional Marketing Tool

This post is sure to irritate a bunch of people and I'm good with that. I've come to many of these conclusions through exhaustive testing and research and these represent the beginning of what will be a distillation in writing of many of my thoughts.

I'm a big fan of testing. In fact, as a teacher, I don't teach people strategies that I haven't tried myself and been able to have success with. As a marketing and persuasion consultant, I don't ask my clients to take advice or try an idea I haven't already tested myself using my own money. I'm a big believer in realistic (and unconventional) marketing, advertising and sales.

Stick with me, that relates to social media.

From a marketer and persuader standpoint, everything is social media. If you go to your Friday poker game or your bible study and talk about what's happening now, you are spreading a message. If you are the most vocal or influential person in the room, you own the most mind share for the moment.

Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Digg, and any of the 1000's of other "social media" outlets are no different, they are simply distribution mechanisms for your message or messages you deem important. But, it is still the person with the most interesting thing to say that has the most listeners who believe them and who are willing to continue the conversation that ultimately dominates the conversation.

So many people say that social media is the "people's media" as if it somehow takes the bias and control away from big media today. And that is really sort of absurd. Everyone who starts a blog, who logs onto Twitter, who creates a facebook page or who soundly makes their opinion known to their co-workers are not "the people" they are simply people with an agenda . . . sort of like big media which at least has some requirements around being truthful, no one governs what shows up in a YouTube video or in a tweet stream. That's not all bad except most people are too willing to accept what they see and hear online as real.

All of that said, I'm a huge fan of social media because I agree it gives everyone a voice. It gives the average person a chance to be heard and to share what is real for them. It also gives immediacy and uncensored views of events as they unfold so you can make your own decision . . . and then become a pundit and analyze and defend your analysis both ways.

But social media isn't sacred. It isn't "the people's media" in the social leveling sense, everyone has an agenda and those agendas show up every day . . . which makes it a brilliant marketing tool. And, fame becomes more desirable to some, to the point of increasing narcissism in the United States as people are adored by people they've never met. Fame also becomes less desirable to others because they can't get it or because they realize that a significant price comes with visible fame.

Ashton Kutcher just broke the million follower mark on Twitter today and Oprah had him on her show via Skype to talk about it. Ashton said that social media "democratizes media" that it gives everyone a voice. But having a voice shouting into the wilderness or a crowd who is shouting with you about their own self interest goes equally unheard. Ashton is right though, actors, companies, and individuals can fight back if they are wronged and get the message out to those who want to hear it in an unedited way, minus the spin, minus the press agent and fast.

But while Kutcher got a million followers and did some very nice things (he donated 10,000 mosquito nets to Malaria No More and got some of his big name friends like Oprah and CNN, to do the same) he didn't really create any relationships. He didn't become more accessible, he simply became more visible and will fade into the background of consciousness and lack of relevancy until he does something else interesting. And that is exactly the wrong thing to do with social media.

See what social media does is give YOU the opportunity to create a following of people who like you, who think like you and who want more of the same things you want. It allows you to reach out and connect with people you'd likely not know or reach otherwise, to connect with them, to develop a relationship, to become relevant and thus heard and not just counted.

Social media has also done something else that was very nice, it has caused people who were locked behind computer screens to venture out and meet each other in real time. Meetups, Tweetups and all kinds of other social media gathers have become the new rock concerts where people connect and deepen relationships. And that is very cool . . . and profitable if you are a marketer.

I posted a question on Twitter today, the question was "would you take money to endorse a product or person in your tweets?"

19% of the people said yes
23% of the people said no
58% of the people said other

It was the others that were most interesting.

Of the people who chose other and left a comment the most frequent was "Yes, if I believed in the product, if I used it, if I knew it was good and was likely to endorse it anyway."

In reality, well over 80% of the people said yes they would. And here is the thing. Social media is where the Internet was 20 years ago. People who missed their chance at the big game when the Internet came to town are looking closely at social media and saying "hold on a minute, there is another chance for me to create something here." That something they hope will become their future, their income, their shot at the golden ring . . . and it likely can. Many people are just now figuring out how to do it. People like Chris Guillebeau and Fame Fifteen both who've figured out ways to create a life of their own choosing by being people and using social media, but not by trying to say that social media is sacred and not to be used for shameless self promotion. Media has always been about making money, spreading the word that you want spread and creating some icons while destroying others.

I hope you'll think closely about what you want from social media and how you intend to use it. Social media isn't a fad, it is simply an evolution of the media. Big media isn't going away, how they show up and how they print the news will evolve but there will always be big media and their agenda.

Social media is a tool to spread your message to people who want to hear from you but it is not a tool to ram unsophisticated marketing and messaging down people's throat. In an over-communicated society the last thing anyone wants or needs is someone else screaming at them. I now unsubscribe from anyone on Twitter whom I follow who immediately responds with a canned auto-response about making money online (especially with Twitter). I immediately subscribe to anyone I see doing something eloquent or whom I see as compelling. Some of the brightest minds today are easily accessible on Twitter, Facebook, and through their blogs.

I challenge you to ask the question that I asked of myself in an earlier post, "Why do I matter to you?" The you in that question is your customer, prospect, or member of your audience. The better you can answer that question the better your conversations become. The better your conversations become, the more interesting, meaningful and important you become. The more interesting, meaningful and important you become, the more relevant you become. And, the more relevant you become the more profitable you become.

I truly believe that there is tremendous opportunity for marketers and entrepreneurs in Social Media and that there will be many new companies, jobs, businesses and opportunities that spring up out of the evolution that is occurring right now. The question you have to ask and answer much faster than you did 20 years ago is, what do I want from my life, how can this help me get it and how do I make it happen leveraging the technology that is here today.

In that answer lies your future.

Social media allows you to create independence, how will you create and celebrate yours?

If you are reading this, take the time to leave a comment below, tell me what you think, I'd like to have a conversation and I'm interested in your thoughts.

Comments

[Ryan Healy]

Great post, Dave. I agree that social media is experiencing a boom of sorts, and the early adopters will benefit easier than those who come late to the game.

But coming early is no guarantee of success.

And while social media gives everyone a voice, it still takes time and effort for somebody who is unknown to really cultivate a following.

People who are famous or have achieved big things elsewhere already have a small universe of people following them. So naturally it's easier for them to transfer success in one area to another (social media, for example).

But as you pointed out, just getting attention isn't exactly the best use of social media. You really need to connect with people and cultivate relationships that will last.

Thanks again for the excellent post.

Ryan

[Ken Foody]

Dave:

Well put my friend. I'm one of those go getter type of personalities who hates playing catch up and as tech and internet savvy as I am, I'm less than 90 days old on Twitter and Youtube and others. I HATE FEELING LIKE I'M PLAYING CATCH UP - I'm the type who wants to see what's next on the horizon soon. Curious what your opinion is on the structured evolution and distillation of Social Media will be in the near and distant future.

Hit me back when you can -

Ken Foody
@kenfoody
www.kenfoody.com - my upcoming blog - told you I was still playing catch-up :)

[PlanetSomewhere]

Dave,
I am impressed with your deep insight into "Social Media". I especially was entertained by your remarks regarding the big media type hype, as well as your remarks on "trying before you market it." The beauty of this place "Internet Social Community" is that your message and products can be entertained all of the globe. You have more exposure than anyone could truly really ever believe if they are new to the block, such as myself.
When viewing ideas, such as the one distributed by "Kutcher", one can see it as an admirable act. It certainly makes sense to use your "Celebrity" image to draw attention, but as you said, it is short lived, and is a short fad. I mean is the point to be generous and kind by giving something up, such as a few bucks for a few nets, or is it just to become more recognized as the celebrity that could? I mean, with the amount of capital one has in that business, it almost seems thorny to use social image to draw up oneself, and then show the sign of good faith towards humanity. I mean we already know who your are. We have seen your TV show, seen you on MTV, seen you in the Hollywood lime-light, and for those who actually cared, saw you in those Calvin Kline ads. So we know who you are, we have an idea of what you are worth as a celebrity, but now we have to join your Twitter list to get you to give up what we already overpaid for in the first place (Cable, Movie tickets, etc.)....Just give it up, and then maybe your act would seem more admirable...Don't get me wrong, it maintains admiration, but it should not be something we have to work harder and harder to get you to do something which you should do on your own cognizance. Just my two cents, and take it for what it's worth, but I am glad you pointed it out...All the power to ya..
The second point I truly appreciated was the one you make on the marketing of a product of which you may be compensated for just for advertising. I agree that I product should be tested out before it can be truly marketed. One can not and should not advocate for something of which truly lacks value. It seems merely unethical on its face. Again, just my two cents and I am glad you threw that out as a discussion point, and am further glad you took the time to actually derive that statement as a result of your viewers contribution to the survey. Keep up the good work.
Last but not least, I am a newbie in this adventurous place of social networking. I sort of just stumbled into it, and although I still feeling my way around, I am beginning to see the value which it provides. It may be prosperous for me at some point, but for now I am just merely a visitor. I appreciate all the exposure one could acquire if they in fact do pursue the implementation of a product or service, but as I discussed earlier, if it is going to be marketed by another, then it must first be tested in order to provide honest feedback. Who knows, I may be part of the "crew" at some point.
Well Dave, than you for providing your two cents on Social Media and Marketing. The world is vast and hopefully the corporate world does not infringe on the turf too much as to trip up the true innovation of the world. We all have talents, and should have the opportunity to not only share our products, but to also have the ability to have them fairly heard. The world is vast, and our potential is great. Keep up the awesome work, and keep up the great inspiration. The world is your humble abode, and it is free for the taking, but always keep the eye of the whole in mind. Take care and be well....Planet

[Honey Parker]

Dave,

OK, as I started reading this I was thinking back to when agency people were balking about the internet. (Yes, I am that old) It was purely fear-based. Fear that they would have to learn something new and maybe not measure up. Then of course you spoke to that.
The difference I see in social media (done well) is that unlike any before, marketers have to step out from behind the curtain. Their personalities are as intermingled with the success of a product or service as the product itself. And as with all things social, some folks are great at it and some are that guy at the party that you try not to make eye contact with. Too forced, to pushy, to uncomfortable, etc.
Where I think social media really shines is in the hands of an interesting person who truly a) believes in what they're talking about and b) cares about who's listening. People can smell a disingenuous post a mega bite away.
Anyway, thanks for the post. I enjoyed the read. But then again, you are one of those folks who is both interesting and interested.

[Scott Hutchinson]

I've been Blogging for several years and will have been on Facebook a year next week.

My Blogging Audience has mostly been limited to people I know "IRL" (in real life).

As silly as Twitter seems (I have not ventured there yet), I do see the value and power of Facebook status messages - which as I understand Twitter, is effectively the same thing.

For people already in the Media game (performing artists, authors, etc.) I can see how publishing a link to buy your latest (book, CD, etc) before the Public, or to offer a special price could produce an influx of income from your followers, I fail to see how it can have the same type of impact for others.

I have no product to sell as such. I know you say that everyone is always selling something to someone, but I am missing how it applies here. My Facebook Status won't get me a raise (although it could cost me my job). Even from the perspective of building a Persona it seeme to be of limited usefulness due to its perishability.

I figure that I am not seeing the "Big Picure" here. I'm hoping you can help me to broaden my perspective.

I just added you as a Friend on Facebook, so if you want to respond directly, that's the best way.

[Katie]

Nice post. I still find myself mostly using social media (especially twitter) for social purposes.

I have been very fortunate to meet in person several of the people I follow and interact with on twitter, and that to me is one of the biggest values I have gained from my participation in social media.

I am not opposed to the use of social media for marketing - and some people do it VERY well - although pushiness and spamming, regardless of the medium, is very unattractive and will cause me to quickly stop following any person who engages in that behavior.

I am also not a celebrity follower, so I look at stunts like Kutcher's as simply that - stunts to gain more attention, and not very useful to the medium in the long run.

Instead, I'll value the relationships I've built, appreciate and share the amazing resources that have been shared with me, and continue to grow my followers organically through interaction and exchange of value.

But then, that's my personal bias :-)

[Mike Brockman]

I agree that social media will continue to grow and evolve over the next few years, however it will never completely eradicate the regular mass media we're all so used to.
Now that reports of people having great success with the social networking sites is appearing on television and in the press, more and more regular people are looking into it.
Social media marketing has become a great tool for many website owners to promote their products.
However, the key to long-term success with this form of marketing is all centred around relationship building and providing value to friends and followers.

[Carol Surface]

Hi Dave,

Right on post. I answered your "relevancy question" with the words, "you get it," and that certainly applies here. Your deep thinking and expression of this new phenomena is helping me answer the questions on my mind about what "social media" is all about. On one hand I tend to think it is superficial socializing and a way for people to put more distance between themselves and actual human contact. "Safe" socializing, if you will. Because of technology, I regret to say, this is becoming the norm in our everyday communication. As a "relationship person" this is a big disappointment to me. But as a business person, the ability to reach people all over the world cannot be underestimated.
How can we build genuine relationships through this new media? It is a great big new sandbox out there and for my money, will take time and practice to learn how to play well with others.

[Carol Jones]

DAVID,

Greetings from rural Australia.

TWITTER! I think it's in danger of becoming a worst pest than SPAM on the internet.

I'm in awe of the concept that there are people out there in cyberspace who are hanging out for every one of a person's 150 character TWITS. I know, the term is TWEETS, but I prefer TWITS because that’s what many of them sound like.

I have many of your books, David, and a major concept I've learned from you is that whatever message you have to tell, make sure that it's relevant to the person who receives it. And to make sure you're talking about THEM. Therefore, if you have several target markets, change your message for each market segment. And make sure your message is about THEM.

TWITS go against this premise. Each message is geared towards cyberspace at large, regardless of who might be reading the message. And TWITTER is all about people who want to talk about themselves.

Although I don't use TWITTER, my FACEBOOK friends aren't shy about leaving their TWITTER comments on my FACEBOOK page. And most of them are frivolous. Many are like listening to a mobile phone conversation at the airport. There's much left out and not much of it makes sense.

I think TWITTER is an example of advertising reaching manic levels. One more magazine comes out, in your market segment, and you're pressured into advertising in it or lose some awareness on the part of your potential customers.

Just because everyone else is doing it, is not a good reason to do anything.

I wonder if someone who uses TWITTER asks themselves these questions. How much QUALITY information do you really read on messages left on TWITTER? And what's the overall image you're leaving behind for the people who know you and perhaps do business with you?

Leaving a TWIT about what you have for lunch, what your week-end was like, your mental musings, can easily fall into the category of, 'too much information'.

It’s the celebrity trash/cringe factor brought down to everyone's level. People may love reading about you, BUT, what opinion are they forming as they read through your TWITS? Positive? Negative? Or worse, do they just find you boring and trivial?

This is a purely personal opinion and it's not fashionable to swim against the tide. But I've been doing it all my life and my gut feeling has rarely let me down.

And it is this. That by using TWITTER, men and women unwittingly put themselves into the 'less than professional' category for a certain class of reader or potential client.

Even though there are some very high profile business people using it, in many cases their usage of it makes no sense and I'm sure it tarnishes their image in the minds of quite a few people.

A simple point to remember. As you mature, your view of yourself changes. As does your status in your personal and business life. You at 25 are not the same person as you at 45. What you post on the internet is there forever, in its original format, with no reference to your age when you posted it. Be circumspect about what you share with others. If you're not, it may come back to bite you on your derrière when you least expect it.

Especially as TWITTER is ripe for abuse. And will be abused. Just because it can be abused with very little effort.

A case in point is its abuse by an employee of Hugh Jackman, who recently left a TWIT about Hugh that couldn't possibly have taken place. It had to be explained away by an embarrassed Hugh Jackman as not being posted by him.

The media picked this up and in a nanosecond the anti-TWITTER jokes started to fly, which diminishes the image of TWITTER even further. Once it becomes a general laughing stock, it will be deserted faster than a rave party when the police arrive.

We're all different and I admit that I'm an old fashioned girl. I prefer getting to know people one on one. It holds more meaning for me and the depth of the relationship becomes deeper with every meeting. I love my one on one emails with my customers and I love the fact they take the time to tell me about themselves. In more than 150 characters.

In the 14 years since I started this business, I've made more friends through my personal approach to my customers than I could ever hope to achieve using TWITTER. These are all long distance relationships conducted via email, the telephone or snail mail.

I have formed a deep bond with my customers that has faithfully accompanied me on my 14 year journey along the yellow brick road of my business.

Yes, these relationships take time to develop, but it's worth doing because they have depth and meaning.

How long does a TWITTER relationship last? Perhaps only as long as your last TWIT? And does TWITTER allow for the development of long term relationships, or is it a short term popularity contest, much like Valentine's Day at school? Remember Valentine's Day? Your status on the day was determined by how many Valentine cards you received. Hardly a measure of your true worth.

Very few people agree with my opinion. And only in hindsight will I be considered ahead of the pack or woefully left behind.

David, thank you for providing the platform for so many people to voice their opinion. This is the true value of social media.

Take care,

CAROL

Carol Jones
Director
Interface Pty Ltd
Ilford NSW 2850 Australia
Tel: 02 63 58 85 11
Designers of The Fitz Like A Glove (tm) Ironing Board Cover
Our simple design solutions make every product a joy to use.
http://www.interfaceaustralia.com

[Kaye Dennan]

Hi from Mooloolaba, Australia

Dave, interesting reading all the comments as well as your informative post.

I am a Twitter fan, although in saying that I am still learning the business angle. What I like about Twitter is the fact that you can use it so quickly and quickly remove anyone who constantly makes useless remarks.

I am in it for business and have found some wonderful connects through it and some great information, like this post for example.

I will be following more of your comments Dave.

Small Business and Solo Entrepreneur

[pam metzger]

Dave, I enjoy following you on Twitter and often click on your links. This is a great article. I am working hard to make converts out of some "old salty dogs" in my company who don't want to change, and if they try something new they will only continue with it if they see instant results. Social media takes time, but with the Gen X, Y and Millenial consumers time is what it takes to win loyalty and trust in your brand and your expertise. Thanks for sharing your thoughts .... I will keep reading!

[Dissertation Topics]

Blogs are so informative where we get lots of information on any topic. Nice job keep it up!!