Social Media! Web 2.0! Twitter! Some other random buzzword!
I realized while writing my last post about press releases optimized for social media and SEO that "social media" may not mean anything to some readers and to others (particularly the early adopter types) it may mean the world. Some folks even react to the term with religious fervor.
But you know what, "social media" isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread. Nor is Web 2.0. Nor is Twitter.
I know it’s what everyone in the blogosphere keeps buzzing about, and when you hear it enough it makes you want to get in on the action. But guess what? Most people in your target market I bet don’t have a clue what such buzz words mean, nor how to use them even if they did. The fact of the matter is, not every new thing will be right for your business.
So what I'm saying is: Don’t just get involved in something because everyone else is. If everyone else was jumping off a bridge, does that mean you should too? (with the exception of bungee jumping, of course! 
) If you are going to get involved with a new technology, don’t just jump head first without taking the time to understand what you are about to get into.
For example... a lot, and I mean A LOT, of social media sites will start ranking for your name if you use them heavily and garner several links pointing to your profile pages. Because of this, it they can be used as great reputation management tools and push down some bad press. But at the same time you can inadvertently misuse them and end up putting a face of your business forward that you don’t want the public to see.
You've been warned.
3 comments
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This is great wisdom Stephan. Social Media is best used when a plan is in place to keep it current and to continue to build relationships. A business chasing after each new technology because it is new and fun, then abandoning it for the next cool tool is a wasted effort. It would be advisable to research tools, your target audience, create a plan and work the plan. Be sure to have good analytics in place too to measure the results. Then fine tune your efforts and revise your plan based on the findings of your results. Give it some time though. Just like off-line relationships, social media takes time to build momentum and equity results.
Comment by Debra Hermsmeier [Visitor] · http://www.good-doggie.com — 07/09/08 @ 08:54
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I do agree with you to some extent but then again social media has its own relevance.
Comment by E- Business Solutions [Visitor] · http://www.pragmites.com/e-commerce.html — 07/17/08 @ 01:52
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Hi Stephan,
It's a good point. I can spend a day discussing social media and web marketing across myriad platforms, but when I come home my fiancée hasn't a clue what I'm talking about! That's not because she's disinterested; it's because many of the most "exciting" new media tools are yet to break into popular consciousness. The only reason Twitter is useful to me is because I work with many web designers and developers who use Twitter. Only two of my non-geek friends have joined Twitter, and neither of them use it! I'm sure this will change, but it will take a bit of time.Comment by Leif Kendall [Visitor]
· http://kendallcopywriting.co,uk —
07/22/08 @ 05:36
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