AP Photo / Twitter
It’s hard to avoid the hype surrounding social networking these days. The Milwaukee Police Department is on Twitter. Ashton Kutcher has a million followers. There are people who swear by social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook to market themselves and their wares. Should you care?
While there are some people who make it big with these apps (besides the inventors themselves), most people don’t. Far too many flail about mindlessly attempting to imitate the success-stories without really knowing what they’re doing. And many others are simply there to communicate with their friends and meet new people—hence the term "social networking".
The primary advantage of social networking is the ability to reach a large, divers, and far-flung audience cheaply. This simply cannot be done with traditional media today. In fact, one of the few surviving strategies of traditional media after the rise of the Internet is advertising. Any time you have large numbers of people channeled through a single point you can market things to them.
What has not changed with social networking is the value of quality content. Those who can provide creativity and substance will rise to the top in spite of all the “noise” inherent in the medium. Even Twitter, an application that forces users to express themselves succinctly, is not immune. I’ve only been on Twitter myself for a couple of weeks, and already I’m learning who to ignore and how to recognize “tweet spam”. Content is still king.
My advice on social networking and “the next big thing” is to pay attention to hype, but do your research. Don’t jump in unless you have a plan on how to attract positive attention and how to channel that attention into tangible gains for your business.
Commit to regular updates of your content. Stale content smells of insincerity, of someone who wanted the payoff without the effort. This doesn’t mean you have to become a Twitter addict and neglect your business. Something new every day or two, if it’s good quality, is better than fifty posts per day of drivel. You just need to make sure you’re getting in front of your audience often enough that they don’t forget you’re there.
I’m convinced that social networking should be a part of most modern marketing plans, but only a part. While the Internet has certainly changed the playing field and lowered the entry costs for business, it hasn’t changed the rules. Substance still matters. Creativity still matters. Integrity still matters. A solid business plan still matters.
Social networking provides another channel to market your business. Don’t ignore it, but don’t get too caught up in the hype.
Do you have an experience to share in using social networking in your business? Leave a comment below!
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Comments
So the old addage or "better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt" still holds true. As a hiring manager, I use social networking sites to influence my decisions. Quite often it is easy to choose between two equal candidates by the way they act online. I hear GenX and Millenials complain at me all the time that the practice of looking them up online isn't fair. Tough. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Let's be careful out there.
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