Why Your Social Media Campaign Is Useless

One Way Radio – Useless Social Media Campaigns

There are a lot of businesses on social media. Mostly, companies are jumping on the bandwagons of Twitter and Facebook, though some are trying out Google + or Pinterest. Unfortunately, a huge percentage of these companies are wasting their time.

Here’s the problem: companies are using new media in old ways and expecting to get results… expecting them to be broadcast like radio or TV, not realizing it’s a 2-way channel. It’s like standing on the corner with a megaphone – you’re probably just going to be ignored as background noise and annoy people. Either way, it isn’t helping you any, and it’s time that’s better spent elsewhere.

Want to be more effective with social media?  Here’s a couple things to start trying:

• Stop self-promoting.  Unless your Twitter feed or Facebook wall is designed and promoted expressly as a vehicle to make announcements, and that’s why people subscribe (like a restaurant special of the day), there is absolutely no reason for your feed to just be a list of your blog posts.
• Show some humanity.  You don’t have to have a person’s picture for your profile, especially if several people manage the account, but it can be nice to have. What you can do is show some personality.  Don’t make every post sound corporate. Give your conversation some life.
• Play nice with others.  There’s a reason why people call it “social media.” If you’re going to be social, you’re going to have to interact with other people.  Start thinking of social media as a giant party. Your feed should have a good mix of posts – your own thoughts and blog postings, sharing other people’s thoughts, interactions with others, with something fun thrown in.
• Find some followers.  It’s no fun to be alone.  Make search.twitter.com your new best friend. Find and follow people who you’re interested in. It’s okay if they don’t all follow back, some will. Look for people in your industry and people who may benefit from what you have to say. Don’t forget to talk to them!

Realize that you’re not going to be a social media expert overnight. It takes time to gain a following. If you’re proactive, consistent and social, you should be fine. If you’re finding that it’s hard to gain some traction or need some more advice, let us know.  We’d be glad to help you get social.

About The Author

We specialize in b2b, supporting the clients who are the "The Brands Behind the Brands." These are the supply chain partners of brands, either in Tier 1 or Tier 2 positions, who drive value through the delivery of goods, services and technologies. We enjoy blogging about all things related to Branding, Marketing, Inbound, Tradeshows, etc... And we're always happy to talk about any ideas you may have that might Get You To Your NEXT!