Social Media Marketing is not about Massive Online Visibility
November 24, 2008 · Social Media Marketing
I’m keeping this post short, but had to vent some frustration over the reckless information I’ve been reading lately in the blogosphere. Last week alone, my team signed on 5 clients who had the same misguided advise from their so-called social media experts, who are not only misguiding but borderline opportunistic in their advice.
There are a ton of so-called social media experts these days totting the need to simply have massive online visibility in order to leverage the power of social media marketing. What a totally misguided and massively incorrect load of crap. I’ve never heard of anything so absurd in my decade in online marketing. Let’s get this straight: massive online visibility is NOT, i repeat NOT what social media marketing is about. Not even close. And, another thing… I might as well just get some things off my chest…
Run Forrest Run…
Especially if you hear things like this from your so-called social media expert:
“Most people spend about 10 hours a week managing all of their social media presences, but don’t worry, I can show you how to completely automate everything in social media.”
Okay, maybe it’s just me, but can you really automate relationships and conversations?
“Cut-n-paste your response to every single person you connect with, they don’t pay attention, it’s about visibility and getting in front of them.”
I’m not even going to comment on this one.
“Trust me, your audience is on Twitter and Facebook, everyone is.”
Research, research, research… show me the research.
“SEO is completely irrelevant now, all you need is to post keywords in all your updates.”
Anyone who believes the search engines are no longer relevant, needs to share whatever it is they are toking on.
“Don’t worry, social media is only about authenticity. Just be yourself and you’ll attract your ideal client.”
Okay, does this sound as ridiculous to anyone else as it does to me?
Social Media Reality Check
Social media is NOT about massive visibility. It IS about being at the right place, in the right conversation, with the right audience. Simply throwing a net across the Internet and catching what you catch is not only a waste of increasingly valuable company resources, it’s can actually backfire.
Social media is NOT the new selling tool, every business needs to participate in. Social media does not make the sale. Social media can not magically increase your conversion rates. Social media, if used for sales, has an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT sales cycle, by it’s very nature. Social media can facilitate lessoning the friction factors that are involved in the decision making process for buyers.
Social media is NOT the end all of online marketing. Yes, early adopters and internet marketers have jumped on the bandwagon, and somehow we’ve painted a beautiful picture of the miracles that social media can achieve. Listen small business, don’t get caught into that bubble view of online marketing.
A social media expert is not an expert because they are on Facebook or claim to be an expert. Seriously, do you know how many people have “social media expert” or “online visibility expert” on their blog or social media profiles? Simply too many to even start counting.
Big Advice
Listen small business owner, if you wanted to hire a web designer, would you not ask to see their portfolio and actually speak to past and existing clients? Would you not do your research?
Then why in the haiti would you NOT ask a social media expert, blog marketing expert, or other online marketing expert for their detailed portfolio with specific metrics and information about results?
Seems like a no brainer to me.
Update: Social Media Strategy Buzz from Across the Net
[12/11/08] Using SEO and Analytics to Create a Social Media Strategy with Jacob Morgan
Related Diva Posts:
- Social Media Marketing is Leverage King on the Net!
- Conversational Marketing for Solopreneurs… Client Study Updates.
- Is your website Social Media Marketing Ready?
- Your social media marketing audience is different, treat them accordingly.
- Social Media Marketing is not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution for Online Marketing
Check Out the Conversation on FriendFeed 
Wow Maria! You really did speak your mind. : )
One thing I KEEP stressing to my clients is the importance of the OVERALL picture.
The strategy and not the tactic. The INTEGRATION of the tactics.
SEO is FAR from dead-unless Google is…and who comes after Google? (Someone surely…)
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WebSuccessDiva Reply:
November 25th, 2008 at 12:17 am
I know I didn’t make a lot of friends with this post, it’s frustrating - being one of the experts that cleans up after the others
You are so right, the overall picture is critical 
Thanks for your comments.
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Scene One: Maria opens front door to young man with a pretty box.
Young man: My name is Forrest Grump and my Momma say we’re related, sociably that is!
Maria: Holy Flamingoes!!
Forrest: Yes we is and my Momma say if I don’t give this box of chocolates to auntie Maria WSD real quick, she’s gunna blow a fuse by heavens, yes she will.
Director waving a white flag: actually I loved the rant, honesty is becoming rarer amongst guru’s in my experience, so thanks for both barrels..10 out of ten!
Sound guys creeping off set: she emptied both barrels, right?
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Great post. Public Relations practitioners should get this. Sadly, many don’t.
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Excellent post! Nothing like a cold shower. I find the hype really annoying. Having seen so many technologies come and go in the online space over the last 16 years, I want to scream “SHOW ME THE MONEY” to the purveyors of pap. I always explain to small biz that they need to get their SEO right first even before thinking about a blog. So many of them hear the hype and think the sales floodgates will open if they join FB or Twitter or get a blog. Get the fundamentals right on your site first. Good content,good linking structure, good backlinks THEN look at social media.
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Hmmmm. I hate to go against the grain, and normally don’t make what might be controversial posts, but I do want to point out a few things that you haven’t mentioned.
1) I don’t know you personally, but because I am using an automated program (TweetLater), I was able to find a post from you and find out about you. I have had no social interaction with you, and yet, your online visibility is being automatically increased without you doing anything. So sometimes social networking and social media IS about online visibility.
2) You can only connect with so many people personally. If business is based on social networking only being between individuals in an active relationship, you cannot do business with more people than you can talk to in a week.
3) Social media and networking sites increase your search engine rankings - and I can prove it with my own videos and posts. I post, I show up on the front page of Google. I don’t post, and I disappear. It’s been that way for YEARS.
4) Social Media can and has made the sale, at least in my case. Someone else mentions me, people check me out, and I end up with a new subscriber or a new client. I ended up being hired as Lifetime Television’s Podcasting Consultant NOT because of a relationship, but because the head of IT was listening to my business podcast and liked what I did.
I don’t believe social media and social networking can replace all traditional marketing strategies, but they can do a heck of a lot more than traditional methods can in a shorter period of time. Social media and social networks are a viable way to increase your online visibility, search engine rankings, and therefore bring more potential clients to you, as well as allow you to build relationships. Social media and networks, and automation tools, allow more people to discover you and learn about you than you can do in any other way, which may eventually lead to actual relationships.
So I disagree with what appears to be a complete dismissal of social media as a viable way to increase online visibility, search engine rankings, and as a sales model. Social media and social networking are used in different ways to different people, just like the Twitterers who don’t like animated avatars and therefore think they should be banned.
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Hey Maria - great post! We’re suffering some of the same problems here in the UK too - I’ll be forwarding this on to a few people…
Social Media Agency´s last blog post..The secrets of marketing in a 2.0 world
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WebSuccessDiva Reply:
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:51 am
Thanks for stopping by
I appreciate your comments!
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