Do you consider yourself an insane social media marketer?
Probably not! I am guessing you are here because you are just curious to see what "others" are doing wrong. The sad truth is that most social media marketers are insane on some level!
If you think my theory is bogus, I encourage you to read through the 7 hazards and we will have a "sanity check!" later on.
Introducing the 7 hazards of highly insane social media marketers, in no particular order because all of them are equally insane!
1. Create Mediocre Presence In Zillion Social Networks!
Is it better to have mediocre presence in so many social networks or to focus on creating a solid social influence in selected few?
The answer to this question is so obvious but perhaps the question coming won't be as easy: How can you choose the best social media networks to focus on?
Find out where your target market is most present and be there! That's it!
(Determining the right social channels for you may require some effort but it is very important for marketers to stand on a solid ground, knowing for certain that they are fishing were the fish are!)
2. Misinterpret Social Media Analytics Data!
Are you happy with your number of Facebook page fans? Are you fooling yourself into believing that the sheer number reflects your Facebook ROI?
I am sorry to shock you but number of fans/followers can only serve as a popularity indicator to people who visit your social profiles for the first time! Other than that, it means nothing!
Even from a visibility standpoint, if your fans visit your page every blue moon and never engage with your content (like/share/comment), your updates will NOT appear in their news feeds!
That's why; it is a big mistake to count on fans/followers/friends numbers when evaluating your social media performance. Alternatively, you should look at your active fans interactions and link them to ROI.
(I have presented a very basic example here. All in all, you need to be careful with the meanings you put to social media data as they can be very misleading!)
3. Keep Doing What Didn't Work The Past!
That's the exact definition of insanity: taking the same actions under the same circumstances and hoping to achieve different outcomes!
Insane marketers don't bother monitoring their social media efforts and, even those who do, don't dig deep enough to realize where they went wrong so they can avoid it in the future.
(Here is a great tip for you: Now that you are starting 2012, take some time to reflect on last year's SMM results. Be positive and look at your shortcomings as a learning experience, making sure to continue doing what worked and enhance it for optimal results. This way, you will become your own success model.)
4. NEVER Schedule Social Media Time!
In his masterpiece "Awaken The Giant Within", Anthony Robbins noted that you can "should" all over yourself but what you make a must is what you will end up accomplishing.
If you believe that social media marketing is an integral part of your business, dedicate a specific number of hours to it and schedule it in your weekly calendar. Then, stick to it!
(Not having a consistent social presence makes all your previous relationship building efforts ineffective because people won't remember someone who shows up every blue moon!)
5. Bore People To Tears With Unbearable Sales Pitch!
Social media is not an advertising medium! Still, it boggles my mind that many marketers are using it to broadcast their promotions and sales offers, completely overlooking the relationship nurturing side of SMM!
(These super-annoying marketers end to up with zero traffic, zero followers and zero social media sales! Don't be one of them. )
6. Don't Bother Managing Online Reputation!
In spite of the endless brand monitoring tools available at their fingertips, some outrageously insane marketers have no time to pay attention to what people are saying about their brands on social media.
This is a very costly mistake that could lead to angry customers trashing their online reputation in a matter of hours.
(Smart marketers, on the other hand, are always alert and respond in real-time to negative comments and customer's complaints. In doing so, they can turn angry customers into brand advocates! I love that thought! )
7. Nah! You Don't Need A "Frickin" Strategy!
I hate to be the one spoiling the "let's go with the flow!" mentality of some marketers but having a solid social media strategy is not a luxury, it's a must!
Some marketers dread the word "strategy" as it sounds like a time-consuming and daunting task! It doesn't have to be: Your SMM plan can be a work in progress that you keep improving and tweaking over time. In fact, you can do it in one hour using the Lean Canvas business planning approach. The following video tutorial explains Lean Canvas in 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Time For Sanity Check
In the beginning of the article, I mentioned that we will be doing a sanity check for persistent readers who will walk through the 7 hazards! Do you see yourself falling into some of these hazards? What other hazards can you add to the list?
I love to know your thoughts in the comments. And I will leave you with thought: No gain in being insane!