Like lots of new things that came before it, social media is getting a lot of unwarranted attention. Is it because of the venture capital $ flowing in? I’d guess so. In my experience, (and actual studies have shown this) 80% of the posts are babble.

Most businesses are using the technology as if it was broadcast television. In the testing I’ve done, most are not even listening, or if they are, they’re not responding to the opportunity. They are just blasting out messages. Do I really want or need to read about the latest JetBlue deal 10 times a day?

Assuming microblogs find a way to pay off investors and fund themselves permanently, there will be a place for them. After all, humans like to socialize. Smart companies will learn to integrate intelligently.

A recent WSJ article showcased intelligent usage by a few leading agencies and brands. In the case of Harrah’s, they updated their website with content and iconic images in response to what they heard on social networks and their profits jumped “by a double-digit percent.” (You need a subscription to read the whole article here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703819904574551562382557556.html?mod=googlenews_wsj)

Now I’m gonna rant back at cha.

I still say Twitter and Facebook aren’t ideal for “all” businesses. It’s hard to create a following for mousetraps

As you know many (too many) of my clients are very small businesses and when I consult with them, I recommend whatever the most promising path of online presence might be, whether it’s an expanded site, a blog, SMM, an e-newsletter, whatever fits their business.

But I still battle the “time” issue. I’ve got one client that I set up a blog for, because they definitely have an opportunity to build a fan base. I have another client that would also benefit greatly, in the same way. But SMM and blogs always seem to fall to the bottom of the client’s priority list. Breaking them out of the old molds for marketing & advertising is tough and I get very frustrated.

Re SMM in general I happened to be hobnobbing with a large Asheville firm’s CEO recently at a BBB event and he told me they do all their SMM in-house… which is smart.

It does not make sense for a consultant like me to be “doing” SMM on behalf of just about any company. The small businesses can’t afford to pay me for the time (and won’t do it themselves) and the big firms who are smart have employees for it.

I don’t know – is this the “Asheville Syndrome” rearing its ugly head again?

More thoughts about how independent consultants fit into the whole picture would be very welcome.

Fiona

Scott, thanks to you also. Interesting thought about blogs being part of social media. I guess that could be true. It’s just that blogs have been around since 1999 and social media as a term has only come around since 2006 or so. Therefore, it’s difficult for me to group them in. I tend to think of blogs, podcasts, and online video (YouTube) as NEW MEDIA, not Social Media. But clearly, they have social components.
(But that just may be me.)

I consider a blog part of social media — although, it’s not a social network like Facebook and Twitter.

Whichever terms we choose — content marketing, social media marketing, social networking, email marketing, advertising — these tools work best in combination. The right mix of tools, the right message(s), audience segmentation, and a clear call to action lead to success.

OK here’s my tip on social media visibility – before you can be visible you need to have something for people to see – write something original (yes blogs are not dead), start up a YouTube channel, do a podcast – whatever is your thing just make it yours – you need some original content, somehwere! Think of it this way Twitter, Facebook are fast moving shallow streams – a blog is a deep lake. If you don’t create then you’re simply “pushing noise” and that will make you invisible at best and at worst boring.