Social business is not easy. You don't just wake up and decide…
“I am going to be a social business starting today. I am going to do social, be social and kick some social butt. My clients will know I am social. My neighbors will know I am social. My world will know I am social… because I am social.”
Oh, if only it was that easy. Becoming a social business requires proper planning, goal setting, understanding of your customers, partners, relationships, the broader ecosystem, your brand, the market perception of your brand, internal culture, internal mindset, stakeholder buy-in and a million more details.
Although we know it is going to take time to become the social business we want to be and even longer for our audiences to know and believe we are doing such for the right reasons, we want it to happen now.
We must accept it isn't going to happen over night. Yet we must do the right things now to get us there.
Time to Simplify!
We must simplify instead of complicate the steps that will move us toward our goal. We can start small. We can simplify vs over complicate.
This post is an update to a post I wrote a few months ago, published on my personal blog at Pam Marketing Nut. I think the post is timeless and a good reminder for us all.
Instead of complicating, we should work together to simplify. We get caught up in tweets, pins, posts, follows, influence scores, analytics and the list goes on. We should be welcoming the newbies, making it easier for the little guys who don't have the millions to spend on Facebook ads and just want to support their family.
The Heartbeat of Social Media is People!
The heartbeat of social media is people. It's people that make the tech work, the buzz go buzz and the tweets go viral. It's people who record the video, share the family photos and the funny office pranks. It's people who write the blog posts that help us learn, drive efficiency, and inspire us to keep on keepin' on!
We must know the WHY we are business. The WHY our audience should give a rip about what we have to say. Why are we doing what we do?
It's about integrated marketing with a clear focus on business and marketing objectives. Yes, the tools are important, but it's how you use the tools that matter most. The objectives help you understand WHY you are using the tools. The conversation will be guided by the WHY your fans, followers and readers should care.
Social Media in a nut shell…
Social media requires people, conversation and a medium (i.e., tools).
In Real Life (IRL) people talk, listen, share, complain, cry, work, sing, laugh and make new friends.
In real life people hang out in social circles. They talk and laugh with peeps that make them feel good.
Now they hang out online in social circles. Circles like Google+, Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.
Guess what, online people also talk, listen, share, complain, cry work, sing, laugh, and make new friends.
Thanks to social media they can now talk, listen, share, complain, cry, work, sing, laugh, and make new friends without leaving their house.
They can do it in their bed on their iPhone, iPad, or Android with only one eye open. They can even sit in their car all day or head to their favorite coffee shop with free WiFi.
They do social via 140 characters on twitter
They do social on Facebook business pages.
They do social on Facebook personal pages.
They like.
They pin.
They buffer.
They circle.
They follow.
They laugh.
They friend.
They share.
Just like they do in real life.
Guess what else…. Social media is real.
It's not fake. It's real life.
Yes there are fakers.
There are bad peeps, trolls and bullies.
However, there are bad peeps, trolls and bullies in real life too.
However there are also gems and rockstars. There are people who can touch our heart in 140 characters or less.
There are laid off peeps, poor peeps, rich peeps, mama-preuners, CEOs and biz owners.
And guess what else… these people need friends.
They need conversation.
They need services.
They need products.
Just like in real life.
They want to buy from real people, not robots.
They want you to treat them like a human being.
Just like you would do in real life.
After all, behind the avatar they are simply people who talk, listen, share, complain, cry work, sing, laugh, and make new friends.
Find out where the people you want to talk to are hanging out.
Just like you would do in real life.
Get to know them so you can have a real conversation with them.
Don't just do social.
Don't just be social.
Be socially relevant.
Get social.
Get real.
Get business.
Get life.
It's really not that hard unless you make it so!
Got it?
