Social Media is NOT Advertising – and Other Words to Live By

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I have been around the marketing and advertising block a time or two and I’ve seen some changes – some great and some not-so-great. However, with the advent of social media, I have seen a series of trends that I find truly disturbing: over- or underestimating social media’s importance. So, as a public service, here are three trends to avoid.

Scary Trend #1 – Not Giving Social Media Enough Credit.
While I think it’s great that many companies are jumping into the social media fray, there are some who think that social media is “for the kids,” so they underestimate its importance as a communication tool. They hand over the social media reigns to an intern in order to give him/her some “busy work,” rather than realizing the ramifications of a social media strategy that is not carefully planned. If you’re going to incorporate social media into your marketing campaign, do so deliberately. Don’t blow it off or do it halfway.

Scary Trend #2 – Giving Social Media Entirely Too Much Credit.
Some companies (and I’m not naming names!) have decided that since social media is so popular, it should take the place of an integrated communications strategy. They eliminate the rest of their marketing plan and hire a social media guru to do what an entire marketing department has not been able to do, thus setting up said guru for failure. Social media is merely one tool in your arsenal, but it does not take the place of an integrated strategy.

Scary Trend #3 – Too Much To Soon
If you’re at all active in social media, you know this scenario all too well: you start following a company on a social media site because you like the brand. Next thing you know, you’re bombarded with promotional messages, product information, and generic messages, much like getting stuck in the corner at a party, talking to some blowhard who only wants to talk about himself. If you don’t want to engage your customers in a dialog, then skip social media and buy some spots, already.

Sara Barton is a copywriter, social media strategist, and avid blogger who is in search of her next opportunity. Contact her via twitter, LinkedIn, or her blog.

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