Social Media’s Perception Problem(s): Everything and Nothing

@FilippoSelden thanks for sharing!

Companies and organizations should understand that they are not in control of their brands anymore, but their share their brands with an audience. Consumer has changed and brands should do the same. And social media a tool which can help. But it’s just a tool. A tool for making a dialogue, 2 way communication, interaction with fans. Because they have control in everything. They can shape your story, they influence how other people see your brand and what they say about your brand. Audience is constantly engaged with the information, conversations, entertainment and with people who they respect. So your brand need to be where your audience engage. And they are also using social media. But that's only one place. Audience love multitasking and you need to catch their attention in as many touch points as possible. But social media is only a one touch point. The strongest one if we want to engage, but still, it’s still one. There are plenty others out there. And they all should be consistent.  Audience have changed and they love to be engaged and you need to be really bold and original to stand out. Just having a social media presence is not enough. There is a hole strategy behing it, which takes a lot of resource, and most importantly, is should be consistent of your brand, your message, your tone of voice, brand strategy etc etc. You need to consider 1000 of things before setting up the fucking Facebook or Twitter account. Another thing. Remember, content is the king. No, the emperor! So, the creative idea, the core concept should be at the heart of every shit you doing. No matter, is it social media, print, TV or something else. The problem is that sometimes we do everything wrong. We forget about our brand or campaign idea. All we are focusing on is the channel, the tool. And that's wrong. „Oh, we have a new platform Pinterest! Let’s make a campaign there!” „Oh, what should we do with an QR code? Everyone is now using it! Let’s put but QR codes in all the posters we are creating! Or No, let’s put it as a main campaign idea!” And we forget about what kind of  added value for customers it will give? Every brand, company or organisation need to have a strong positioning in the Marketplace. Because the most important thing is to create a content which is designed to move brand’s story. Andi f social media can help, I give a green light for that. But that's only a tool. A very strong tool if you know how to use it. If not, it can ruin everything.

@marccusters thanks for the RT!

@markwschaefer @kmueller62 http://t.co/QS9D93PM - tips for improving Brand #retweet

@markwschaefer ha. gonna be up in the 90s and humid today with thunderstorms here

Is it everything or nothing? RT @kmueller62 Social Media's Perception Problems http://t.co/z1qzv7K9

So much of what we do is education -- education ourselves on the constant changes and educating clients (and prospects) to have real expectations instead of illusions of grandeur. Thanks for a great keep-your-feet-on-the-ground post!

OMG, Ken. Thank you for the dose of sanity garnished with a reality check. Like you, I've run into people from both these camps, and each are frustrating for different reasons. I hate to sound cliche, but the old saying "everything in moderation" may be applicable here. I agree with @pavelnovel that we should be focusing less on the medium and more on the message. Ultimately, the people and brands who "win" with social are the ones who have something to say. It doesn't have to be something worthwhile (see: Ashton Kutcher or the Kardashians on Twitter), but there has to be something that someone wants to hear. This is why, although I enjoy social and see its value, I focus my business on branding and content marketing. Social usually comes into play, but without the foundation of a strong brand and a smart content strategy, you'll just flounder ... all alone ... with the sound of crickets to keep you up at night. Not pretty. 

;) 

Great post. 

People like to thumb their nose at what they don't understand. We didn't have computers at my first job because the owners believed that computers were only used for video games.

I remember talking to them about it and what came out was they really didn't understand how to use them and found it easier to ignore them. It was "safer" that way.

@Yuricon @annedreshfield thanks for the RTs

Great post. I definitely agree that either of those two mindsets lead to failure. Yet beyond that, even understanding that both aren't true isn't enough. Social media is a tool that gives us the ability to communicate in a novel and meaningful way (that professor's ears must be burning now). I spoke with a friend regarding social media recently and compared social media to having a mouth - a mouth that you can now use digitally. It's not even about using it right - because there's no RIGHT way. It all depends on the person using the mouth and what the goals are and the identity of the person is. Like you said, tweeting for multiple clients isn't being social; strategy, branding, and proper integration are all key. 

 Nice post..I'm not going to the other end of the spectrum and doing nothing, but rather, I'm trying to find a balance.. Thanks for sharing it with us..

I just finished a guest post for @shonali that is basically an episode illustrating that first misconception, that social media is "nothing." Look for the pingback when it's posted--thanks for addressing this.

I'm still studying social media. I'm also taking a step back from it. I'm not getting rid of my online prescence but flooding the market isn't doing any good. I'm not going to the other end of the spectrum and doing nothing, but rather, I'm trying to find a balance. I've been spending too much time marketing and not enough time writing. Instead of 90/10, I want to aim for 60/40. I won't sell books I don't write.