The Great Social Media Marketing Hoax!

1. Social media is the way of the future.
2. The companies that will succeed over the next 10 years will be the companies that are using social media marketing.
3. Companies that don’t embrace social media will be the same companies that are going out of business or just breaking even.
4. Social media marketing is all about being real.  It is actionable.  And it can be measured.

In 2004 you couldn’t find a book that was talking about social media much less social media marketing.  Now days everybody’s got a book on how they’ve secretly been a social media marketing guru.   

All big things start with an explosion, social media is no different.  It started with an explosion of hype.  This is what has been going on for the last couple years.  But now is the stage of bitterness because it isn’t easy.

The companies that have stuck around from 2007 and 2009 have learned how to use the tools and are becoming more productive.  These companies know how to process information and interact with clients.

These companies know that social media is real, actionable, and measurable.

You, me, clients, we are all tired of being talked at. We all want a two way dialog.  Like it or not that’s what we’ve got now.  For many, many years to come companies are going to be working themselves into a frenzy, trying to grab social media writers so they can hang on for the ride.

The companies that are left all have one thing in common, they’ve figured out this isn’t the same old game.  The old sale, sale, sale, no longer works!  Old-school marketing will have you defending your actions for years to come.

Mess around and you will have a public relations nightmare.  The last thing you want is to have bloggers calling you out for spamming comments and blasting marketing messages.

The marketplace has changed.  Your customers are in control now!  You can’t treat social media like TV, newspapers, or billboards.

What you’re seeing now is NOT an indication that the fad is over.  The businesses that will succeed in the coming years are the ones that are figuring it out right now.  They have turned the corner!  They have become productive.

We are seeing social media for what it is without the hype!  We can see the limitations.  We can see the hidden lines in the sand.  We are now learning and expanding our knowledge on how to work within those limitations.  Your competition has already started building a community.  He’s already started talking to your customers.

You’re just treading water while your competition is swimming a marathon.  Businesses that will succeed already have a blog!  Businesses that will succeed already have a Facebook page.  Businesses that will succeed already have a social media strategy in place.

Businesses are shifting from being productive centered to being customer centered.

Smart companies are improving their customer’s knowledge, customer connection technologies, an understanding of customer economics.  They are inviting customers to help design their products.  Smart companies are flexible and ready to make changes.  Smart companies are using social media to deliver a consistent message through every customer that followers or friends them.

Smart companies are utilizing more technologies such as videoconferencing, sales automation, webpages, and interacting with their clients where their clients hang out.  Smart companies are reachable seven days a week, 24 hours a day by telephone or e-mail.  Smart companies are better able to identify the more profitable customers due to their backend being built into different levels of services. These services are being distributed through channels that allow for interaction not advertising. Smart companies have found a way to deliver superior value to their customers.

Internet retailers have to find imaginative ways to exceed customer expectations.   This is done through human connection and relationship building.