Have you fallen victim to all the social media hype?
That someone who calls themselves an “expert” told you that you needed to have a Facebook fan page?
That someone who calls themself a “guru” convinced you that you should have a Twitter account?
Being the awesome “open to new ideas” small business owner that you are, you followed their directions, or hired them to setup your social media accounts.
You probably felt like a kid in a candy store, overwhelmed by anticipation, expecting a sugary high filled with a line of new customers just waiting to bang down your door to do business with you.
Except all you got was a bad taste in your mouth. The sugar quickly dissipated from your body, all you were left with was more work on your plate to manage all these new accounts, and not too many people knocking.
What happened? You were promised panacea, the promised land of fixing all your small business woes.
I know. I’ve been down this road already. Before starting down the road to small business market domination, I have faltered and fallen just like most every person reading this article.
What THEY Didn’t Tell You!
I am here today to call out the “social media experts”, and the “social media gurus”. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves for hopping on the social media bandwagon of hype and for what you preach. Let me rephrase that, for most of what you preach.
I will say this. The one great piece of advice I hear from the social media community is the need for engagement. That in order for you to get more business, you have to earn it, through two-way communication.
Okay, so you are engaging, then why isn’t the phone and cash register ringing off the hook, or just ringing?
Because what they didn’t tell you is that content is the engine that drives social media. Without consistently new content, all you have is a one hit wonder that is doomed for obscurity.
Think about all the Facebook fan pages that are created and the last message posted was six months ago.
Likewise, think about all the Twitter accounts that are started, a few people are followed, a couple tweets go out, and then the account is left dormant.
The main reason that these social media accounts are abandoned is not the time it takes, is not the engagement that’s required, it’s the lack of having something to say…period!
If Content is the Fuel, Social Media is the Spark!
A close friend of mine, who manages social media accounts for businesses, was recently contracted to setup and manage a Twitter account for a local professional. The goal of the project was to grow and engage a localized Twitter following.
For the first few weeks, this was no problem at all. My friend is a master at finding, engaging, and growing a quality following on Twitter for her clients. She even picked up a few potential customers for her client.
However, after the initial success, the number of new followers grew less each day, and those that were following became much less engaged, but why?
My friend communicated the consequences of not having fresh website content. Conversely, she also communicated the amazing results that would eventually come from all that new content.
The client had promised, but failed to deliver new blogs on a regular basis. In the end, her client never came through, and the relationship ended. Another dormant Twitter account is born…..
One of the more popular early articles on the Market Domination Blog is 5 Reasons Your Website Redesign isn’t Bringing in Lion Sized Leads and Countless New Customers. If you haven’t read it yet, I suggest you check it out. These are the most common issues I have seen after browsing thousands of websites.
The one recurring theme throughout is the general lack of consistently created, compelling website content. That content can come in the form of blog articles, e-books, guides, white papers, and case studies. Just about anything worth reading past the initial ten pages of marketing mumbo jumbo!
Content to the Rescue!
If you are one of the many tens of thousands small business owners who has given up on their fans and followers, here are 5 quick tips that will get people talking about your business again, and with some consistency, will start to make the phone and cash register ring again.
- Write down a list of the 50 questions that you are asked most by your customers.
- Write 50 blogs, each 250-350 words answering each and every question.
- Promote that content as it’s completed on your social media accounts, not screaming it, but in a social manner.
- Listen to the responses, what questions are being asked, what content is being engaged with and what isn’t?
- Write more content based on the results of your listening. It’s that easy!
These 5 tips will get you started. They are inbound marketing 101. From there you will be able to progress to more compelling content, more offers, and deeper engagement with your fans and followers.
Social Media can be all that it’s crack up to be! Heck, social media has benefited my small business in other fantastic ways. It’s a shame that some people will take advantage of buzzwords and hype to scare you into doing business! There are some very good social media folks out there, just be sure to ask good questions. If you’re not sure, feel free to ask me.
As for SEO Companies that also promise the world on a silver platter, look out, you’re next!
Batter Up!
What has been your biggest challenge with social media, both on Facebook and Twitter? What were the surprises you found once getting started? What has worked for you? What hadn’t? If you have questions, I’d be more than happy to give you straight up answers!
If you enjoyed this article, let’s connect on Twitter Follow @adamsokoloff
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Content saves and content kills.
Jack@TheJackB recently posted..Dear Children- Don’t Ask For Approval
Jack, my next blog is going to be How to Sum Up a Great Blog Comment in 5 Words or Less…lol!!!
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..The Five Biggest Website Secrets of A-List Bloggers
Cool.
Jack@TheJackB recently posted..Would You Read This Story Part 2
Great article Adam! So many business owners I work with forget the importance of content and it’s something I work with them on regularly. I often hear “I can’t get anyone to retweet” or “I can’t get anyone to ‘like’ a Facebook post”. By the time we’re done talking they get the point that content is king and I usually have a new client.
Great advice here.
Mike, you have a terrific point here, and I believe content solves the chicken or egg problem in terms of making your social media marketing work.
More so, when you say “content is king”, I have to qualify that statement a little more. I believe content needs to be compelling and remarkable, not the stuff that content farms create. Even if someone promotes the heck out of content, it still may not get the desired result if it doesn’t have any meat to it. Of course, we don’t write remarkably and compellingly all the time, but some will stick by consistently doing it.
Thanks so much for stopping by! -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..Are Bloggers Fake? Read on “My Friend”…
For me it is about human engagement whatever platform you use. I like that you shot down the mis-use of social media for your business buddies rather than the platforms themselves. Great post as ever Adam.
ps I think you mean ‘manner’ in point no.3?
pea recently posted..Don’t Just Believe…
Pea,
First of all, thank you for being an awesome copy editor! I could have read that over twenty times, and not picked up on that!
You make a great point here, and it’s not the platforms, they are just the message conductors. We simply abuse them
Thanks for being here! -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..10 Small Business Problems Solved with Inbound Marketing
I can’t help it – it’s the OCD I think! I’m the one that always says if someone has something in their teeth or their flies are undone, (kindly hopefully). And why not? And you’re right I’ve read things 10 times over and my eyes continue to tell me barefaced lies until someone else picks up on a typo!
pea recently posted..5 Simple Things
Thanks for calling out the so called big wigs Adam…
I joined a training community toward the end of last year and did all the things you mentioned here but they continue to tell us to blog on a regular basis, connect with people on a regular basis, all the necessary ways to get traffic to your site.
Over the course of about three months I started seeing regular visitors to my site and regular sales coming in. Then I started receiving emails from my fellow team members who also were in this training asking me how this was working for me and they weren’t having any such luck. I visited their blogs, their fan pages and their twitter stream only to learn they were active sporadically. Consistency is the key and over time you will see big results.
Thanks for pointing this out once again. You can’t participate every once in awhile and expect success. It’s just not going to happen.
Adrienne recently posted..A Time For Remembrance And Appreciation
Hey Adrienne,
Sorry for the delayed reply. I’m writing this from a Starbucks in Boston, where the Hubspot HUGS confernence just wrapped up. I’m drinking a medium coffee and eating a piece of pumpkim loaf. You know fall is coming when pumpkin starts showing up everywhere and boy do I love everything pumpkin!!!
“You can’t participate every once in awhile and expect success. It’s just not going to happen.”
Well said, it’s not only the consistent compelling content creation (the 4 C’s of inbound marketing goodness!) , it doing that in conjunction with promoting and engaging on your social media channels….and you rock the house in doing so!!!
Thanks Adrienne! -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..The #1 Overlooked Small Business Website Traffic and Conversion Opportunity (You are Kinda Already Doing)
Adam,
Content is really where it is at and it needs to be original content.
All of these “big wigs” that tell you it can be done totally on automation or without a continuous supply of content are crazy. Glad to see someone pointing this out.
I have gone down that road and it does not work.
When I started posting consistent original content I started to see people coming to my blog and sharing with me on the social networks.
Thanks for a great post.
Dee Ann Rice
Dee Ann Rice recently posted..Pinterest – Bookmarking Fun!
Hi Dee Ann, a heart warmed welcome to the community!
“I have gone down that road and it does not work.” Thank you for sharing this as I have been down this dark road as well. It’s the gaming of the system, and in a system that requires “humanness”, if that’s a word, it’s robotic and contrite.
What works is content along with thoughtful, insightful interaction, such as what you posted here!
Thanks for stopping by! -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..How to Rock Your Blogging Efforts on a Rainy Sunday!
Hi Adam,
It’s all about content. But, what I would like to add, is that it’s also all about being persistent and continue to add new and valuable content. I have witness too many companies using social media just for a few campaigns and that’s it. The content they add are valuable, but it’s only for a limited time. They stop using social media once the campaign period is over. To me, social media shouldn’t be used as part of any campaign, it’s something we should use every single day all year long.
Jens
Jens P. Berget recently posted..My 8 year old daughter has a dragon tattoo
Jens, well said! I couldn’t have said it better myself. The same ten page static website is just not going to get the job done any longer.
The other excellent point you make is the need to have a an ongoing, consistent social media strategy. Small businesses and large companies alike are missing huge opportunities to spread their messages.
Great to have you here Jens! -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..The #1 Overlooked Small Business Website Traffic and Conversion Opportunity (You are Kinda Already Doing)
If Content is the Fuel, Social Media is the Spark! … That quote sums it up perfectly Adam. Certainly, social has its own benefits, such as relationships. But if you’re purpose is a business purpose, then at least part of your social activities need to tie back to your site.
There is no doubt that I see a drop off when more time than usual passes between content updates. Certainly, content production is a balance for most. You have to balance frequency with quality. Everyone has their own pace but making sure your quality doesn’t suffer as you pursue frequency is really key.
Good stuff Adam!
Adam Toporek recently posted..How Your Pride Is Losing You Customers
Hey Adam, I definitely agree. Quality over quantity any day of the week! I think there should definitely be a correlation between the number of blog posts versus the your amount of social media posting.
Thanks for the awesome insights man! -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..The #1 Overlooked Small Business Website Traffic and Conversion Opportunity (You are Kinda Already Doing)
Adam,
This is great stuff! It gives me all sorts of ideas as to what I can do to make my presence online more consistent.
It also makes me want to offer my writing skills to those businesses that need someone to generate content for them.
That’s a good idea right? This was I can help them and I can make some decent income from it. What do you think?
I’m still fairly new to this and learning guerilla style so your words of wisdom can go a long way…
thanks for the post,
Jose Miguel
Jose Miguel Vasquez recently posted..Dwayne Johnson as “Goliath”, sure! Taylor Lautner as “David”, huh?
Hi Jose,
Welcome to the Market Domination Blog community! I’m glad you found the article useful!
I’m sure there is a market for blog writing. I think the key will be for you to demonstrate quality, consistency, and how you can incorporate those qualities into a strong social media presence for your clients.
Glad to have you here Jose. Happy to have you back again! -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..The Five Biggest Website Secrets of A-List Bloggers
Adam, I so love your refreshing posts and your clarity! I’ve been blogging and involved in social media without much direction, but the basics you share make so much sense to me in how engagement and content interact! What an honor to be part of the same tribe together. =)
One social media factor I’ve been playing with these past few months is the timing of sharing content. I haven’t recorded any numbers, but from Hootsuite stats and Facebook sharing observations, it seems like Mondays are the slowest days to share and weekend tweets/shares do much better than I originally thought! Do you have any experience with this? =)
Samantha Bangayan recently posted..A Versatile Blogger in Peru
Samantha, as a fellow blogger, it warms me greatly to know that you’ve gotten something out of the content I’m producing. I am the one who is honored, both having you here, and taking part in a tribe together.
I have a huge smile right now reading that you have been digging into your Twitter/Facebook analytics – love it! I’ve read some data that agrees with your findings. On Twitter, Monday is the slowest day for sharing, with the peak being Friday. As for Facebook, sharing is flat most of the week, but Saturday is huge! Ultimately, I think it is different for everyone and digging in is the only way to actually know. Kudos!
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..The #1 Overlooked Small Business Website Traffic and Conversion Opportunity (You are Kinda Already Doing)
This is GOLD!
Yes, the number of “experts” out there is outstanding. Everything is inextricably linked – yes, you might have the worlds best content but if you don’t know how to market and promote it you will fall short – if you have amazing social media skills but content that sucks well, you’ll have a spectacular bounce rate and little interaction.
It’s a fine line … very interesting!!
Ameena Falchetto recently posted..Originality is Dead. Why it’s time to reinvent yourself. Again.
Hey Ameena, welcome and thanks for coming by! You make some very good points. The “Buzz” will tell you that you need to be doing social media marketing, but fail to tell you about needing a compelling content conveyor belt to deliver the goods!
Certainly a fine line both ways! -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..The Five Biggest Website Secrets of A-List Bloggers
Dear Adam
Love this post. You write: “There are some very good social media folks out there, just be sure to ask good questions. If you’re not sure, feel free to ask me.”
I posted the Top 10 forgotten social media questions
===> http://commetrics.com/?p=16703/#comments
Some questions you have addressed above as well. Others such as: why should I follow you on Twitter/Facebook, Why do you use social media…. I tried to address in the post linked to above. Conclusions are similar to yours.
Finally, I find that having a conversation means listening and responding (as you do, for instance, replying to the nice comments you got above)… walk the talk.
Thanks so much for sharing. Urs
Urs E. Gattiker recently posted..Top 10 Social Media Fragen
Hi URS,
Welcome to the blog. I appreciate you being here! This is so very true about social media marketing. It’s not just about shouting a message, that is for TV and Radio advertising. Social is engagement, and those that deeply engage, while providing excellent content, will win, and dominate.
Thanks again man. -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..Are Bloggers Fake? Read on “My Friend”…
I like that you qualify the “content is king” statement. Not everybody does that. It’s a refreshing change of pace.
The section about your friend and the content problem resonated with me because I have that problem with clients at times. Although I’m trying to become more of a consultant, I still offer writing services. With that service, I try to involve my clients. I don’t always know the internal workings of their businesses; I need them to share that information with me so that I better understand what they want to accomplish with their content. When that doesn’t happen, creating compelling content becomes a herculean task at times.
Erin Feldman recently posted..Time Matters
Hey Erin, thanks so much for dropping a line! I can certainly empathize with your dilemma. I do find that some companies just don’t have the ability to write for themselves, and hiring a quality writer is a fantastic solution. But you’re right, if they don’t make you an expert in what they do, and how they do it, how do they expect great results? That disconnect will most unfortunately lead to a souring of the relationship. Is it better not to take on that client if they aren’t willing to meet you half-way?
Stop on by to vent anytime
-Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..The #1 Overlooked Small Business Website Traffic and Conversion Opportunity (You are Kinda Already Doing)
The answer to your question is “yes.” Unfortunately, I didn’t know that when I first started my business. Experience is the best teacher…
Erin Feldman recently posted..Where’s Your Publishing Schedule?
Yes it is Erin. When I first opened Sunrise Signs over three years ago, I thought that since I’m awesome (haha), why wouldn’t everyone want to buy their vehicle wraps and signs from me. It wasn’t the case. I’m still awesome, but what a learning experience it’s been
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..When Disaster Strikes Your Small Business: The Power of Persistence, Community, and your Network.
I’ve been learning all about inbound marketing from Marcus Sheridan, but now I will have to become a regular visitor to your place! Yes, the world is certainly full of “experts” and “gurus” … big picture guys / girls with plenty of hype and no nitty gritty details on how to really flesh out a social media plan … and figure out what to say.
Then we see your great list of five quick tips. Again, thanks for the inbound marketing 101 lesson. I’m learning
Craig McBreen recently posted..A-Listers suck
Craig, thanks for coming by. You are always welcome. Marcus is awesome and a friend of mine. We both are insanely passionate inbound marketers. What I love is that his pool business is B2C and my sign company is B2B. So while there are many, many similarities to our marketing approach, there are a good number of differences as well.
I’m glad the quick tips were helpful. There are some very little things with inbound marketing that can easily add up to big gains!
Rock on with it! -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..5 reasons why you CAN & SHOULD take on the GIANTS of business with Inbound Marketing
Hi Adam,
I really appreciated this piece of work. I love when bloggers are willing to go against he grain and speak their mind. I have some posts inside of me on the very topic and I look to write them. I don’t cover social media on my blog, so I’ll be saving them for Guest Posts on the big sites so people can get some “keep it real” words to think about.
Anyhow, one thing I think that needs to be addressed is the idea of the blog community. It’s a hot topic right now and I’m hear to say that I think people need to realize the truth of blog communities and comments. Blog comments equal $0. Blog comments translate to $0. I’m starting to see many Business blogs get caught up in keeping an interactive community for the sake of it. Comments do have value, but in MOST cases, they don’t convert to business. The content converts to business over time. Take this is as example….take most best selling authors for moment. They all have blogs. They all create good content. They get very few comments but but they have thousands of readers. And they make the big bucks. If they had a bunch of comments and replied to each then they’d be pulling themselves from their business purpose; making money.
Again, not shunning the idea of getting a lot of comments. Heck, in many cases I get a lot of comments. I think it shows credibility to a site…but I think it is taking away some of the potency of content for some blogs. I’ve starting to see so many blogs write to create a discussion not to educate. Why? I think they’ve got the reasoning twisted, thinking that having a bunch of comments means business success.
I better stop! But i loved your post and it got me fired up!
Jk, Wow, this really has you fired up! I do really appreciate the thoughtfulness of such a well written comment. I’d like to read your thoughts on the subject, so let me know when you’ve got them wired for sound on those guest posts.
I can completely understand where you are coming from in terms of the value of blog comments. Not to self promote, but as an example my Sunrise Signs blog doesn’t get a hill of beans worth of comments, but I’ll tell ya what, it converts traffic like crazy and makes the phone ring! I know many others like it.
Hmmm, you’ve got me thinking now about your last comment. Perhaps we do get it backwards sometimes, writing for the comments instead of quality of content. I’m gonna have to tuck that one away as an excellent reminder to us all!
Glad you enjoyed the post, and look forward to seeing you here again! -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..Introducing Website Grader TV! Home Improvement Contractor Website Review
I’m pretty new to all of this blogging and social media. I will say that recently I came across this article than it started to hit me like a ton of bricks. http://www.davidrisley.com/5-rules/ A blog is the place to build a community to to actualy make money you still have to have an actual product or service. So JK you hit it on the head. A blog doesn’t make you a dollar. Authors sell books. Marketers sell info products, books, and software. Some people sell their service. This was my aha moment that I could share and I’m in agreement.
Adam GREAT article. Content is still King. You can have the greatest looking site in the world. IF the content is lacking… no one will spend their time there. Yours is obviously quality! So i’ll be coming back!!
Hey Danny, thanks for coming by! People are super smart and can definitely see through all the “fluff” blogs. Content doesn’t need to be produced 5 days a week to be terrific. For some 3 days is the right number. Others even lower. It just depends on your goals. Either way, a good social media strategy is a healthy combination of consistent compelling content and promotion.
Thanks for the comment. Looking forward to seeing you here again. -Adam
Adam Sokoloff recently posted..Introducing Website Grader TV! Home Improvement Contractor Website Review
This is awesome content, Adam. It’s my first time on your blog and I have to say that I’m impressed with the value you bring.
Yes a lot of people have been told the lie that all they have to do is setup a profile on social media sites and add friends and their business will grow beyond bounds. They have not realized that you have to be attractive on social media. By that I mean that you have to post interesting content either on your social media wall or on your blog/website. I like the idea of writing out 50 questions that your customers ask and then writing a blog post to answer those questions.
Thanks for sharing.
Etieno Etuk recently posted..Top Five Reasons Why People Fail at Online Network Marketing