Social Media is Not the Golden Ticket

I'll admit, I'm guilty of it. Guilty of buying into the hype of social media. Social media (SM) has been flaunted in the faces of business owners, corporations, and up-starts for a couple of years now. Don't get me wrong, social media is not all wrong. In fact, it has done amazing things - leveling the communication playing field, for example. It has also warped the view of real branding.

Social media, you see, is part of a larger picture. A larger picture that is often over-looked, taken for granted, and minimized. The larger picture, brand marketing, and all of it's various categories, have been pushed to the side as we all run to the golden ticket.

SM, in actuality, is only a slice of a larger slice called 'online marketing', which is a slice of the 'marketing' pie.

I have stopped advising my clients to only focus on SM; instead, use it for the tool that it is. A tool that can boost customer service levels, build relationships with new clients, expand into new demographics, and provide instant feedback for products and brand popularity.

SM, when used correctly, is about relationships. Relationships that, previously, have been unimaginable to most companies. When nurtured correctly, these relationships lead to life-long customers.

In Economics 101, we learn that new customers are more expensive to gain than existing customers - sometimes upwards of 4 or 6 times more expensive. This is where social networking tools really shine, gaining new contacts and courting them to become customers, is relatively inexpensive (in terms of dollars), take advantage of that low entry cost to build deep relationships with these contacts. 'Date' them, engage them, listen to them, respond to them. Once you have them hooked, invest more into them. Turn up the heat and introduce other forms of online marketing.

To gain the best return, SM is meant to augment new or existing online marketing campaigns. Not to BE the marketing campaign.

Contrary to popular belief, SM is not the golden ticket in marketing. Just as electronic newsletters, effective search engine optimization, solid sales content, and outstanding customer service, are all elements of the entirety. But when used in conjunction with these other portions, social media provides an excellent entry point for brands.

Stop trying to use social media as a one-size-fits-all replacement of true marketing. You and your customers deserve better.

Shaun Nestor is an online marketing advisor and founder of Never Mind Marketing. He is passionate about helping small and locally-owned businesses use the power of online marketing and social networking to build their brand.