So…you wanna be a social media strategist, eh?
Well it’s not enough to add noise to the echo chamber. You can’t just use Twitter and call yourself an expert. You gotta get results.
Expertise is built over time, it’s acquired through a voracious appetite for knowledge, and it is cultivated through trial and error.
Want to know more? Keep reading to learn how the real social media pros–the ones making money–are getting REAL results.
Build your list for results
Yeah, that’s right I said it. For every 20 social media strategists out there telling you how Facebook is gonna make you a millionaire, there’s one successful blogger building their list and making real money. I LOVE Social Media, I do, but I’m tired of talking about it. It’s a technology that belongs in the background. It’s one part of the marketing mix.
Email is more measurable than ANY social media platform, period. It’s also BIGGER than ANY social media platform, including Facebook…period. Study after study, and expert after expert have shown that email still gives the biggest bang for the buck. Furthermore, your email list is very helpful when trying to build your social media network.
I’m not saying to ignore or discount the power of a social platform, but we’re talking about results here, and email is still king of conversions.
See me admit I was wrong about email.
Talk less, Listen more for results
Want more leads? Then shut the F- up!
Want to know more about your competitors? Then shut the F- up!
Want to know how to improve your products or services? Then shut the F- up!
Want to know more about your customers or prospects? You know what I’m gonna say.
The truth is that every major player that has achieved success using Social Media knows this to be true, listening > talking.
Great salespeople listen more than they talk. If all you are doing is posting content, especially self-promotional content, you are missing the entire point. There is a tremendous amount you can learn from keeping quiet and doing some research into what OTHER people are saying.
Give it a try.
Maybe check out our posts on Social Listening?
Stop talking about platforms, start talking business for results
I have an MBA. You know what I learned over the course of one year and 63 credits plus an international trip? Business people don’t give a shit about social media, and they don’t care about the color of their logo. You know what they care about…I mean REALLY care about?
MONEY!
If you want to succeed in Social Media, reorient yourself around getting the results that matter. Get obsessive about measurement. Anecdotal evidence of success is lovely, but if you want to help the entire industry of professionals using social media in a business setting, show measurable results.
Stop talking about individual tools and start talking about what matters to businesses. Every “guru” that comes in with a pre-prepared pitch about Facebook or Twitter is making all of us look bad. When we have to come in and clean up the mess, prospects are already skeptical because they just got burned.
Are you a Social Media Strategist? Does this post make you want to fight me? Let’s duke it out in the comments. Otherwise, carry on.