Working for a social media agency where we take our practice extremely seriously, it’s not a surprise that I feel irked when I see Internet “marketers” blithely tack on social media as an add-on service to their list of professions. It’s not an elitist thing, but the truth is nowadays everybody and their moms tout that they are so-called social media “experts”, when in fact, most are not. Many people erroneously believe that they can effectively translate social media personal use to using social media for marketing. To me, it’s like saying someone can cook, because he or she knows how to eat and sometimes uses the microwave.
Why does this matter to me? Let me explain. Yesterday, Stephen and I attended a business expo in Montebello where we had the opportunity to connect with business professionals from all over the area. During conversation, the majority of people we met were receptive to social media marketing, but there were a handful of people who were adamant against the idea. One gentleman immediately shut us out after we told him that we help businesses with their social media, saying that that’s not how he “conducts business”, and that he prefers to “meet with clients in person”. Another man shockingly began to argue with us, insisting that businesses shouldn’t use social media because, “who knows what people are going to say about your business”! Of course, we all know that social media does not replace personal, face-to-face connections and meetings, and that evading social media doesn’t mean that you can prevent people from talking about you or your business.
To my generation, social media is essential. It has been ingrained in our every day lives, and is only going to continue to make a larger presence in the future. Older people or those who are not so familiar with technology may not understand this, as evidenced by the examples from above. So, educating them about social media is a very delicate process because they are already inclined to believe that social media won’t work.
The problem is that not all social media cynics can discern between an agency who truly understands how to use social media and a person who is a self-proclaimed social media “junkie” or “expert”. One negative experience with social media will only further reinforce a cynic’s beliefs, and will push them far away from ever using social media again.
At Katie Wagner Social Media, we believe with blinding conviction in the power of social media, coupled with the power of story-telling, and we love what we do. Sure, it can be hard to convince someone who doesn’t believe in social media, but it is even more difficult to convince someone who has already been thwarted by a social media experience that produced them little or no results, and only because he unknowingly worked with someone who didn’t know what he was doing.
If you are a business who has consulted someone regarding social media for your business and has received little or no results, there’s a strong chance that you just didn’t talk to the right person. Talk to us, and we’ll show you that social media does and can work for you.
