Social Media is Work Not Magic

Posted on July 10, 2012 by David Peralty

Every time I talk to someone interested in leveraging social media to build up their brand, be it personal or corporate, they always ask what the tricks are. Everyone wants short cuts, but the issue is that social media requires the social part more than the media part of its name. You can’t force socialization. It’s not some social media slight-of-hand card trick, it takes work and practice.

Take a real life scenario like going to a party. You don’t know anyone there, but you are hoping to build your business. Do you walk across the room, tell someone to like you, and then shove your business card in their face?

It is time that people joining the social media space understand the work that goes into it. Building a huge follower list isn’t as impressive as building a list of people that are willing to support you, and help you with your goals and aspirations.

In one of my previous positions, the person responsible for social media decided to automate nearly everything, and in doing so, he was able to amass a large following in social media. The growth of the accounts made his position within the company secure, but the issue that no one saw was that the huge number of followers wasn’t providing any real value.

People always talk about the value of social media, some shying away from an answer, but I have always believed that the value comes from action. If you are able to connect with people in a way that either makes their life or your life better then that’s where value lies. Businesses don’t always need to convert in social media if they are building their brand identity, creating conversation, teaching others to be brand ambassadors through their interactions, and working hard to support customers. All of these can be seen by companies as marketing expenditures that will pay themselves back in full over the course of time through brand loyalty, word of mouth, and growth in market share.

If you are trying to build your own personal brand online, the same rules apply. Conversation, communication, and consideration, are all great words to keep in mind as you try to grow your lists. Social media isn’t some magical formula. There isn’t anyone that can tell you the rules, but common sense and hard work can help you achieve your goals.

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About David Peralty

David Peralty
David Peralty currently works as Marketing and Support Specialist for Rocket Genius, creators of the Gravity Forms WordPress plugin. You can read his personal blog at www.peralty.com and follow him on Twitter at @findpurpose.

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