I’m not exactly sure where companies got the idea that social media is a quick fix. Pay for a bunch of followers and BAM! you’re rich! Sure, there are ways to shortcut social media by basically paying for numbers (followers, fans, traffic). But a big number doesn’t guarantee you any business and in some ways is worse than being at square one (because you’ve dumped money into something without a clear return on investment, ROI). There is a dangerous allure in the empty promise of speed in social media.
The Danger in Speed
If you do use methods to go fast in social media, by buying followers and/or traffic, you’re really missing the point. Just like with in person networking, the idea is to get to know people, their needs, and figure out if there are ways you can work together. By skipping the get-to-know-you step, you just have a big number next to your name without knowing anything about anyone.
Worse yet, most people who follow you in these pay-for-follower (or traffic) schemes don’t care what you’re saying or selling. Once they’ve connected to you, they collect their paycheck and move on. Talk about a total waste of money.
The Allure of Big Numbers
For some reason companies feel like they need to show off big numbers online (number of followers, fans, traffic, etc.). But people (customers) are not stupid. If someone looks at your profiles, and you’re not having any conversations nor is anyone else, they know that you’re just using social media as an advertising channel, which is a big turnoff.
Quality vs. Quantity
If instead of having big numbers (quantity), you have a smaller highly engaged community (quantity), that’s really enticing to people. Now, instead of just hearing what you’re promoting, people can talk with others and get lots of different viewpoints in one place. That’s valuable!
Big Numbers can be OK
There’s nothing wrong with having big numbers if you’ve worked to achieve them (time & effort) by consistently providing value and engagement. It’s all in the quality of those numbers. And what you do with the numbers that make a difference. Treat people like people, instead of a number, and they’ll be more interested in what you have to say.
What Social Media can Provide
Social media provides the ability to connect and engage with a much wider (or narrower) audience than ever before. You can form and build relationships with people you’ve never met in person. You can get feedback, have conversations, and form a community of people who are interested in what you do because you’re interested in what they need.
But everything takes time & effort. There is no free ride, even in social media.
What do you think?
(photo by Viernest, on Flickr)