Social Media Lesson: Avoid a Bad Haircut
Beware the Bad Haircut (image by Brandon Shigeta)
When I was a teenager, I had a buddy who loved cutting his own hair. He’d take the clippers and usually just pass them around his head carelessly until it was short enough. When I saw him the next day, his hair was typically uneven and looked like he tried to cut it with hedge trimmers. A few times, he even put a big divot in his head! I’d just shake my head and help him fix it. One day, he called me up, and invited me over with an excited tone in his voice. When I arrived, I saw him grinning proudly and brandishing a Flowbee – the combination vacuum/hair clippers. He had found a tool that made giving himself a haircut more simple. Even though he was now using a Flowbee, he still gave himself a bad haircut… but it was faster and easier.
I tend to see companies fall to the same fate as my friend. Knowing how to use a “tool” does not guarantee you success (in business or in haircuts). Yet, the tools presented in social media are seductive, and companies are giving themselves “bad haircuts.”
Finding success by using social media tools is about much more than a basic understanding of the tools – it’s about understanding communications and marketing strategy. The tools are easy to understand and that’s why a ridiculous number of people use them to communicate (and that audience is what makes it such an attractive arena to play in). However, just because your company has decided that they want to set up a Facebook page, tweet on Twitter or post and comment on blogs doesn’t mean you’re doing it well or effectively. Sorry, somebody had to tell you. I’m your friend.
There is no shortage of people parading around as social media gurus, experts, specialists or wizards right now. But soon enough, the mystery around the technology and the tools will fade away, and you will want to be partnered with a team that understands communication and marketing across multiple media. The best marketers will absolutely understand and have experience with social media tools and strategy, as well as an ability to understand integrating messaging. It’s our job to be great at it. Beware of these social media “carpetbaggers” who approach you with dazzling buzzwords, encouraging you to jump into social media tools without a strategy first (“hey, you should start a Facebook Group!”) or simply referring to social media only by its tools (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc). Does setting up a Facebook page, or a blog or a Twitter account make them an expert at social media? No. They’ll only succeed in helping you find an easier way to give yourself a bad haircut.
So, work with a team that understands the tools, understands the strategy, understands the market and understands communication in many forms. The value is not in the social media tools, it’s in knowing how to really use them to communicate. If you’re thinking about moving into the world of social media, I’d be glad to help you take that first step. I’ll come give you and/or your group a one hour intro to new media lesson (NO COST – I want you to be educated). E-mail me if you’d like to avoid getting that bad haircut.
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